Former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath elected mayor of Hamilton after tight race
CBC
Andrea Horwath has been elected mayor of Hamilton after a nail-biting race.
"If I make one promise tonight, as I take the oath of office in a couple of weeks time, it is that I will be transparent. I will make sure city hall is transparent and accountable," she told a room full of people Monday night around 11:30 p.m., as they started cheering for her.
"Because guess what? It's not my city hall, it's not the council members's city hall, it's your city hall. This is your city," she said before supporters sang her happy birthday. Horwath turned 60 on election day.
With all 246 polls reported shortly after midnight, Horwath, the former Ontario NDP leader and Hamilton Centre member of provincial parliament, had 59,216 votes, compared to Loomis's 57,553.
The race was close throughout the night, with Horwath and Loomis taking the lead over each other at different times, after the polls closed at 9:20 p.m.
Only an hour before the final count, Loomis, the former head of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, told supporters at his event around one kilometre away from Horwath's, that he wasn't conceding. "I think there are some scenarios that may make tomorrow look quite different," he told CBC Hamilton.
As "Let's hear it for the boy" from the 1984 movie Footloose played in the background, Loomis said he found it notable that Horwath gave her victory speech before he had conceded. However, he said he is open to working with her to improve things for Hamiltonians in the future.
"I am committed to working with her in any way that I can," he said.
Speaking more generally on the election results, he said, "We knew there was a desire for change and that came out loud and clear."
Not long afterward, a campaign spokesperson indicated Loomis was in fact conceding.
"We've now see the final results and Keanin respects the outcome of the election," said Jeff Blay.
Fred Eisenberger, the outgoing mayor, issued a statement congratulating Horwath after she declared victory.
"This is a historic win for Andrea, becoming Hamilton's very first female Mayor since our founding in 1846. Andrea will be guided by new ideas, a wealth of experience in how government works at all levels, and a track record of advocating and delivering for Hamiltonians."
Bob Bratina, the former Liberal member of parliament and mayor of Hamilton, came in third, with 17,436.
A Brampton lawyer allegedly connected to fugitive Ryan Wedding was granted bail Tuesday morning by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.