Timiskaming—Cochrane

Timiskaming—Cochrane is a sprawling northern Ontario riding stretching from the Quebec border westward through the communities of New Liskeard, Englehart, Kirkland Lake, and Hearst. The riding had been held by NDP MPP John Vanthof since 2011, when the former dairy farmer defeated a PC incumbent. Vanthof was re-elected in 2014 and 2018 and entered the 2022 campaign as the NDP’s Deputy Leader. The Progressive Conservatives, buoyed by their 2018 majority and their growing appeal in northern Ontario, targeted the riding as a potential pickup.

The 2022 contest pitted Vanthof’s deep roots in the riding’s agricultural and resource communities against a PC candidate with a background in provincial government service, in a riding where economic anxiety, fuel costs, and healthcare access were the dominant concerns.

Candidates

John Vanthof (NDP) — Vanthof and his wife Ria had owned and operated a dairy farm near Earlton from 1984 to 2012. Before entering politics, he served for over twenty years on the Temiskaming Dairy Producer Committee and was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario in 2004, where he played a key role in preventing the closure of Thornloe Cheese. He was president of the Temiskaming Federation of Agriculture when a proposed Toronto garbage dump site prompted a lawsuit against him, which became the catalyst for his decision to run for provincial office. As MPP, he served as NDP Deputy Leader and critic for Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Bill Foy (Progressive Conservative) — Foy had worked for the provincial government for twenty years in various roles and was employed as a Conservation Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry at the time of the election.

Brian Johnson (Liberal) — Johnson ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding. Kris Rivard represented the Green Party, Garry Andrade the New Blue Party, Geoffrey Aitchison the Ontario Party, Eric Cummings the Libertarian Party, and Jeff Wilkinson the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party.

Local Issues

Gas prices were the most heated issue in Timiskaming—Cochrane during the 2022 campaign. Fuel costs across northern Ontario topped two dollars per litre for the first time in history, placing a severe burden on residents who depended on personal vehicles to travel long distances between communities for work, healthcare, and daily necessities. Candidates clashed over whether the solution lay in regulating the fuel market, as the NDP proposed, or cutting the provincial gas tax, as the PCs promised.

Healthcare access remained a persistent concern. The riding’s small communities faced chronic physician shortages, with patients sometimes travelling hours to reach a hospital or specialist. Northern hospitals struggled with hallway medicine and long wait times, and residents called for more investment in home care and local health services. Broadband internet access was another infrastructure gap, particularly for farms and rural businesses that needed reliable connectivity to operate.

The riding’s economy depended on agriculture, forestry, and mining, and the health of these sectors shaped the political landscape. Road safety on northern highways, particularly during winter months, was a recurring concern, as was the need for provincial investment in the infrastructure that connected the riding’s widely dispersed communities.