Simcoe North

Simcoe North covers more than 3,100 square kilometres in the northern and eastern portions of Simcoe County, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe to Georgian Bay. The riding’s major communities include Orillia, Midland, Penetanguishene, Coldwater, and the townships of Severn, Ramara, Oro-Medonte, Tay, and Tiny, as well as the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. With a population of over 111,000, the riding mixes small-town centres with cottage country and agricultural land. Incumbent PC MPP Jill Dunlop had held the seat since 2018, succeeding her father Garfield Dunlop, who represented the riding from 1999 to 2015. She entered the 2022 campaign as Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues, later becoming Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Candidates

Jill Dunlop (Progressive Conservative) — Born and raised in the rural town of Coldwater, Dunlop graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Science degree and later joined the faculty at Georgian College’s Orillia campus, where she held teaching roles and facilitated student field placements. Her grandparents owned Dunlop Plumbing, a local small business. First elected in 2018, she was appointed Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues in 2019.

Elizabeth Van Houtte (NDP) — A clinical social worker with a Ph.D. in social work, Van Houtte operated a private practice in Orillia and had developed and managed mental health services across Ontario. She served on the executive board of the Huronia Highlands Ontario Association of Social Workers. The 2022 race was her third provincial campaign in the riding, having also run in 2015 and 2018.

Aaron Cayden Hiltz (Liberal) — The Liberal candidate in Simcoe North for the 2022 election.

Krystal Brooks (Green Party), Mark Douris (New Blue Party), Aaron Macdonald (Ontario Party), and William Joslin (Libertarian) also sought election.

Local Issues

Healthcare and long-term care dominated the campaign in Simcoe North. At all-candidates meetings hosted by the Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce, the state of seniors’ care generated intense debate. COVID-19 had exposed severe shortfalls in Ontario’s long-term care system, including staff shortages, inadequate personal protective equipment, and the devastating death toll in congregate settings. Candidates clashed over the role of for-profit operators and the adequacy of funding for personal support workers. The shortage of family physicians in rural Simcoe County compounded healthcare anxieties, as residents in smaller communities often faced long drives for specialist appointments.

Affordability and housing were growing concerns in a region once considered a lower-cost alternative to the Greater Toronto Area. Orillia and Midland had seen sharp increases in property values, pricing out young families and longtime residents. When the County opened applications for an affordable housing project in the area, thousands applied for a limited number of units, illustrating the depth of the housing crisis even in traditionally rural communities.

Rural infrastructure, including broadband internet access and road maintenance, was another significant issue. Many parts of the riding lacked reliable high-speed internet, a problem laid bare during the pandemic when remote work and online learning became essential. Municipal leaders advocated for provincial investment in connectivity and transportation links, including improvements to the LINX transit system that connected population centres like Orillia, Midland, and Penetanguishene.