SIMCOE – Voters gave Haldimand-Norfolk independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady a resounding endorsement in Thursday night’s provincial election as she easily won a second term and proved Premier Doug Ford wrong.
The ultra-rare non-party politician secured a landslide victory with 33,669 ballots for 63.7 percent of the vote, easily outpacing her closest rival, Norfolk County Mayor Amy Martin, the Tory candidate who despite a rising tide of support for Ford only mustered 12,949 votes.
“Here we are, ordinary people who have done the extraordinary,” Brady told supporters at her campaign headquarters at the former Eli’s Gun and Archery in Simcoe. “Not only have you done it once, you’ve now done it twice.
“Tonight, we celebrate a victory that isn’t just about a win, but the triumph of hope, unity, and the collective power of our great communities here in Haldimand-Norfolk. We know that when we come together with a shared purpose and a common vision there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
A Delhi-area mother of two, Brady called the night a “monumental victory” and said she was “deeply honoured” to represent the Southwestern Ontario riding at Queen’s Park a second time.
Brady spent two decades as an administrative assistant and campaign manager of longtime Tory MPP Toby Barrett but ran as an Independent in 2022 after then-Haldimand County Mayor Ken Hewitt was chosen by Ford to represent the Progressive Conservatives. It proved to be a major mistake by the Tories.
Despite not having major party backing, Brady’s numbers grew significantly from her inaugural campaign three years ago. The 2022 election saw her claim 15,921 ballots and 35 per cent of the vote, a victory she recalled political insiders saying was a fluke.
“I reminded them they were the same people who told us we’d never do it in the first place,” Brady said. “I stand before you with my heart brimming with so many things, most of all, gratitude.”
Ford – who won his third straight majority – and Brady have sparred publicly since, with the most notable instance coming in April 2024 while at Queen’s Park when the premier told Brady: “You won’t have a job next election.”
As a provincial and national kickboxing champion, Brady wasn’t about to back down. “I said in 2022 that courage would be contagious, and look at this room tonight,” Brady said.
Martin, who took a leave as Norfolk County mayor to run in the election, said she was proud of her campaign despite the loss.
“While we may not have won, we didn’t go down without a fight,” Martin said to a few dozen people gathered at Capitol 33 in Delhi.
After Thursday night’s election, the 124-seat Ontario legislature breaks down as follows: 80 Progressive Conservatives, 27 New Democrats, 14 Liberals, two Greens and one Independent – Brady.