gretzky victorious in windsor west for fourth-straight election
windsor west ndp mpp lisa gretzky will return to queen’...
3 minute read
new democrat lisa gretzky celebrates a provincial election victory for windsor west at her campaign headquarters on walker road with volunteers on thursday, feb. 27, 2025.
taylor campbell
windsor west ndp mpp lisa gretzky will return to queen’s park after winning a fourth consecutive provincial election victory and maintaining the only orange seat west of london.
unofficial election results show gretzky garnered 19,392 votes thursday night (52.12 per cent), besting progressive conservative runner-up tony francis, who received 14,665 votes (39.42 per cent).
“i think the people of windsor west, they showed doug ford that you can’t take the people here for granted,” gretzky told reporters between cheers and applause from supporters at her campaign headquarters.
“they’ve shown doug ford that’s what’s important here is healthcare, a strong publicly-funded, publicly-delivered health-care system, that they want investments in your public education system, and that, over seven years of doug ford, costs have only gone up. people here in windsor west have shown that they’re ready and really wanted to have a fighter back at queen’s park.”
heading back to ontario’s legislative assembly with even fewer ndp counterparts by her side — though forming the official opposition — gretzky said she will continue to do what she’s “always done, which is listen to the residents of windsor west, fight for the things that matter to them, and to stand up to doug ford, rather than do what doug ford tells me to do.”
advertisement
just over 38 per cent of the 96,825 registered voters in windsor west cast a ballot this election, an increase from 2022, when voter turnout was 33.6 per cent.
new democrat lisa gretzky speaks to reporters while celebrating a provincial election victory for windsor west at her campaign headquarters on walker road on thursday, feb. 27, 2025.
taylor campbell
/
windsor star
given the overwhelming pc majority, francis said he believes windsor west would have been better off with a “seat at the table.”
“it’s like a large corporation,” francis told the star after the results came in. “if you’re not at the decision making table, you don’t get the piece of the pie. and i’m surprised how many people don’t understand that. i wanted to give windsor west a piece of the pie instead of the status quo. but she ran a good campaign. she hit all the right buttons that people wanted, and you’ve got to give a credit for that.”
francis, who made his first run for office with this election, suggested he might have done better if the campaign had been longer.
windsor west progressive conservative candidate tony francis talks with supporters during an election night party at windsor palace on february 27, 2025. (windsor star / trevor wilhelm)
trevor wilhelm
/
windsor star
“we put a great team together,” he said. “i wish i had more time to people get to know me. it is what it is. but i love the city, and i want the city to be well, to progress and move forward.”
in 2022, gretzky held on to the riding with 13,395 votes (42.1 per cent), outlasting the pc runner-up john leontowicz by 2,184 votes.
in the 2018 election, gretzky captured 52.1 per cent of the vote (20,276), nearly double the next closest candidate, who was pc adam ibrahim.
advertisement
since the riding as it exists today was created 26 years ago, it has been held by only liberals and new democrats.
the liberals did not have a candidate in windsor west this election.
the liberals held windsor west from 1999, when it was redrawn, until gretzky defeated liberal cabinet minister teresa piruzza in 2014. between 1967 and 1975, the ndp held the riding, which then had different boundaries, before it was dissolved and remapped into windsor-sandwich and windsor-walkerville, which no longer exists.
the pcs last represented windsor’s west end at queen’s park from 1963-67 with ivan thrasher for windsor-sandwich.
unofficial voting results for windsor west:
mark dewdney (none of the above direct democracy party): 740 (1.99 per cent)
tony francis (progressive conservative party): 14,665 (39.44 per cent)
matthew giancola (ontario party): 1,019 (2.74 per cent)
lisa gretzky (ndp): 19,392 (52.10 per cent)
joshua griffin (new blue party): 520 (1.4 per cent)
nick kolasky (green party of ontario): 868 (2.33 per cent)
tony francis (progressive conservative party): 14,665 (39.44 per cent)
matthew giancola (ontario party): 1,019 (2.74 per cent)
lisa gretzky (ndp): 19,392 (52.10 per cent)
joshua griffin (new blue party): 520 (1.4 per cent)
nick kolasky (green party of ontario): 868 (2.33 per cent)
share story
