Algoma—Manitoulin

Algoma—Manitoulin entered the 2025 election cycle in unfamiliar political territory. Michael Mantha, who had represented the vast northern riding since 2011 as an NDP member, was permanently removed from the NDP caucus in 2023 following a workplace misconduct investigation. He chose to sit as an independent for the remainder of the term and to run again as an independent in 2025, creating a four-way contest in a riding that had historically been a two-party race between the NDP and Liberals. The NDP nominated paramedic David Timeriski as its new standard-bearer, while the Progressive Conservatives fielded Bill Rosenberg, the mayor of Thessalon, in a bid to flip the riding for the first time. The Liberals chose Reg Niganobe, the former Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation.

Candidates

Bill Rosenberg (Progressive Conservative) — A retired businessman with a background in farming and logging, Rosenberg entered public service in 2014 when he was elected to Thessalon's town council. He served as deputy mayor before winning the mayoralty in 2018, holding that office until his election to the legislature. He campaigned on economic growth, health care access, and infrastructure investment.

David Timeriski (NDP) — A paramedic with over thirty years of experience and a volunteer firefighter, Timeriski was running for elected office for the first time. Based in Elliot Lake with his wife Natalie, he sought to return the riding to the NDP fold after Mantha's departure from the party.

Reg Niganobe (Liberal) — A leader with extensive experience in Indigenous governance, Niganobe served as Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation, as chief of Mississauga First Nation, and as chairman of the North Shore Tribal Council. He had been in leadership roles since 2009 and ran on a platform of improved health care and economic change.

Michael Mantha (Independent) — The riding's MPP since 2011, Mantha was initially suspended from the NDP caucus in April 2023 and permanently removed in August 2023 following an investigation into workplace misconduct allegations. He contested the findings and ran as an independent, seeking to put his political future in the hands of voters.

Minor candidates included Sheldon Pressey (New Blue Party) and Maria Legault (Green Party).

Local Issues

The crisis in northern health care was the defining issue in Algoma—Manitoulin during the 2022-2025 term. The Manitoulin Health Centre, which operates hospitals in Little Current and Mindemoya, came perilously close to emergency department closures in October 2023 due to physician shortages. The Mindemoya site was operating at just sixty-three percent of its physician capacity, and the difficulty of attracting locum doctors to the remote island compounded the problem. Although the emergency room ultimately remained open, the episode underscored the fragility of health services across the riding. An Ontario Health Coalition report in December 2023 documented record numbers of temporary emergency department closures across northern Ontario, highlighting a systemic pattern.

Infrastructure and connectivity remained critical gaps. The riding's vast geography, stretching from Manitoulin Island through communities like Elliot Lake, Espanola, Blind River, and Chapleau, meant that broadband internet and cellular service were not just conveniences but necessities for economic development, education, and emergency response. Highway maintenance, particularly winter road conditions on the Trans-Canada corridor, continued to be a safety concern for residents who must travel long distances between communities.

Economic development in the region was tightly linked to resource industries, tourism, and the growing potential of the Ring of Fire mineral deposits. Candidates debated how to attract employers and build housing stock in communities that needed to grow in order to sustain essential services. Rosenberg argued that infrastructure investment and economic development were prerequisites for solving the region's health care recruitment challenges.