Premier Dalton McGuinty will be calling two byelections for March 4 to replace two eastern Ontario MPPs, CTV Toronto has confirmed.
Former Liberal cabinet minister Jim Watson, who represented Ottawa-West Nepean, stepped down to try and win back his old job of mayor of Ottawa.
Robert Runciman, a nearly 30-year veteran of Queen's Park, has been appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister. He represented Leeds-Grenville, which contained his home town of Brockville.
On Thursday, the voters in Toronto Centre will go to the polls to choose a replacement for former Liberal MPP George Smitherman. The former deputy premier resigned to run in the race to become mayor of Toronto.
The main candidates are:
- Cathy Crowe, NDP
- Glen Murray, Liberal
- Stefan Premdas, Greens
- Pamela Taylor, Progressive Conservatives
Smitherman represented the diverse downtown riding for a decade, winning the seat in the 2007 provincial election by more than 12,000 votes.
Federally, it is represented by Liberal Bob Rae.
