PROGRAMMING NOTE: I’m taking off for the Labour Day long weekend and will be back in your inbox bright and early on Tuesday.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
It was a clean sweep for the incumbent parties in Thursday’s byelection triple-header. The PCs held Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and York-Simcoe, while the NDP kept Scarborough Southwest.
At first blush, it’s anticlimactic. But scratch beneath the surface and there’s loads of nuance to sink our teeth into.
— The toughest fight was in HESC, with the PCs JEFF BEATTIE beating out NDPer MONIQUE TAYLOR by 1,614 votes, according to Elections Ontario’s unofficial results, pushing the Liberals’ HEINO DOESSING — who placed second in 2025 — to third place.
The win didn’t come easy for the PCs, who had been pooling resources in the riding and leaning into Premier DOUG FORD’s beef with U.S. prez DONALD TRUMP — including slapping “Stand up to Trump” stickers on lawn signs.
Trump bump — Said Liaison pollster-in-chief DAVID VALENTIN: “Ford’s approval rose from 24…
