Elections Ontario says Nipissing voters will have six candidates to choose from including a last-minute candidate for the Ontario Party Scott Mooney.
The party's website contains no information on Mooney, but does give a clue to its platform saying "If historic Canadian values of freedom, family, and faith are important to you, join the Ontario Party to help build a strong, free, and prosperous province. Learn why true conservative values are more than political talking points to us."
Likewise, almost no information is available about the Liberal candidate Liam McGarry other than he appears to live in southern Ontario and is a parachute candidate.
See" Looks like five candidates competing in Nipissing riding
According to the NDP website, Loren Mick was born and raised along the river in Mattawa. "Loren Mick is a dedicated advocate for the Nipissing district and a lifelong resident of Mattawa. He has worked as a chef in his family’s restaurant and served the community as a dietary aid at the local nursing home. His passion for helping others led him to pursue a Master’s in Counseling Psychology, with a focus on improving access to mental health care. Loren has been elected twice to Mattawa Town Council."
Progressive Conservative candidate Vic Fedeli has represented the riding since 2011, and served two terms as the city's mayor. Fedeli is the incumbent.
Michelle Lashbrook says she volunteered as a Libertarian candidate because she believes that "evil prevails when good people do nothing."
"I am a native of northern Ontario and started my life in Timmins before moving to North Bay and then to Callander. I am of French, English, and Algonquin ancestry and am bilingual. I am also a status Indian with the Timiskaming First Nations. I have been calling Callander home since 2004 and now live here with my amazing partner Pat, who has been my rock. We have five children, the eldest three are mine and are now young adults."
Colton Chaput's website says he is a "dedicated community leader from Nipissing with a strong commitment to service and sustainability. Throughout high school, Colton played an active role in FIRST Robotics Team 1305, gaining valuable experience in volunteering, fundraising, and community outreach. During the pandemic, he supported local initiatives by sewing masks for hospitals, delivering Meals on Wheels, and working at a pharmacy to ensure that people had access to essential medications.
He is now in his final year of the Nursing program at uOttawa.
The six candidates are:
- Colton Chaput, Green Party of Ontario
- Vic Fedeli, PC Party of Ontario
- Michelle Lashbrook, Libertarian
- Liam McGarry, Ontario Liberal Party
- Loren Mick, Ontario NDP
- Scott Mooney, Ontario Party
Candidate nominations for the February 27 election have now closed, and a full list of candidates for each electoral district is now available at elections.on.ca .
A total of 768 candidates and 20 parties are running in this election. In 2022, there were 900 candidates and 25 parties on the ballot. This represents a 14.6% decrease in the number of candidates and a 20% decrease in the number of parties participating.
Starting next week, voter information cards will be on their way to those on the voter's list. While voter information cards are not required to vote, voters can still add their information to the list until February 17 at RegistertoVoteON.ca to make their experience faster and easier when they go to vote. Voters can also access a scannable version of their voter information card when they create an account on the Elections Ontario app.
“We provide official candidate lists on our website and the Elections Ontario app," says Greg Essensa, Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario. "Voters can rely on Elections Ontario as their trusted source for accurate election information. If you have any questions or come across something you're unsure about, visit us at elections.on.ca for the facts you can trust.”