Chatham—Kent—Leamington

Situated in southwestern Ontario, Chatham—Kent—Leamington is a riding defined by its agricultural heartland and the massive greenhouse industry centred in and around Leamington. Trevor Jones won the seat for the Progressive Conservatives in 2022, replacing Rick Nicholls, who had been expelled from the PC caucus in 2021 over his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. During his first term, Jones served in multiple parliamentary assistant roles, including assignments to the ministers of agriculture and of economic development. He sought re-election in 2025 as the riding continued to navigate economic transformation, healthcare shortages, and the ongoing recovery of Wheatley’s downtown core following a devastating gas explosion in 2021.

Candidates

Trevor Jones (Progressive Conservative) — Jones is a Leamington native who studied political science and history at the University of Windsor, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. He spent sixteen years with the Ontario Provincial Police in the Chatham-Kent and Essex County detachments, attaining the rank of sergeant. He also served as a Leamington town councillor from 2020 to 2022 before winning election as MPP.

Bill Kirby (Liberal) — Kirby works as a business development manager in industrial sales based in Cambridge. He holds the Distinguished Toastmaster designation and has served as chair of a community well-being advisory committee. This was his first provincial campaign.

Christian Sachs (NDP) — Sachs was elected as a trustee of the Thames Valley District School Board in 2022. Born and raised in Alaska, she moved to Ontario and settled in the village of Granton, where she and her husband operate a wedding photography business.

Rhonda Jubenville (New Blue Party) — Jubenville grew up in Chatham-Kent in a family that ran a building supply business. She was elected as a Chatham-Kent municipal councillor for Ward 4 in 2022. Matthew Davey (Green Party) and Phillip St-Laurent (Ontario Party) also sought election.

Local Issues

Healthcare dominated the riding’s political conversation during the 2022 to 2025 term. Chatham—Kent—Leamington ranked among the province’s worst areas for family physician shortages, and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance faced persistent challenges with emergency department wait times and specialist availability. Residents in outlying communities such as Wheatley, Ridgetown, and Tilbury had especially limited access to medical services.

The greenhouse sector around Leamington continued to expand but ran into new obstacles during the term. In March 2024, Chatham-Kent municipal council approved steep new development charges for water and wastewater infrastructure on greenhouse operations, setting fees that would rise to hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre by 2029. Industry groups warned the charges could drive investment to other jurisdictions, while municipal officials argued the fees were necessary to fund the infrastructure required to support the sector’s growth.

Wheatley’s recovery from the 2021 gas explosion remained a significant local concern. By 2024, demolition of nine damaged downtown buildings was complete, and officials expressed cautious optimism that the hydrogen sulphide gas emissions from abandoned wells had been resolved. The provincial government directed over twenty-seven million dollars in funding toward the community’s recovery, but displaced residents and business owners continued to press for faster progress on rebuilding the town core.