Byelection underscores local concerns as Hamilton East—Stoney Creek prepares to vote
The provincial byelection in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek has sharpened focus on neighbourhood issues that residents have been discussing for months: affordability, health care, education and troubling reports of soot in parts of the riding. The contest was triggered when Progressive Conservative MPP Neil Lumsden retired on Aug. 4, and advanced voting for the Sept. 3 vote began this week.
Voters in the riding — which stretches from Kenilworth Avenue to just east of Fifty Road — will be able to cast ballots at their assigned polling locations on election day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Elections Ontario lists voting locations online.
Six candidates are listed on the ballot. CBC News reached out to those running to ask what matters most to the community and how they would address it; responses were edited for length and clarity and published in alphabetical order of candidates' names.
- Jeff Beattie — Ontario PC Party
- Heather Curnew — Ontario Party
- Wieslawa Derlatka — New Blue Party
- Heino Doessing — Ontario Liberal Party
- Pascale Marchand — Green Party of Ontario
- Monique Taylor — Ontario New Democratic Party
"Affordability, health care, education and soot stand out as the big issues at the top of mind for people living in east Hamilton and Stoney Creek," candidates told CBC News.
Among the candidates who responded to CBC, Jeff Beattie — a local business owner and Hamilton city councillor for Ward 10 since 2022, and a former Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustee — told the outlet he hears most about protecting local jobs and the economy, keeping life affordable for families, and ensuring the community has the infrastructure and public services needed as it grows.
What residents are signalling
Those priorities echo long-standing tensions across Hamilton’s urban and suburban areas. Rising living costs and pressure on health services are concerns that span the city, while complaints about soot and other forms of air pollution are often acute in neighbourhoods closer to industrial corridors or busy transportation routes.
Education and school services remain central to community conversations. Candidates’ backgrounds — from municipal council experience to school-board trusteeship — reflect the local electorate’s attention to schools and youth services. The mix of parties and perspectives on the ballot underlines the variety of policy responses being offered to voters.
Practical details for voters
Advanced voting has begun for the byelection. Residents who have not yet checked their assigned polling place can find locations and other election information on the Elections Ontario website. Polls on election day, Sept. 3, will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reason for byelection | Resignation of MPP Neil Lumsden (Aug. 4) |
| Riding boundaries | Kenilworth Avenue to just east of Fifty Road |
| Election day | Sept. 3 — polls open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Candidates on ballot | Six (PC, Ontario, New Blue, Liberal, Green, NDP) |
Local turnout in byelections can be unpredictable; advanced voting offers convenience for residents who work shifts or have caregiving responsibilities, and it provides campaigns with early indicators of where support may be concentrated. While party platforms and provincial debates will shape broader choices, voters in this riding appear focused on policies with direct, everyday effects: household budgets, access to health services, the state of local schools, and environmental quality in their neighbourhoods.
As the Sept. 3 vote approaches, candidates will be attempting to translate those concerns into concrete promises and to persuade undecided voters. For many residents, the outcome will be a test of which party best understands the distinct mix of urban and suburban priorities that characterizes this part of Hamilton.
