Ontario NDP leader shows support for Hamilton Centre candidate Sarah Jama

The provincial byelection for Hamilton Centre has not yet been called, but already the race is heating up.

The leader of the NDP, Marit Stiles is in Hamilton to support Sarah Jama, in a much-anticipated, but not yet called byelection to fill Andrea Horwath’s old seat.

READ MORE: Jama acclaimed as NDP candidate, running for Horwath’s old seat

“We’ve been ready for a while, Sarah is more than ready to take on this race and represent this community,” Stiles said.

Jama is a co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario and a well-known Hamilton activist, who says she wants to help renters, tackle affordability issues and increase voter engagement.

Jama says, “my priority is making sure I’m working with Marit in caucus to fight Ford, and that means tackling voter disengagement and making sure people understand that we are here to fight.”

She says she’s not taking anything for granted but likes her chances, “oh I’m gonna win I’m not worried about it.”

READ MORE: Stiles to be confirmed as Ontario’s NDP leader earlier than planned

Three other candidates are running against Jama to try and flip this long-time NDP stronghold. Hamilton Centre has been held by the NDP since 2007 when Horwath first took the seat

Equity advocate, social planner and columnist Deirdre Pike is running for the liberals,
highlighting the urban boundary, affordability, and the education system as top priorities,
as well as a desire to create what she calls a “Hamilton caucus” to work across party lines with all of Hamilton’s MPPs. “What can we do together that will improve lives for Hamiltonians here,” Pike said.

The PC party is betting Hamilton police officer Pete Wiesner can turn the riding blue. A tory last won the riding in 1963. Wiesner says his top priorities are going to be infrastructure, jobs and healthcare. Wiesner says his knowledge of the neighbourhood and experience as the leader of the service’s crisis response branch has prepared him to serve as MPP.

“My passion goes beyond just law enforcement, my passion has been everything from mental health, addictions, homelessness, right up to just serving the people of this great city,” Wiesner said.

Engineer Lucia Iannantuono is running for the green party, saying she is focused on bringing transformative changes on tough issues like healthcare, homelessness and the climate crisis.

“Hamilton and all of Ontario, cannot expand any further, we need to freeze urban boundaries. Locking ourselves into an unsustainable future prevents things like having better transit, having park space, having affordable housing,” Iannantuono said.

The byelection must be called no more than six months after Horwath vacated her seat,
which means it will be called soon.