Niagara West—Glanbrook

Niagara West—Glanbrook stretches across the western portion of the Niagara Region and into the southern reaches of the City of Hamilton. Created in 2003, the riding encompasses the towns of Grimsby, Lincoln, and Pelham, the township of West Lincoln, and the Glanbrook community in southeast Hamilton. The Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, runs through the riding, separating the lakefront communities along Lake Ontario from the agricultural lowlands to the south.

Candidates

Dean Allison (Conservative) — A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in economics, Allison worked in business development and franchise operations before entering politics. He was deeply involved in community organizations across the riding, serving as president of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and a director of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. He was also a founding member of the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation in Canada and the Belarus Children of Chernobyl program. Allison was first elected as the riding's inaugural MP in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2008.

David Heatley (NDP) — Heatley ran as the New Democratic Party candidate in the riding for the 2011 election.

Stephen Bieda (Liberal) — Bieda was the Liberal candidate for the riding in 2011.

Sid Frere (Green Party) and Bryan Jongbloed (Christian Heritage Party) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

The riding's economy blends agriculture, viticulture, and small-town commerce. Lincoln sits at the heart of Ontario's tender fruit belt, with family-owned orchards producing peaches, cherries, and apples, and the area around Beamsville and Vineland hosts one of Canada's most concentrated clusters of wineries and vineyards along the Niagara Wine Route. The town of Lincoln also housed the largest concentration of greenhouse operators in Canada, growing flowers for markets across Ontario. Grimsby, perched on the escarpment above Lake Ontario, serves as a commuter community for Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area, with its population growing as families moved to the area for its mix of small-town character and proximity to urban employment. West Lincoln and Pelham remain more rural, with mixed farming and small industry. The Bruce Trail, Canada's oldest and longest marked footpath, follows the escarpment through the riding, contributing to ecotourism. Ball's Falls Conservation Area in Lincoln is a major heritage site. Federal issues in the riding centered on agricultural trade policy, support for the wine and tender fruit industries, and infrastructure to manage the growth pressures facing communities along the QEW corridor.