Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock

Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock spans nearly nine thousand square kilometres of central Ontario's lake and cottage country, making it one of the province's largest ridings by area. The constituency stretches from the southern fringe of Algonquin Park through the Haliburton Highlands to the rolling farmland and lake chains of the municipality of Kawartha Lakes, then south to the Township of Brock near Lake Simcoe. Lindsay, the largest town, serves as the commercial hub, while Fenelon Falls, Minden, Haliburton, Bobcaygeon, and Beaverton draw visitors year-round.

Candidates

Jamie Schmale (Conservative) — A Loyalist College graduate in radio broadcasting, Schmale worked as a news anchor and news director for CHUM Media and later covered municipal politics and sports for 91.9 FM CKLY in Lindsay. Before entering Parliament, he spent eleven years as executive assistant and campaign manager for his predecessor, MP Barry Devolin. First elected in 2015, he was seeking a second term.

Judi Forbes (Liberal) — A former senior bank manager who relocated to the riding and opened a bed and breakfast in Beaverton, Forbes also served as board chair of a local nursing home and was active with the Brock Board of Trade. She was the acclaimed Liberal candidate for the riding.

Barbara Doyle (NDP) — The managing director of the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives, Doyle co-founded the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition and advocated against privatization of local health services. She brought a background in management, real estate, and human rights advocacy to her campaign.

Elizabeth Fraser (Green Party) — A twenty-one-year-old student from Bethany pursuing a degree at Carleton University in Ottawa, Fraser founded a Green Party club at Carleton and served as its president. She represented the youngest candidate in the race and focused on environmental policy and climate action.

Gene Balfour (People's Party) — A retired IT professional from Fenelon Falls with a forty-two-year career in business technology, Balfour was a veteran candidate who had previously run five times at the provincial level for the Libertarian Party and once federally in 2015.

About the Riding

The riding's economy revolves around tourism, forestry, and agriculture, with the seasonal cottage population swelling communities each summer as visitors arrive from the Greater Toronto Area. Kawartha Lakes, home to over 250 lakes and rivers and known as Ontario's houseboat capital, depends heavily on its natural environment to sustain its recreation-based economy.

Healthcare access ranked as the riding's most pressing issue in 2019. The constituency's demographic profile skewed older than the provincial average, with seniors accounting for a substantial share of residents, amplifying concerns about family physician shortages, long-term care availability, and rural ambulance response times. Broadband internet and cellular coverage in the Haliburton Highlands remained unreliable, frustrating both year-round residents and seasonal businesses that depended on digital connectivity. Affordable housing was emerging as a concern as urban buyers pushed up property values in communities once considered budget alternatives to the GTA. Schmale's background in constituency work and local media gave him strong name recognition across the riding's far-flung communities.