Two

That's the number of talented PC MPPs John Tory kicked out of our party.

Laurie Scott joins Bill Murdoch as a casualty of his poor leadership.

Fortunately, one of those errors can be rectified.

When will Bill Murdoch be invited back into caucus?

By-election Update: "it could go either way"

Uh oh:

A veteran municipal politician says the race in this sprawling, cottage-country
riding that voted 50 per cent Conservative in 2007 is now so close that he
wouldn't want to place any bets, with Tory's main challenger being Liberal
candidate Rick Johnson, a school trustee and musician who has lived in the area
since 1976.
"I think it could go either way," John Huke, a former Kawartha
Lakes councillor, tells the Star near the locks in Fenelon Falls.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/595063

New Poll: Conservatives unhappy with Tory

Not that we needed any more evidence; a new poll by Holinshed Research shows that Conservative residents of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock aren't going to support John Tory:

http://www.thepost.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1427053

Poll shows Conservatives unhappy with Tory
Posted By Lindsay Post staff - Feb 9

KAWARTHA LAKES – Concerned Conservatives of Ontario has conducted a poll that shows almost 70 per cent of respondents in the riding of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock think it was a mistake for local MPP Laurie Scott to relinquish her seat to PC leader John Tory and trigger a byelection in the riding.

The group is now urging Tory to step aside as the PC candidate in the March 5 byelection "so that a more electable candidate can contest the election for the party" it said in a statement.

The poll results:

Question: "Do you believe that Laurie Scott made the right decision to step
down so John Tory could run to replace her?"

Responses: No—69.7% Yes—30.3%.

Question: "Now that John Tory is the PC candidate in the upcoming byelection to replace Laurie Scott, does that make you more or less likely to vote PC?

Responses: Less—48.0% More—12.7% Neither more nor less—32.8%

Question: "If John Tory wins the upcoming byelection to become your next MPP, which of the following two courses of action would you prefer he take?"

Responses: Run for re-election somewhere else: 48%. Run for re-election in this riding: 25.0%. Don't know / refuse to answer: 26.6%.

Question: "Do you have confidence in John Tory's ability to defeat the
Liberals and become Premier of Ontario?"

Responses: No—67.8% Yes—32.4%.

Question: "In the next general election, which is scheduled for 2011, would
you be more likely, or less likely to vote PC if John Tory steps down as the
leader of the PC Party and is replaced by another leader?"

Responses: More—29.5% Less—12.8% Same—21.7% Don't know / refusal—12.9%.

The poll surveyed 500 people in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock on January 30, 2008. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4%, 19 times out of 20. The poll was conducted by Holinshed Research.

Byelection blips and blunders

Voters will head to the polls March 5th and John Tory continues to give them reasons to vote against him.

How did this story get out? Because John thought it was funny and told the news media.

Priceless.

Byelection blips and blunders

Haliburton Echo

The Globe and Mail’s Jane Taber reported this weekend that PC candidate John Tory was campaigning in the riding when his car’s GPS led him astray.

Apparently heading to Lindsay to meet the Buckhorn Quilters, his GPS told him to turn onto a road that “looked a bit like a snowmobile track.”

Tory got stuck and had to leave his car and hike two kilometres back to the highway. He was met by a friend and arrived a little late to the meeting.

New Audio: Difficulties for Tory if unsuccessful in By-election

“I think certainly it would pose some pretty serious difficulties for me if I was unsuccessful in the by-election”

-John Tory, January 2008

On Friday, we argued that Conservatives in Ontario have one last chance to rebuild, with a new leader, towards victory in 2011.

Today a good friend sent us audio of John Tory agreeing.

The only way to oust John as leader, is to see him defeated in his cottage country by-election.

(Experienced politicians would avoid a direct answer to this question…):

John Tory: Game Over

If Tory doesn't win this time, it's ``game over,'' said Greg Inwood, a politics professor at Toronto's Ryerson University.

– January 20th, Canoe.ca

Late last year, after an embarrassing 15 month seat search, negative press, dismal fundraising, and declining party membership – it finally seemed like John Tory was getting the message.

As 2009 opened, there was optimism that John was preparing to honourably vacate the Ontario PC leadership.

Instead, he chose to remain and is now contesting a byelection in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

The choice for Ontario Conservatives is whether to help or hinder Mr. Tory’s byelection effort.

The choice is clear.

We need a new leader and a new direction – it’s time for renewal.

While victory for John in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock would represent a short-term boost, the long-term effects are obvious:

Tory has continually failed to benefit from the McGuinty government’s glaring shortcomings.

More than two thirds of Ontarians do not have confidence in his ability to defeat the Liberals in 2011, according to a poll conducted by Holinshed Research.

Worst of all, does anyone believe John Tory can shake the faith-based education funding albatross:



Conservatives in Ontario have one last chance to rebuild, with a new leader, towards victory in 2011.

If John Tory doesn't win this time, it's game over.