With an early provincial election just four weeks away, two political parties in NOTL’s riding are scrambling to get organized — and find a candidate.

Premier Doug Ford has dissolved the Legislature and voters will go to the polls on Feb. 27, but in the riding of Niagara Falls, which includes Niagara-on-the-Lake, only the New Democrats and the Progressive Conservatives have picked their candidates.

NDP incumbent Wayne Gates was confirmed by the party back in October and the Tories have chosen Ruth-Ann Nieuwesteeg, a Niagara Falls funeral home operator.

The Liberals and the Green Party haven’t yet selected anyone.

Gates has represented the riding since winning a by-election in February 2014.

He was most recently nominated by Burt Sisler, a 109-year-old resident of Fort Erie and veteran of the Second World War.

Nieuwesteeg is a member of Niagara Falls city council and owns Patterson Funeral Home with her husband Ed. 

She could not be reached for comment before deadline despite repeated attempts.

Kenneth Gansel, a NOTL resident and president of the Niagara Falls Liberal Association, told The Lake Report the party is having trouble finding someone to run in the riding. 

“We’re like chickens with our heads cut off,” he said. 

The Liberals spent about three months attempting to recruit someone and spoke to people from Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Gansel said. But the party struck out.

“We did not find anyone who was interested in running.”

Gansel is meeting with Elections Ontario on Monday evening and hopes to have made headway by then.

“It’s my understanding that the Ontario Liberal Party in Toronto will eventually find somebody. They’ve done that before,” he said.

Before Ford’s election announcement, there were widespread rumours of an election coming sometime in early April, Gansel said.

“Nobody wants to campaign in the winter. I’m not exactly sure what the Conservatives were thinking, but power to them,” he said. 

Ford is focusing the election campaign on responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian goods, but that is not the way to go, Gansel said. 

“I think it’s something the federal government should be taking a lead on,” he said. 

The biggest problem in Ontario is health care and funding should be spent there instead of on holding an election, he said. 

Robin McPherson, the Liberal candidate for St. Catharines, also noted the party has had trouble tracking down a representative for Niagara Falls and suggested the election is unnecessary. 

“It’s a bit of a surprise. I think if you were watching and paying attention to what the premier was saying, you knew it was coming. I don’t think any of us expected it this early,” McPherson said in an interview. 

The election is a waste of money, McPherson said. “We could have easily waited.” 

When Gates was reached Wednesday evening he was already out on the campaign trail.

“I’ve been knocking on doors since around 9:30 this morning,” Gates said.

He and members of the NDP have been preparing for a while now in anticipation of an early election, he said.

He expected the early election, not because of the possibility of tariffs but because Ford wants to get ahead of the next federal election.

The Tories want “to protect themselves” from any fallout related to the federal vote, he said.

The provincial election is estimated to cost $175 million or more, tax money that could pay for more than 2,500 registered nurses or 420 affordable housing units, Gates said.

“That money could be spent in a lot of better places than an unnecessary election,” he said.

Gates won the riding in 2022, attracting 48 per cent of the vote.

He was followed by Progressive Conservative candidate Bob Gale with 36.5 per cent and Liberal Ashley Waters with 8.4 per cent.