Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock

Stretching across nearly 11,000 square kilometres of central-eastern Ontario, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock is one of the largest ridings in southern Ontario. The riding encompasses the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, the Municipality of Trent Lakes, the Township of North Kawartha, and the Township of Cavan-Monaghan, as well as the Township of Brock in Durham Region. Outside the modest commercial centre of Lindsay, the landscape is defined by rolling farmland, dense forests, and the chain of lakes that give the Kawarthas their name. The southeast corner of Algonquin Provincial Park falls within the riding's northern boundary.

The population skews older than the provincial average—seniors account for roughly one-quarter of the riding's more than 120,000 residents. English is the mother tongue for over 93 percent of the population. Access to family physicians, broadband internet, and long-term care are persistent concerns in this predominantly rural constituency.

Candidates

Jamie Schmale (Conservative) — Raised in Bobcaygeon and based in Lindsay, 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. He attended Loyalist College's Radio Broadcasting program. Before entering the House of Commons, Schmale spent eleven years as the executive assistant and campaign manager for his predecessor, MP Barry Devolin. He was first elected in 2015 and was seeking his third consecutive term in the riding.

Judi Forbes (Liberal) — Forbes holds a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University and spent her career in financial services as a senior bank manager before relocating to the riding and opening a bed and breakfast in Beaverton. She chairs the board of a local nursing home and serves on the Brock Board of Trade. Forbes also ran in the riding in 2019, finishing second.

Zac Miller (NDP) — A Pontypool resident, Miller is a community activist and healthcare advocate who worked with the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition to push for improvements to long-term care. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and was completing a Master of Information degree. Miller previously ran for the NDP in the 2018 provincial election in the same riding.

Alison Davidson (PPC) — Born in British Columbia and raised in Ontario, Davidson lived in the Kawartha Lakes area for twenty years. She and her husband operate a small business building log homes and timber frames. A mother of four and grandmother of two, she was acclaimed as the People's Party candidate for the riding.

About the Riding

Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock has been reliably Conservative territory at the federal level for decades. The riding's economic base rests on agriculture, tourism, and the seasonal cottage economy that draws visitors from the Greater Toronto Area to the lakes and forests of the Kawarthas and Haliburton Highlands. Lindsay, the largest population centre, serves as the commercial and healthcare hub for the surrounding rural communities.

Healthcare access stands as the riding's most pressing issue. Many residents lack a family physician, and the distance to specialized medical services poses challenges—particularly for the large senior population. Long-term care capacity has struggled to keep pace with demand. The riding's vast geography also means that reliable broadband internet and cellular service remain uneven, a concern that intensified during the pandemic as residents turned to remote work and virtual healthcare.

The seasonal nature of much of the local economy creates distinct pressures. Cottage country communities experience dramatic population swings between summer and winter, straining infrastructure and services. Affordable housing has become a growing concern as urban buyers push up property values in communities that were once considered affordable alternatives to the GTA. Municipal governments across the riding have grappled with maintaining roads, water systems, and emergency services across a sprawling and sparsely populated landscape.