Progressive Conservative incumbent Andrea Khanjin is heading back to Queen’s Park as the provincial representative for Barrie-Innisfil.
News of Khanjin’s victory came in just after 9:30 p.m., Thursday, only 30 minutes after polls closed across the province.
Khanjin, who received more than 50 per cent of the total votes cast in the south-end riding, arrived just before 10 p.m. and thanked her supporters, who had gathered at Ol’ West Wing on Ferndale Drive South in Barrie.
“It’s been really clear today from the residents of Barrie-Innisfil that they want to get it done," she said. "They want a future where housing is in reach for the next generation. They want to get it done by having a hospital infrastructure that is not crumbling, but is there for when people need it most.
“They want to be able to get on their highway to be able to get to their job, be able to get to their families … and the people of Barrie-Innisfil have chosen a party — and government — a strong, stable majority government by the looks of it tonight.”
Khanjin said she was excited with the win and looks forward to continuing to work hard to represent Barrie-Innisfil for another four years.
“I love being the MPP for Barrie-Innisfil over the last four years. I’ve gotten to meet some incredible people and I am really excited to be able to do something I love for another four years," she said.
Despite her second landslide victory, the sophomore MPP says she doesn’t plan on resting on her laurels, acknowledging there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.
“We have a lot of work to do. We have done a lot over the last four years, but we’ve got to do more," she said.
No longer a “rookie” MPP, Khanjin said she’s learned a lot during her first term.
“I’ve learned to always be true to yourself, make sure you listen to your constituents, get in touch, stay grounded. That’s what I have done for the last four years. I am so grateful for all of the people that I have met along the way,” she said. “I started my first campaign by meeting a lot of community members and now I’ve gotten to meet a lot more.”
One of the biggest things Khanjin said she will take forward with her into her second term is the belief that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.
“I think what we’ve been doing has resonated with a lot of Ontarians. That’s why they are electing us as a strong, progressive, majority government," she said. "They want to see a government that gets it done, and that’s building a core infrastructure. With the population growth and the demands, we need to be able to build affordable housing for that future generation.”
