Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory has formally accepted his party's nomination to run in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock for a return trip to Queen's Park.
'I will be a consistent, strong voice for our farmers, who create huge amounts of investment and jobs and who just want a fair chance to make a living," Tory said Thursday night in Lindsay. "I will be there as clearly (Liberal Premier Dalton) McGuinty is not."
The opposition leader has been without a seat since he failed in his attempt to unseat popular incumbent and Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne in Toronto's Don Valley West riding during the 2007 provincial election.
Tory had first entered the provincial legislature through a March 2005 byelection in Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey northwest of Toronto.
His latest chance at a seat comes after Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding, agreed to step down earlier this month. She has represented the area for the past five years and has accepted a position as the Conservative party's campaign readiness chair.
Rick Johnson, who lost to Scott in 2007, will challenge Tory as the Liberal nomination. Mike Schreiner is the Green Party candidate.
McGuinty has yet to set a date for a byelection.
However, his government pre-empted one campaign issue for Tory by saying Tuesday it would extend Highway 407, the toll highway, to Clarington. In addition, the province would maintain ownership of the road. The Tory government of Mike Harris privatized Highway 407 in 1999.
With files from The Canadian Press
