Essex

The Essex riding covers the municipalities of Amherstburg, Essex, Lakeshore, Kingsville, and LaSalle in southwestern Ontario’s Essex County. LaSalle, with a population of roughly 30,000, is the largest community in the riding. The seat had been held by NDP MPP Taras Natyshak since 2011, making it part of the NDP’s traditional base in the Windsor-Essex region. Natyshak announced in December 2021 that he would not seek re-election, opening a competitive contest in a riding that had not elected a Progressive Conservative in over six decades.

Candidates

Anthony Leardi (Progressive Conservative) — Leardi is a lawyer with over 23 years of experience who holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Windsor, and Western University. He spent 13 years as a federal agent prosecuting criminal offences for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and served as deputy mayor of the Town of Amherstburg.

Ron Leclair (NDP) — Leclair is a 30-year veteran of the Windsor Police Service who retired in 2021. He received the Police Hero of the Year Award from the Police Association of Ontario in 2018 and the Governor General’s Police Exemplary Service Award. Leclair had served as a trustee on the Greater Essex County District School Board since 2014.

Manpreet Brar (Liberal) — Brar is an information technology professional who held global leadership roles in the IT sector. She moved to LaSalle in 1997 and became an advocate for pay transparency and women’s workplace equity in Ontario.

Frank Causarano (Ontario Party), Danielle Sylvester (New Blue Party), Nicholas Wendler (Green Party), and Kevin Linfield (None of the Above Direct Democracy Party) also contested the riding.

Local Issues

The auto sector and electric vehicle transition dominated the economic conversation in Essex County heading into the 2022 election. In May 2022, Stellantis announced $3.6 billion in upgrades to its Windsor and Brampton assembly plants for electric vehicle production, with both the provincial and federal governments contributing funding. Many Essex residents commute to Windsor’s manufacturing facilities, and the riding’s smaller manufacturers supply just-in-time parts to Detroit’s automotive assembly plants. The provincial government also announced over $1 billion in electricity transmission infrastructure for the region to support both the auto and greenhouse sectors.

Essex County is known as Canada’s greenhouse capital, and agricultural producers — particularly in Kingsville and Leamington — raised concerns about infrastructure constraints. Greenhouse operators reported that water supply was at capacity and that high costs for natural gas heating and supplemental lighting were slowing growth. Growers questioned why the greenhouse sector did not receive the same level of government support as the automotive industry.

Healthcare was also a top issue for voters, with candidates identifying it as the leading concern in the riding. Residents pointed to doctor shortages, long emergency room wait times, and limited access to mental health services as pressing problems across the riding’s municipalities.