Well, that provincial election was worth every penny of the $189 million it cost Ontario to appease Doug Ford’s ego.

Pity he was left disappointed and upset that voters chose not to give him the increased majority he craved.

But, credit where it is due, Ford has continued to do a solid job invoking his “Captain Canada” persona and representing our interests in the ridiculous trade war launched by Donald Trump. He just didn’t need an election in order to do so.

Yes, we are being facetious in suggesting Ford’s whole contrived excuse that “we need a strong mandate to fight Donald Trump” was a worthwhile exercise.

It was not, but it allowed Ford to go to the people about 18 months early, ahead of what could be a bloody battle in the looming federal vote, and secure another four years. Good for Ford — but a waste of money for us, as any value for money audit would show.

That $189 million could have done a lot to help our school system or hospitals. Instead, it was spent to give Ford and his Progressive Conservatives the same mandate as they had prior to Feb. 27.

Yes, he won an almost unprecedented third straight majority, but his ego was bruised by the fact his party was unable to grab more seats from the Liberals or the official Opposition, the NDP.

In fact, in Haldimand-Norfolk, what was once a Tory stronghold, the PCs were trounced again by an Independent candidate.

Federally the riding is held by a Conservative, so basically the same voter pool in the past two elections has rejected folksy Ford’s spiel — this time giving the Independent nearly 64 per cent of the vote.

Perhaps that sort of voter mentality is mirrored here in our area’s own riding, Niagara Falls — which includes Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie.

Despite some Tory supporters whinging that New Democrat incumbent Wayne Gates would never have “a seat at the table” given the expectation that Ford’s party would win again, voters here gave the NDP a resounding victory.

He took nearly 55 per cent of the votes cast, defeating the PCs’ Ruth-Ann Nieuwesteeg by about 11,000 votes. He only outpolled Tory Bob Gale by 6,000 in 2022.

The Liberals, who could not attract anyone locally to run against the Gates juggernaut, were miles behind, with barely 6 per cent support.

Looking at the voting numbers for NOTL specifically, courtesy Elections Ontario, we see that the NDP attracted 52.6 per cent support, the Tories polled 39 per cent and the Liberals (who held this riding under Kim Craitor for a decade starting in 2003) were just over 8 per cent.

In raw numbers, the NDP had 4,000 votes in NOTL, PCs 2,968 and Liberals 630. Gates took almost every poll, including the advance vote, with Nieuwesteeg edging him 281 to 244 at the Holiday Inn Express poll in Glendale and being within striking distance at the Bethany Mennonite Church (229-226) and St. Davids Lions Club polls (695-659).

What does this all mean in a riding that is held federally by Conservative Tony Baldinelli?

Well, that is anyone’s guess, though we probably will find out in the not-too-distant future.

In the last two national elections, Baldinelli has been victorious over Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser (now a regional councillor representing NOTL).

He won by 3,100 votes in 2021 and by just over 2,000 two years earlier.

Federally in this same riding, the NDP has been strong but not a threat, polling a consistent 18 per cent the past two elections.

So, perhaps Gates’ win is a reflection of his personality and likability, the NDP’s ground game and get-out-the-vote ability. Which could bode well for the Tories provincially if Gates ever retires and Ford decides to take us to the polls again.

Meanwhile, we all can look forward to a vitally important federal election sooner rather than later, as the pundits keep saying.

That election is vital for the Tories, who hope to gain power, and to the Liberals, who want to revamp and legitimize their party under newly crowned leader Mark Carney.

Let’s hope both the Grits and the Conservatives, led by the pugilistic Pierre Poilievre, can find a constructive and positive way to engage Canadians.

We need and deserve a united front in the war with Trump.

kevin@niagaranow.com