Will Bouma was re-elected as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Brantford-Brant after Election Night on Thursday, February 27, 2025.
Bouma, the Progressive Conservative candidate, defeated his next closest candidate, Harvey Bischof of the NDP, by over 12,000 votes. Bouma received 24,169 votes, equating to 47 per cent of the vote, while Bischof received 12,002 votes. Liberal candidate Ron Fox received 10,364 and Green Party candidate Karleigh Csordas rounded out the top four with 2,567 votes.
Brantford-Brant Election Results (unofficial):
Will Bouma (PC) – 24,169
Harvey Bischof (NDP) – 12,002
Ron Fox (LIB) – 10,364
Karleigh Csordas (GRN) – 2,567
Joshua Caron (NBP) – 1,138
Rob Ferguson (LTN) – 500
Mike Clancy (NAP) – 316
James Carruthers (OA) – 83
Nearly 100 constituents, friends, family and supporters stopped by the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #605 in St. George to watch the election results and Bouma’s victory.
Following the news of his victory, Bouma said he was extremely humbled to be elected for a third term, and was looking forward to getting back to work.
“It’s gratifying to have the support of the people in the community, because we’ve been working very hard, and yet, I was prepared to accept whatever they wanted,” he said.
Bouma went on to address the Conservatives’ majority victory.
“I’m proud that our government has been re-elected. We have seen during Doug Ford’s administration, and particularly the last few months, that the boss, as I call him, is a strong, principled and plain-spoken leader,” Bouma said.
Despite the victory for his party, Bouma expressed his respect and admiration for all of the candidates who ran in the election.
“I have to talk a little bit about the other candidates who stood up in this race. There were a bunch of them, and it takes a lot of guts to put your name forward and to be put on a ballot,” he admitted. “It’s not an easy decision, and it’s good that we have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into because a campaign takes a large toll on you and your family and everyone that’s close to you. For everyone who put their name on that ballot and for whatever reason they did it, I appreciate you, and thank you.”
With the election now in the rear-view mirror, Bouma turned his attention to the region and his priorities over the next four years.
He admitted that protecting Ontario from President Trump’s tariff threats is a top priority for his party, there are other matters to take care of at the local level, including housing, education and healthcare.
“Our government has invested more than $50 million in the last couple of years for Brantford General Hospital. Right now, we are re-developing the emergency department to better serve patients at a critical time in their lives,” Bouma said. “We’re also spending money to upgrade broken infrastructure to keep the hospital functioning. These are all short term fixes while we pursue the most important improvement of all, and that’s a brand new hospital.”
He also shared that other critical projects include the new Lansdowne Children Centre, and the construction of several new schools across the region.
“We are getting the first new high school in Brantford in 30 years at Powerline Road. We are getting another new grade school and we announced another one for West Brant,” he said. “We are also getting another two new grade schools in Paris.”
While a new hospital and new schools are pressing matters for Bouma, and there is still plenty of other work left to be done, he said none of it would be possible without the dedication, commitment and hard work of the community.
“I am so amazed at the incredible people that I get to meet and work with who are doing all sorts of things to make this such an amazing community. That’s why I’m looking forward to the next four years, not because of my own skill set or what our government can do, but because I get to work with an incredible community right here in Brantford and Brant,” said Bouma. “It’s about working with incredible people and working together in order to make great things happen. It’s because I get to do it with so many incredible people who love it as much as I do, who all live lives of service to make this community better. Thank you to our community. Thank you for being who you are and what you are, and thank you for being willing to serve also and work together to make Branford-Brant the community that it is and the community that it can be.”
Check out the Brant Beacon early next week for more on Bouma’s plans for the region, including transportation, infrastructure and housing.
