Parry Sound—Muskoka

Parry Sound—Muskoka is a vast riding in Ontario’s cottage country, taking in the towns of Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Parry Sound. Progressive Conservative Graydon Smith, who had won the seat in 2022 after the retirement of long-serving MPP Norm Miller, was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry shortly after his election. Smith brought municipal leadership experience as the former mayor of Bracebridge and president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The 2025 contest drew particular attention because of the strong showing expected from the Green Party, whose candidate Matt Richter had come within striking distance in 2022 and served as the party’s deputy leader.

The riding’s seasonal tourism economy, driven by Muskoka’s lakes and forests, continued to mask deep challenges for year-round residents during the 2022–2025 term. A billion-dollar hospital redevelopment plan for the region became a major point of debate, while housing affordability pressures that intensified during the pandemic showed little sign of easing.

Candidates

Graydon Smith (Progressive Conservative) — Smith served as mayor of Bracebridge from 2010 to 2022 and as president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. After winning the 2022 election, he was appointed Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, overseeing the province’s natural resource policies and forestry operations. He grew up in Port Sydney, where his family operated a local business.

Matt Richter (Green Party) — Richter is a teacher with the Trillium Lakelands District School Board for over 17 years and the Ontario Green Party’s deputy leader. He released a five-point plan for the riding covering rural health care, environmental protection, and municipal funding. He received endorsements from local health-care leaders and Climate Action Muskoka for the 2025 campaign.

David Innes (Liberal) — Innes was described as an entrepreneur and technology specialist who served as a tech director for the Ontario Liberal Party. He brought 30 years of professional experience and volunteer work to his candidacy. He entered the race late, with his candidacy announced in the final weeks of the campaign.

Jim Ronholm ran for the NDP, Brandon Nicksy for the New Blue Party, and Helen Kroeker for the Ontario Party.

Local Issues

Hospital redevelopment dominated local debate throughout the 2022–2025 term. Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare announced plans to build two new hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville, a project estimated at over one billion dollars with the province funding 90 percent of construction costs. However, the initial proposal to reduce acute care beds at the Bracebridge facility drew fierce opposition from community groups and doctors, leading the health authority to increase the planned bed count. The Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee became a prominent voice in the debate, arguing that the redevelopment plan did not adequately serve the needs of year-round residents.

Housing affordability remained a persistent crisis. Service-sector workers essential to the tourism economy reported being unable to find affordable rental housing, with much new construction oriented toward seasonal residents and cottage buyers. The region’s limited supportive housing stock—only eight accessible supportive housing units were available in all of Muskoka—left gaps for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Long-term care investments from the provincial government helped address some capacity issues, but recruitment of physicians and nurses to this rural region continued to be a challenge, particularly as Ontario grappled with a broader health-care staffing crisis that saw hundreds of temporary emergency department closures across rural hospitals in 2023 and 2024.