Details

As the results from Quebec’s general election were coming in last night, the Globe and Mail’s Andrew Coyne remarked on Twitter: 

“28 per cent of the vote -- by far the lowest winning percentage in modern Canadian history. And yet they still came within a few seats of a majority. Not quite as insane a result as it might have been, but still pretty insane.”

The PQ will form a minority government which generally last about two years.

First Past the Post

Of course, false majorities happen all the time under our perverse First Past the Post system. In the Federal election in 2021 the winning Liberals obtained fewer votes (5,556,629 or 32.62%) than the Conservatives, the party they defeated (5,747,410 or 33.74%). This translated into 160 seats for the Liberals and 119 seats for the Conservatives.

The same upside down result happened in the 2019 election where the Liberals got 6,018,728 votes (33.12%) and the losing Conservatives got more votes (6,239,227 or 34.34%)

In the 2025 Federal Election with Mark Carney leading the Liberals the ship returned to an even keel with some kind of equilibrium. But, even if the distortions weren’t as dramatic, they were still there. It took many more votes to return a Conservative MP than a Liberal MP.

Grotesque mismatch

In the UK the grotesque mismatch between votes and seats in the House of Commons has become impossible to ignore. 

In the 2024 General Election, the Labour Party won 33.7% of the vote and was rewarded with 63% of the Commons seats. 

The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, wants to see a commitment to electoral reform in the manifesto for the next General Election which must be held by 2029.

Dysfunctional

But it is not just the electoral system that is insane.

Our politics is dysfunctional on so many levels. Not just in Quebec or in Ottawa but here at home in Ontario.

The Globe and Mail editorial today laments the Ford Government’s secrecy and lack of transparency. (Click “read below”)

Take one example. Freedom of Information requests are becoming prohibitively expensive.

Our MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy told the legislative assembly in 2023 the Government was planning to consult on changing the law on Non-Disclosure Agreements.

Freedom of Information at a cost

The proposal has since stalled and when I filed FoIs with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development I was told it would cost me $1,320.

In the light of this, I said I wanted to reduce the scope of my FoI and asked for an index of the files the Department held of NDAs which would allow me to target my search more accurately and cut down the cost. I was told there was no index.

"Our office has consulted with the Ministry’s Strategic Policy Division, which has confirmed that no index of records exists identifying the titles and dates of all files created in relation to the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) initiative. Consequently, locating and retrieving all records responsive to your Freedom of Information (FOI) request would require a substantial and comprehensive search."

Yesterday, I emailed my MPP, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, asking for an appointment to talk to her about this issue.

As I am tapping this out, I hear a beep and an email comes winging in from her consituency assistant:

"Thank you for taking the time to reach out to the Office of Dawn Gallagher Murphy, MPP Newmarket-Aurora and share your concerns regarding NDAs.

I have addressed these concerns to the most appropriate Ministry for further review. I will get back to you as soon as I receive a response.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions, concerns or suggestions."

At least I am in the system and that's a start.

Election Rituals

In the meantime we observe (some of) the rituals and go through the motions in our municipal elections here in Newmarket.

The fact that Doug Ford now appoints the Chair of York Regional Council – rather than have the Regional Councillors elect their own chair – hasn’t yet featured as a campaign issue. I doubt it ever will.

I gave evidence to a Committee at Queen's Park a decade ago when the former Liberal MP, Chris Ballard, was trying to get the Chair of York Region elected by the voters at large. That now seems a quaint and totally unrealistic proposition.

The structures are simply not in place to allow that kind of issue to surface and grab the attention of the voters. 

We are not going to see the candidates for Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor on a stage together, taking questions, explaining their policy positions and accounting for their record. 

The Quiet Man

In the same way, there is no comment on the fact that our Regional Councillor, Tom Vegh, who is now vying for a third term has never once authored and moved a single motion for debate at York Regional Council. And this is after eight years in the job.

A lot of people would just shrug their shoulders and say that’s just politics.

Personally, I think that's just insane.

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Details

In 2018, in his first election for Newmarket’s Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor, Tom “Instagram” Vegh brazenly took thousands of dollars from developers to finance his campaign. 

Vegh, with his dramatic eye-catching promise of a new library and seniors’ centre, defeated Chris Emanuel and Joan Stonehocker. (The library and seniors’ centre never materialised.)

When Vegh was exposed as a candidate bankrolled by developers and as someone who would dance to their tune he promised to do better in future. He told Newmarket Today:

"I respect that (there are) people who would prefer you don't accept donations from anybody who's doing any business of any kind with the town. I just got to respect that." 

Doing business with York Region

But what about people doing business with York Region? 

We don’t know how Vegh is funding his campaign this year. It will all become clear after the election when he files his returns. (Photo from Joseph Quigley: York Region HQ)

He could be going back to the bank for a loan (though difficult to believe this is necessary given the salary we pay him). Or he could tap his family again and his tiny sprinkling of out-of-town associates. 

Vegh could also ask Blair McArthur for money. McArthur contributed to his 2018 and 2022 campaigns.

Who is Blair McArthur?

Blair McArthur is a hugely successful businessman. Through his companies, he has contracts worth hundreds of millions with York Regional Council. (click “read more” below). ChatGPT tells me: 

The largest is Miller Transit Limited. In September 2022 York Regional Council approved awarding Miller Transit the South-East YRT operations and maintenance contract, for an estimated $517,218,580, excluding HST.

York Region procurement records show that in 2026 this Waste Management Centre arrangement was described as a contract worth approximately $146.82 million including extensions, with Miller Waste in year 10 of a 12-year contract and three possible additional one-year extensions.

Yet Vegh invites us, the credulous voters of Newmarket, to believe that in 2018 he had never heard of Blair McArthur. And, more astonishing still, after four years as a Regional Councillor, from 2018 – 2022, he still didn’t know that McArthur had contracts worth zillions of dollars with the Region. 

We don’t know who approached whom. 

Begging for Cash

Did Vegh go cap in hand to McArthur, begging for cash. Or did McArthur see something in Vegh that merited a $1,200 donation?

In any event, after the 2018 election the extent of Vegh’s reliance on developers’ money became clear. 

Vegh told Newmarket Today on 22 April 2019:

“After the election, I started receiving a lot of cheques and some of those I sent back for one reason or another, if I wasn’t comfortable accepting it.”

Vegh’s 2018 statutory campaign return does not identify those rejected contributors or the returned amounts. That’s not to say there weren’t any. It’s just that Vegh hasn’t told us.

If over the coming days a cheque from the generous Blair McArthur lands on Vegh’s desk he should send it back.

McArthur does big business with York Region and Vegh wants to be re-elected as a York Regional Councillor.

Geddit?

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Note: ChatGPT can get things wrong. 

I asked ChatGPT if Blair McArthur’s property company White Owl had done business with (a) York Region or (b) the Town of Newmarket since 2018. (Click “read more” below.)

Details

Pamela McCarthy is a candidate in Ward 2. 

She is up against Glenn Marais and Brian Andrews.

An elector in Ward 2 has just been in touch with me to draw my attention to Ms McCarthy’s website which features her standing next to two uniformed York Regional Police officers. He is concerned this may be a breach of the YRP Board’s policy which states in section 3(b):

“The Board’s and YRP’s logo, brand and other marks shall not be used in campaigning or included on any campaigning website.”

On the face of it, this appears to be a clear breach of the rules and she should take down the photograph without any further delay.

Voting begins on 17 October 2026.

I have emailed her about my concerns, copying it to the two other candidates.

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The Ward 2 elector today wrote to the Police Board:

"I am writing to request your consideration of the application of the Board's Policy on Use of Board Resources for Election Purposes, to a photograph currently appearing in the "Priorities" section of the campaign website of Newmarket municipal candidate Pamela McCarthy.

The photograph shows Ms. McCarthy standing between two uniformed York Regional Police officers. The officers are wearing YRP uniforms with clearly visible YRP insignia and other identifying markings.I am particularly interested in section 3(b) of the Board's Policy which states:“The Board’s and YRP’s logo, brand and other marks shall not be used in campaigning or included on any campaigning website.”

The principal question that comes to mind is:

Does the YRP insignia, crest and other identifying markings appearing on the uniforms of the two YRP officers in this photograph constitute the Board's or YRP's “logo, brand and other marks” for purposes of section 3(b), such that their appearance in a photograph on a candidate's campaigning website is prohibited by that provision?

If the answer is in the affirmative will the Board be requesting the candidate to remove the offending photograph? Thank you for your assistance. An emailed response will be fine."

Details

With our Library again in turmoil it’s time for Board meetings to be put on-line. 

At the moment, if you want to know what the Board is talking about you've got to take yourself along to the Library and sit in.

Years ago when I wandered in to the Board Room for the first time, Board members were so shocked to see a member of the public they all stood up in turn and shook my hand.

These days, as was the case back then, the public is noticeable by its absence.

Town gives Library $4M  

The Library gets a lot of public money but very little public scrutiny.

In 2025 the Library received an operating grant from the Town of $3,953,368 and just over $70,000 from the Province. 

At Tuesday’s “Meet and Greet” I asked all the candidates running for election if they would support streaming Library Board meetings. Almost all were in favour.

The odd man out is Tom Vegh. He may be in favour but I never got the chance to talk to him about it. He flounced off before I had exhausted all the questions I had for him.

Former Library Board member, Ward 3's Jane Twinney, is in favour. So too is current Board member, Ward 4’s Trevor Morrison. Ditto the acclaimed Bob Kwapis.

Kelly Broome to move motion putting the Board on-line

I asked the current Library Board Vice Chair, Ward 6's Kelly Broome, if she would bring a motion forward to the Library Board recommending its meetings go on line. She agreed and her motion will be considered at the next Board meeting on 21 October 2026. (Photo right)

After the meeting, the affable Bob Kwapis (whose Ward 5 is home to the Library) emailed me:

"Thanks for your question about the library meetings. I used the Council meeting example with you, however it would be more appropriate to use the BIA meetings as an example.  All BIA meetings are broadcasted, this is one of the reasons that the BIA meetings are held at the Council chambers. The chamber is all set up for live broadcast, and it makes it easy to do. I am not sure if technical modifications would be needed for the library to broadcast their meetings. Beside that possible limitation, I do believe that the library meetings should be broadcasted, similarly to the BIA meetings."

Since my deputation to the Library Board on 17 December 2025 about library statistics I have been a fly on the wall at every Board meeting since. Sitting at the back, behaving myself. It is the best way to find out what is going on. And even then you don’t get the full picture. The minutes are terse and uninformative. 

Guarded and Monosyllabic

The whispering Chief Executive, Tracy Munusami, is guarded and monosyllabic. According to the staff she’s never in the building. 

Long-serving employees, loyal to the library, are a particular target of hers. They get the death stare. 

Ms Munusami has been in the job for over five years now with “outreach” her big thing. Too bad her aloof and disengaged management style has alienated Library workers every step along the way.

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Note: An increasing number of Ontario libraries are now streaming Board meetings. This is our near neighbour, Georgina.

CUPE rep Amanda Pearson speaks for staff on 30 September 2026

and before that on 15 April 2026

Details

Newmarket’s Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor is running for a third term and, once again, there is no election debate. The local Chamber of Commerce and the local media no longer organise them. And, tragically, no-one else is stepping into the vacuum created except in Ward 1. (See below)

Instead we have a "Meet and Greet".

So, I wander along to Newmarket’s Seniors’ Meeting Place last night (29 September 2026) to chat to all the candidates running for election. I also bring along a thick sheaf of Tom Vegh’s flyers from earlier campaigns, hoping for an update on promises delivered, discarded or still work in progress.

It goes off the rails right away. As soon as Tom Vegh spots my iphone he moves into cardiac arrest territory, declaring he isn’t going to be interviewed.

I wave his leaflets from his 2018 campaign which was an open race.

The then Deputy Mayor, John Taylor, was going for the top job and the Deputy job was vacant.

Tom Vegh WILL 

I am intrigued by some of Vegh’s vintage promises:

“Tom Vegh will double the number of housing subsidies available for Newmarket seniors.”

and

“Tom Vegh will triple the number of spaces available for affordable supportive seniors’ housing.”

I want to know what definitions he was using. A quick tour of the literature tells me it is complex and I need help in understanding the full picture.

There’s assisted living for high risk seniors. There’s long term care and so on. I want Tom Vegh to explain it all to me. He says:

“We’re working on it at York Region.”

I say:

“Eight years later, you’re working on it?”

Vegh replies:

"Still working on it, and we have increased it."

By this stage the Deputy Mayor is anxious. He is desperate to escape rather than do the adult thing and chat for five minutes.

Tax rises below the cost of living

What about:

“Tom Vegh will limit tax increases to the cost of living.” 

Vegh repeated this promise in 2022. 

Most years the Town/Region tax increases have been above the rate of inflation. 

And we were told that:

“Tom Vegh will convert the old fire station on Main Street into an artists’ hub.”

It is now a pub. 

Vegh just finds it difficult to persuade people to his point of view.

There is no shame in making a promise and failing to convince your colleagues – Vegh’s vote on the Council has the same weight as everyone else’s. 

But just to sit like a lemon and not argue the case is unconscionable.

Newmarket + York Region tax increases vs. inflation

Year

    Newmarket Town

   York Region

  Combined effective increase

Canada CPI

2018

    2.99%

   2.77%

  5.84%

2.3%

2019

    2.95%

   3.96%

  7.03%

1.9%

2020

    2.24%

   2.96%

  5.27%

0.7%

2021

    1.98%

   2.96%

  5.00%

3.4%

2022

    1.99%

   2.96%

  5.01%

6.8%

2023

    5.50%

   3.90%

  9.61%

3.9%

2024

    3.99%

   3.75%

  7.89%

2.4%

2025

    2.99%

   4.55%

  7.68%

2.1%

2026

    2.99%

   4.28%

  7.40%

—

Election Debates

A healthy democracy is more than the simple counting of votes. The voters should be engaged and informed especially in this new world of AI which can produce sophisticated election material targeted at specific demographics with little human input. A lot of stuff from Vegh again focusses on seniors.

But we've got to look beyond the election flyers and lawn signs. Candidates also need to be tested one against the other. 

And the time honoured way of doing this is by the election debate, impartially moderated by an independent person acceptable to both sides.

Sanitised

A “Meet and Greet” is not a substitute for an election debate. It reduces our municipal politics to its most elementary and sanitised form. No opportunity for candidates to quiz and test each other’s policies and proposals on a public stage. 

If Newmarket’s Mayor were to fall under a bus tomorrow and a vacancy unexpectedly opened up, does anyone seriously believe a “meet and greet” would be enough to meet that moment?

In fact, John Taylor tells me he strongly believes in election debates.

But how are they going to happen if the Chamber and local media refuse to get involved?

What is to be done?

The answer is for municipalities themselves to step up and use the powers they already have (or what ChatGPT tells me they have).

ChatGPT comes with a health warning – and it does get a lot of things wrong – but I am told:

“In Ontario, there is a strong legal basis for a municipality to fund and commission an independent, arm’s-length body or individual to organise non-partisan candidates’ debates, including debates for municipal, provincial and federal elections. The municipality would need to structure the arrangement carefully, particularly around neutrality, municipal resource policies and the statutory role of an integrity commissioner.”

It’s now urgent. 

The Conservative candidate (and now our MP), Sandra Cobena, did not participate in any public all-candidates’ debates in Newmarket Aurora during the 2025 Federal Election. (She attended a school debate at Sacred Heart which was not open to the public.)  Likewise our Progressive Conservative MPP, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, boycotts debates. The list goes on.

And debates for municipal candidates at Ward level are becoming rarer year by year.

But intriguingly, there is a debate for Newmarket Ward 1 Candidates (an open contest with no incumbent) at the New Roads Performing Arts Centre in Pickering Crescent, Newmarket on Monday 19 October from 7pm – 8.30pm. But double check the date, time and venue.

So debates are not entirely a folk memory yet.

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