Bay of Quinte

Bay of Quinte is an eastern Ontario riding that takes in the City of Belleville, the City of Quinte West (including Trenton), and Prince Edward County, a popular tourist and wine-producing region on the shores of Lake Ontario. Progressive Conservative Todd Smith had represented the area since 2011, first under the old Prince Edward—Hastings riding name and then as Bay of Quinte following the 2018 redistribution. A former radio journalist, Smith had risen to become Minister of Energy under Premier Doug Ford and was seeking his fourth term as MPP.

Candidates

Todd Smith (Progressive Conservative) — A former radio journalist, Smith had served as MPP since 2011 and held multiple cabinet portfolios, including Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and, since June 2021, Minister of Energy. He identified affordability, housing, and workforce shortages in health care and the skilled trades as the top issues facing the riding.

Alison Kelly (NDP) — A school board trustee representing South Prince Edward on the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, Kelly was a project manager by profession. She had advocated for anti-racism policy, free menstrual products in schools, and celebrations marking Black History Month, Indigenous History Month, and Pride Month. She held a PMP certification and a Community Engagement, Leadership and Development certificate from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Emilie Leneveu (Liberal) — An entrepreneur and advanced biotechnologist who graduated as valedictorian from Loyalist College in 2018, Leneveu was the riding's youngest candidate. She served as a director on the Quinte Regional Science and Technology Fair Board and was a mental health advocate through Jack.org, having been named to the Canadian Top 30 Under 30.

Erica Charlton (Green Party), Rob Collins (New Blue Party), and Noah Wales (Ontario Party) also ran.

Local Issues

Health care infrastructure was a prominent issue in the riding during the 2018–2022 term. The opening of the new Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre beside Trenton Memorial Hospital in March 2022 marked the culmination of nine years of planning. For 15 years prior, staff and patients had worked out of five trailers joined together in a parking lot in downtown Trenton. The new 17,000-square-foot facility provided primary health care, physiotherapy, dietitian services, mental health support, and disease management programming. The state of long-term care also drew attention, with increased provincial funding flowing to facilities such as Hastings Manor in Belleville.

Affordability and housing were critical concerns across the riding. The Quinte region had experienced significant increases in housing costs, driven in part by an influx of buyers from the Greater Toronto Area seeking more affordable communities. Hastings County allocated funds through the Ontario Renovates program to support affordable housing, and Quinte West pursued additional provincial funding for housing development. Young families and seniors alike struggled with rising rents and limited rental stock.

The riding's mix of urban, rural, and tourism-dependent communities created a range of economic concerns. Prince Edward County's hospitality and wine industries were recovering from pandemic-related disruptions, while Belleville and Trenton looked to attract skilled tradespeople and health care workers to sustain local services. CFB Trenton, one of the largest Canadian Forces bases in the country, remained a major employer and anchor for the Quinte West economy.