Election race in Scarborough Southwest

By Hedy Korbee

It was a busy weekend of campaign office openings and door-to-door canvassing for candidates running to represent Southwest Scarborough in the provincial election on June 7.

Voters in the riding have a slate of high quality candidates to choose from including a lawyer and career politician, a police officer turned university professor, a research analyst and community volunteer, and a digital manager at one of the big banks.

Liberal candidate Lorenzo Berardinetti. Photo: Hedy Korbee

Lorenzo Berardinetti (Liberal Party)

The career politician is incumbent MPP Liberal Lorenzo Berardinetti, who met with supporters on Saturday at his campaign headquarters at Birchmount and St. Clair before heading out to campaign door-to-door.

When asked by Birch Cliff News about his accomplishments in office, Berardinetti said he keeps Scarborough Southwest on the radar at Queen’s Park. He pointed to the provincial budget in April that included a $5 million grant for Variety Village as well as social assists such as the minimum wage increase and the expansion of OHIP.

 “I’m proud of that, particularly the minimum wage going up to $14 and next year to $15. There are some pockets in the riding of low-income earners who need the extra money to get by and live here in the riding and do what they have to do with the riding.”

Berardinetti will be celebrating his 30th year in elected office in November.  He is a lawyer who was first elected to Scarborough Council in 1988, and later served on the amalgamated Toronto City Council.  He was elected MPP in 2003.

But Berardinetti could be in for his biggest fight yet. He’s a perennial backbencher who keeps a low profile in the riding and the polls show the Liberals trailing in third place behind the Progressive Conservatives in first place and New Democrats, who are now in second.

Liberal volunteers preparing to canvas door-to-door with candidate Lorenzo Berardinetti on Sun., May 12. Photo: Hedy Korbee

Progressive Conservative candidate Gary Ellis addressing supporters on Sun., May 12.. Photo: Hedy Korbee

Gary Ellis (Progressive Conservative Party)

Progressive Conservative candidate Gary Ellis took square aim at Berardinetti at his campaign launch on Saturday at Kingston Rd. and Midland, saying he doesn’t have any influence in the Liberal government and is simply “a hand that goes up and down to vote”.

“I think it’s a battle against good and evil, to be honest, and I want to be on the side of good,” Ellis told a crowd of 50 supporters.  “Our money is being taken out of our pockets and sold for votes to the highest bidder rather than doing what is long-term important. There is no vision for the long-term future.”

In an interview with Birch Cliff News, Ellis walked back the comment about the Liberal government being evil. “Maybe I’ll roll back the strong words a little bit,” he said. “Maybe between bad and good.”

Ellis is a former Toronto police officer who served as superintendent of 42 Division.

He held several other senior positions including operational commander of an RCMP combined forces unit on organized crime and counter-terrorism.

Ellis has earned a PhD and currently works as program head of Justice Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber.

PC candidate Gary Ellis addressing volunteers before a neighbourhood canvas on May 12. Photo: Hedy Korbee

NDP candidate Doly Begum. Photo: Facebook

Doly Begum (New Democratic Party)

Ellis and Berardinetti both have long histories in southwest Scarborough, as does NDP candidate Doly Begum, who is Vice-Chair of Warden Woods Community Centre, which runs 50 programs and serves 6,000 clients. She was also the chief coordinator of the provincial Keep Hydro Public campaign.

Begum immigrated to Canada as a child and told supporters at her campaign launch on Sun., May 6. that she realized the importance of social services when her father got into a car accident.

“We thought we were going to say goodbye,” Begum said, thanking the healthcare system that saved her dad. “The health care system is so important to me.”

Begum reminded supporters that the NDP is the only party with a fully costed election platform and took a swipe at both the Liberals and the Conservatives in her remarks.

”We can’t trust the Conservatives with our services because they might sell everything off, and we know that the Liberals have done that too, with Hydro One,” she said.

Begum holds a Master of Science degree from England’s University  College London and works as a research analyst at the Society of Energy Professionals.

Doly Begum supporters at office launch on Sun. May 6. Photo: Facebook

Green Party candidate David Del Grande. Photo: Green Party file photo

David Del Grande (Green Party)

Green Party candidate David Del Grande is also vying to represent Scarborough Southwest and his campaign is primarily being waged online through Twitter.

In an interview with Birch Cliff News, Del Grande said he’s concerned about historically low voter turnouts and thinks a vote for the Green Party is an alternative vote for a party with a positive message.

“I believe a reason why a large number of voters don’t vote is because they don’t see policies that reflect what they’re looking for.  They don’t trust the promises made by the larger parties.  And so I think they’re looking for an alternative, especially when the larger parties speak in partisan terms.  They’re attacking one another and it’s a large turn off for voters,” Del Grande said.

Del Grande said believes that elected representatives need to be good stewards of the environment, protecting the water, the land and the air, and fighting climate change while also focussing on good paying jobs.

Del Grande has a B. Comm from Ryerson University and works as a manager in product strategy at a large Canadian bank.

He finished fourth in the 2014 provincial election with 4 percent of the vote.

With files from Chelsey Devito