Simcoe-North incumbent reclaims seat

Incumbent MPP Garfield Dunlop has been re-elected in Simcoe-North.

Progressive Conservative MPP Garfield Dunlop has been given another mandate as Simcoe-North’s MPP.

Dunlop, who has been MPP since 1999, defeated Liberal Fred Larson, NDP Dorris Middleton, and Green Party Peter Stubbins. CTV News called the vote at 9:26 p.m.

Dunlop has been Critic, Training and Apprenticeship since Sept. 30, 2013 and Chair, Committee on the Legislative Assembly since Feb. 27 after years as a member.

He had been Chair, Committee on Estimates since Sept. 15, 2009; Critic, Community Safety and Correctional Services. First elected in 1999, Dunlop was Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier; in Intergovernmental Affairs and in Education and was for a time Government Whip and House Leader. After attending university in Waterloo, he joined his father in Glen Dunlop Plumbing, Heating and Supplies.

In 1980, Garfield began a career in municipal politics, when he was elected councillor for the Village of Coldwater.

From 1982 until 1994, he was reeve of the Village. In 1994, after the County of Simcoe was restructured, Garfield became deputy mayor of the Township of Severn, where he served until the 1999 provincial election.

He was Warden of Simcoe County in 1998, overseeing the Local Services Realignment, and chaired the planning services committee, which, between 1995 and 1997, developed the County of Simcoe official plan.

Garfield and his wife, the former Jane Taylor initiated the town hall meeting which led to the purchase of Coldwater's historic gristmill, saving it from demolition.

Riding Profile

More cottage than commuter country as it’s the north section of the county and well into the Georgian Bay tourist area.

It includes the city of Orillia, located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, famous for its conferences.

Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Larger centres are: Penetanguishene and Midland and it has the Severn Sound and Severn River and the townships of Ramara, Oro-Medonte, Tay and Tiny.

The largest employer is Casino Rama. Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people.

A monument to Champlain, erected in 1925, commemorates his exploration of the area in the 1600s. Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock had a summer home in Orillia and Gordon Lightfoot grew up there.