Liberal MPP candidate Andrea Hazell has won the Scarborough-Guildwood provincial by-election and will take the place of long standing Liberal representative Mitzie Hunter.
The Ontario Liberal Party congratulated Hazell on her victory in a tweet Thursday evening.
The Scarborough-Guildwood seat has been empty since May after Hunter, who had been in the position for a decade, resigned to run in Toronto’s mayoral by-election last month.
Voter turnout was low, with only 21.84 per cent of those eligible showing up to the polls, according to elections Ontario’s website.
Hazell’s victory sees the preservation of the riding’s Liberal stronghold, which has not changed since its formation in 2007.
She beat a number of candidates, including Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario contender Gary Crawford, who was endorsed by former Toronto Mayor John Tory, by over 1,000 votes, Thadsha Navaneethan of the NDP, and a slew of independent and smaller party representatives.
The Liberal party website paints Hazell as a seasoned and successful leader, noting her business acumen, and heralding her achievements as the Chair of the Caribbean Philanthropic Council.
Hazell is also the founder of Winspire National Women’s Network Foundation, and a front line figure in the “drive for women’s empowerment and gender equality,” according to her website.
She has decades of experience as a businesswoman, and is a dedicated philanthropist, community advocate and spokesperson for Scarborough’s Caribbean population.
In a victory speech, Hazell thanked her opponents and Mitzie Hunter for her “decade of service to our community,” and for her support throughout the campaign. “You have left very big shoes for your girl Andrea to fill,” she said.
Her win comes in conjunction with a second Liberal victory in the Ottawa riding of Kanata-Carelton. Karen McCrimmon won that by-election yesterday, pushing the Progressive Conservative Party out of its seat.
Another election will likely be called in Kitchener Centre in the coming months, after the resignation of NDP representative Laura Mae Lindo who is set to start a new job position at the University of Waterloo.
