Following his victory speech Monday night at the Columbus Club, MP-elect Andrew Lawton faced his first media scrum.An opportunity for David Menzies, the chapeau-festooned reporter with Rebel News, to trot out the victim card in characterizing Lawton’s successful campaign.
“Look at some of the mainstream media coverage, which was perhaps unfair at best, vicious at worst,” suggested Menzies.
” You had demonstrators picketing outside your campaign office. So in other words, it wasn’t just you going up against the Liberal, NDP and PPC candidates, it was the media, special vested interest groups, and yet you still won.
“What do you say, reflecting back on that?”
Lawton credited the astuteness of the 32,565 voters who cast ballots in his favour, affording him an almost 5,000-vote cushion over Liberal candidate David Goodwin.
“The results speak for themselves,” suggested Lawton.
“The people saw through a lot of the noise. The people were motivated by the need for change nationally, and also a lot of people who knew exactly what I stood for.
“They were familiar with my work back when I was in talk radio, my work in media over the last decade and knew exactly who I was and what I was bringing to the role.
“So I made that point in all of my videos and comments, and when I was talking to people one-on-one at the door. But as I said, the people have spoken.”
That reiterated his opening comments to the media.
“This was a campaign we fought for and worked hard for every single day. We knocked on thousands of doors. Like I said in my remarks tonight, we were in every conceivable type of weather.
” But ultimately, we wanted to talk to people one-on-one, hear what it was they wanted from their representatives, and have a mandate to take that to Ottawa.”
Lawton continuously stressed the importance of those face-to-face conversations.
“Knocking on doors is, I think, valuable in terms of political strategy, but it’s actually really personally meaningful as well because a lot of people are not plugged in. They don’t follow the news every day. They don’t follow politics.
“Look, obviously, I would have loved to have seen a conservative majority government. But at the end of the day, my first priority is to serve the constituents and advocate for the platform that they voted for.”
“But when you show up at their door and ask what matters to you, they have an answer. And these are people who oftentimes don’t even know whether their issue is with the provincial government, the federal government, or the municipal government, but they know that something’s not working.
“And I was really wanting to tell them what my solutions were and what I’m going to do for them if I get elected.”
Elected he was, however, after a substantial lead in the polls not that long ago, the Conservatives could not dethrone Mark Carney and the Liberals, who must manoeuvre their way through another minority government.
Lawton is bound for Parliament Hill as a member of the Official Opposition.
“Look, obviously, I would have loved to have seen a conservative majority government. But at the end of the day, my first priority is to serve the constituents and advocate for the platform that they voted for.
“I have a mandate to go and bring that fight for this community and to advocate for Conservative values. And I think that what we’re going to see is, I think, a Liberal government that is offering more of the same.
“So the role of a strong opposition has never been more important.”
And what are those Conservative values?
“And I think it was really crucial for me to understand how do I effectively represent all of these constituents who are part of this riding but have very different issues that they’re all motivated by.”
“I want to make sure that rural communities are effectively represented by government policy. A lot of the policies of the previous government really ignored rural communities, the agricultural sector, and the manufacturing sector.
“All of those are pivotal in this riding and I think need a voice and a seat at the table.”
Lawton and his wife do not reside in the riding, but a move to the St. Thomas area appears assured.
“This has always been a riding that I want to devote my heart and soul to serving. I plan to live in the riding. I plan to serve it, and I plan to do the best job I can.”
A task not without challenges, given the diverse nature of the riding.
“One of the things that I really appreciated was how all of the different parts of the riding have respect for the diversity of geography in the riding. That people in South London have this connection to people in Rodney, and they have a connection to people in Port Burwell and St. Thomas.
“And I think it was really crucial for me to understand how do I effectively represent all of these constituents who are part of this riding but have very different issues that they’re all motivated by.”
‘WIN OR LOSE, WE RAN A GREAT CAMPAIGN’ – DAVID GOODWIN
Moments before speaking with Liberal candidate David Goodwin at the CASO station Monday night, CTV declared Conservative candidate Andrew Lawton the winner in Elgin-St. Thomas-London South.
The news caught Goodwin off guard as his campaign patiently waited for the results to trickle in.
“Win or lose, we ran a great campaign,” offered Goodwin.
“I’ve been very proud of the team, very proud of Liberals and all the supporters. And so we’ll just see how the rest of the night goes.”
Goodwin indicated that despite finishing about 4,500 votes behind Lawton, he intends to stay politically active.
“I’ve been involved in the Liberal Party as the riding president for eight of the last 10 years, the last two years as vice-president. So yes, absolutely.
“This is my fifth election, and it certainly won’t be my last.
“This was a great experience, but it’s not just me, it’s the whole team. And as I say, I’m really proud of this campaign. We did everything we wanted, worked hard every day, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the night.
” I’ve always said Mark Carney is the right person at the right time. And so with the storm clouds ahead, where we have with Donald Trump, where the country is, he’s the right person.
‘Whether it’s a majority or a minority, he’s going to lead this country. And I think we’re better for that.”
THE FINAL RESULTS
Conservative Andrew Lawton – 32,565 50.1 %
Liberal – David Goodwin 28,010 43.1 %
NDP-New Democratic Party – Paul Pighin 3,118 4.8 %
People’s Party – PPC – Stephen R. Campbell 1,256 1.9 %
The voter turnout was just over 68 per cent.
LIMITED OPTIONS FOR STEGH EXPANSION
In January of this year, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital President and CEO Karen Davies sent a clear message to members of city council.
“The need for a new hospital has become undeniable as our aging infrastructure and growing demands strain our ability to meet healthcare needs effectively.”
That was on the opening page of a handout to council titled, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Case for a New Facility.
It is subtitled, Supporting the Growth, Health and Future of Elgin County.
The document noted that the hospital relied on over 1,300 staff, physicians and volunteers to keep the 179-bed medium-sized facility functioning.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year, there were 831 births, 9,850 surgeries, 1.9 million lab tests, 19,467 outpatient/clinic visits and nearly 60,000 emergency visits.
“You know, we’re not a large footprint here, and almost half of our footprint is taken up by parking.”
Of those emergency visits, 10 per cent of the individuals come from London.
At the time, Davies noted they were working with the Ministry of Health to determine a future direction.
“We’re trying to get a master planning grant so we can hire consultants to do that exact work for us.
“So, what is the feasibility of building on this site and then what would be the options be for a green field site as well?”
The present site is landlocked, limiting the options available to the administration, points out Davies.
“To redevelop the current site, as you can imagine, has its challenges, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
“And, in fact, the last submission (to the ministry) was to build a new tower on the current property, and then once that new tower is occupied, the old tower would come down.
“You know, we’re not a large footprint here, and almost half of our footprint is taken up by parking.”
Moving forward, Davies will attend Monday’s council meeting (May 5) to present a case for the development of a new hospital in St. Thomas.
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TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION DOWNTOWN
The City of St. Thomas is the recipient of widespread acclaim for its homelessness strategy, much of which is tied to partnerships with organizations like Indwell, the YWCA and Eastwood Housing Corp.
A media release this week from the St. Thomas Police Service further supports the value of those relationships, particularly in the downtown core. Specifically, the number of calls for service downtown is trending downward.
Between 2020 and 2024, the number of police calls in the downtown area decreased by 14 per cent.
According to the data from police, the most common call for service in the downtown remains reports of “unwanted persons.”
While this category of calls spiked in 2021, it has dropped by 44 per cent from 2021 to 2024.
Similarly, complaints involving drug use or behaviour in the core have fallen by 67 per cent since 2020.
“Those living at Indwell properties were involved in 30 per cent fewer police calls annually compared to those without housing.”
Chief Marc Roskamp noted, “This data shows what’s possible when housing, support services, and the police service work together.
“The investments made by the city and our partners are reducing pressures on frontline policing while improving outcomes for vulnerable residents and improving community safety and wellness for all.”
The release points to the opening of Indwell’s Railway City Lofts in 2021 and The Station in 2023, offering a total of 61 units of supportive housing.
The launch of the Community Response Unit (CRU) in 2022 has also played a pivotal role, added Roskamp, “connecting marginalized individuals with health and housing services while helping divert them from the criminal justice system.”
The release pointed out that “Prolific offenders — often individuals with complex needs — have also shown decreased contact with police when housed. Those living at Indwell properties were involved in 30 per cent fewer police calls annually compared to those without housing.”
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