Chatham-Kent—Leamington

Chatham-Kent—Leamington spans a broad stretch of southwestern Ontario between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, covering the municipality of Chatham-Kent and the town of Leamington at the southernmost tip of mainland Canada. The riding was redrawn for 2015, replacing the former Chatham-Kent—Essex, and takes in flat, fertile farmland punctuated by small towns, greenhouses, and lakeshore communities.

Candidates

Dave Van Kesteren (Conservative) — Born in Chatham to Dutch immigrant parents, Van Kesteren entered the auto industry before opening his own auto body shop in 1985 and later becoming a Hyundai dealer. He was first elected to Parliament in 2006 and was seeking his fourth term. He was a charter member of the Chatham Sunrise Rotary Club and past president of the Chatham Christian Business Association.

Katie Omstead (Liberal) — Raised in Chatham-Kent with family roots in fishing, farming, and small business across the region, Omstead held degrees in political science and international development and had completed a bachelor of education. She was an elementary school teacher and community advocate who had founded an organization addressing human trafficking and co-founded Leamington Stands Strong to support residents affected by the Heinz plant closure.

Tony Walsh (NDP) — The NDP candidate in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, Walsh sought to offer a voice for workers and families facing economic uncertainty in the riding's transitioning agricultural and manufacturing economy.

Mark Vercouteren (Green Party) — Vercouteren ran on the Green Party ticket, bringing attention to environmental stewardship in one of Ontario's most agriculturally intensive regions.

About the Riding

Chatham-Kent—Leamington is defined by agriculture. The flat terrain of Essex and Kent counties supports a vast expanse of corn, soybean, and sugar beet farms, while Leamington's greenhouse industry — hundreds of acres of glass and plastic structures producing tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers — has made the area one of North America's largest concentrations of controlled-environment agriculture. The closure of the Heinz plant in Leamington in June 2014, after more than a century of operation, dealt a heavy blow to the region; some 740 workers lost their jobs and hundreds of tomato growers lost their primary buyer. Highbury Canco subsequently acquired the facility and resumed some processing, but the disruption reshaped the local economic landscape heading into the 2015 election. Beyond agriculture, Wheatley operates the largest freshwater commercial fishing port in the world, and Point Pelee National Park anchors a modest tourism sector. The riding also includes Eelūnaapèewii Lahkèewiit (Delaware Nation at Moraviantown). Federal concerns centred on agricultural trade policy, rural infrastructure, and economic diversification in a region heavily dependent on the land.