Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin is hoping for a hat trick of election wins in Barrie-Innisfil, as she seeks another term against an undetermined roster of challengers in the upcoming provincial election.
Khanjin and the Progressive Conservatives (PCs) have comfortably held Barrie-Innisfil since the riding was established in 2018, and polling suggests the seat is likely to stay blue when Ontarians head to the ballot box on Feb. 27.
The polling aggregator 338Canada.com gives the PCs a more than 99 per cent chance of holding the riding, while the NDP and Liberals appear to be battling for second place.
While Barrie has historically been a Liberal-PC battleground, the city was divided into Barrie-Innisfil and Barrie-Springwater-Oro Medonte during the 2018 boundary redistribution, incorporating more rural residents and helping keep both seats blue during the last two provincial elections.
In 2022, Khanjin retained her seat by more than 11,000 votes, securing more than 50 per cent of the vote share. The PCs won by a similarly wide margin in the 2018 election.
As for Khanjin’s opponents, it remains to be seen who the Liberals and Greens will put forward, while local union leader Andrew Harrigan will run under the NDP banner.
The Liberals did not respond to multiple requests from The Barrie Compass about the local nomination process, while the Greens said they’ll have more to say about the party’s Barrie candidates “within the next week.”
Last week, Barrie Mayor Alex Nutall, a former Conservative MP, endorsed the PCs, describing Ontario Premier Doug Ford as “an incredible partner for Barrie.”
READ MORE: Barrie mayor endorses Ford PCs
Here’s a breakdown of the two candidates currently nominated in Barrie-Innisfil:
Andrea Khanjin (Progressive Conservatives)
Born in Soviet-era Moscow, Khanjin has spent the last two decades in the Canadian political world. Before her election to Queen’s Park in 2018, Khanjin spent two years as a senior policy advisor to the PC caucus.
She also spent more than 10 years working with the federal Conservatives, last serving as director of issues management to former finance minister Joe Oliver. After the Conservatives lost the 2015 election, Khanjin made the jump to provincial politics, where she’s since remained.
Khanjin served as the PCs’ deputy house leader from 2020 to 2024, a period in which she also spent time as the party’s deputy whip, before she was appointed to cabinet in 2023, making her the first Jewish PC minister in Ontario’s history.
She made headlines last summer after crashing her car into a daycare centre while trying to park at her Barrie constituency office. As reported by other news outlets, Khanjin said she “blacked out” while behind the wheel, causing her to lose control of the vehicle. Khanjin was 31 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident.
The PCs did not respond to The Barrie Compass’ request for an interview with Khanjin.
Andrew Harrigan (NDP)
For more than a decade, Harrigan has been the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 304 at the York Region Children’s Aid Society.
“I have had the privilege of guiding and advocating for a diverse membership of nearly 300 dedicated workers, predominantly female,” Harrigan writes on his LinkedIn page. “As a devoted Union President, I have relentlessly championed workers’ rights and sought to improve working conditions.”
“In sum, my decades of service, my leadership within the union, and my commitment to community engagement have shaped me into a dynamic advocate for positive change to everything I commit to.”
Prior to his time as a labour leader, Harrigan worked with the children’s aid society as an investigation and assessment worker.
A longtime Innisfil resident, this will be Harrigan’s first time running for public office. He will take over the New Democrat nomination from Pekka Reinio, who twice came runner-up to Khanjin in Barrie-Innisfil.
In a statement provided by the party, Harrigan called Barrie-Innisfil a “fast-growing community” whose people “deserve housing, education and health care infrastructure that keeps up with our needs.”
“After seven years of Doug Ford, we’re falling behind and life… is getting more expensive,” he said. “It’s time for a government that’s on our side.”
Dane Lee (Ontario Liberals)
There’s currently no website or information about Lee on the official Liberal Party website.
Riding History:
2022 election:
PCs: 18,225 votes (50.25 per cent)
NDP: 6,942 votes (19.14 per cent)
Liberal: 6,564 votes (18.1 per cent)
Green: 2,291 votes (6.32 per cent)
2018 election:
PCs: 22,121 votes (49.97 per cent)
NDP: 12,661 votes (28.6 per cent)
Liberal: 5,543 votes (12.52 per cent)
Green: 3,190 votes (7.21 per cent)
