KENILWORTH – Wellington North Ward 4 councillor Steve McCabe has announced he is seeking the Progressive Conservative Party nomination in Perth-Wellington for next year’s provincial election.
McCabe is the third person to enter the race for the nomination after current Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece announced on Nov. 17 he is retiring at the end of his term.
Harriston native Matthew Rae announced he is seeking the nomination on Nov. 18, and Don Van Galen of St. Marys announced on Dec. 1 he is entering the race.
McCabe, currently in his second term as Ward 4 councillor in Wellington North, believed the time was right to jump into provincial politics.
“I collaborated with a lot of residents from Perth and Wellington counties, and decided that now is the time,” McCabe said on Dec. 6.
McCabe believes his career experience with the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, in advertising sales and as a municipal councillor make him the ideal candidate for the PC Party.
“I think it’s great practical experience to have in Queen’s Park and representing the riding of Perth-Wellington,” he said.
McCabe is also an executive member of the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority.
McCabe stated that the Perth-Wellington riding is unique – “probably the largest centre for dairy farming, and agriculture is one of our biggest industries” – as well as diverse.
“One of the other things that has been hurt [by the COVID-19 pandemic] in our riding is tourism,” he said. “Stratford relies on it a lot, and it has been hit very hard in the last two years… we want to see that return to its former glory.”
Another concern of McCabe’s is housing. The prices are being driven up by people moving from larger urban centres surrounding the riding, “which is good for those selling but horrible for people buying houses,” he said. “That’s where need a constructive plan for housing in Ontario and for Perth-Wellington.”
Access to transportation hubs and reliable high-speed internet are also concerns of McCabe’s.
“The need for high speed internet in the rural areas especially – farmers and ag businesses need real-time information for selling their crops and products, hospitals need it for sending files for diagnostic imaging – we just have to have it, as much as any other physical infrastructure that we have in the riding,” said McCabe.
As a municipal councillor, McCabe appreciats how Pettapiece would attend council meetings on a regular basis to provide updates from Queen’s Park. This is something that McCabe plans on continuing if he is elected MPP.
“Randy has been a great voice for Perth-Wellington… and I’ll be as present as Randy has been in the riding and I will be a strong voice for urban and rural people as well as farmers,” he said.
McCabe’s council seat
McCabe is the current Ward 4 councillor in Wellington North. When asked what entering the nomination race means for his council seat, McCabe explained he is able to continue serving as a councillor until he is nominated. If selected as the PC candidate for Perth-Wellington, McCabe would have to take a leave of absence from Wellington North council.
What happens after the election depends on the outcome. If elected, McCabe would have to vacate his seat as councillor. If not elected, McCabe would be able to return to his Ward 4 seat on Wellington North council to finish the remainder of his term.
