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Progressive Conservative newcomer Patrice Barnes rode the blue wave to victory in Ajax, squeaking out a narrow win in a riding that was up for grabs after two high-profile resignations.

Barnes, a school trustee and cultural organizer, moved to Canada from Jamaica when she was 18 for college and will now represent a key suburban GTA riding in the Ontario Legislature.

“It’s amazing. I did not expect to end up here,” she said after the win. “I ran for trustee because I had a problem with my son and no one would represent me.”

“Now I’ve served Ajax for eight years and I will bring that voice to Queen’s Park.”

During the campaign, Barnes cited improving gridlock as a priority for the next government, reinforcing the commuter friendly message spread by Premier Doug Ford over the last four years.

Liberal Amber Bowen came in a close second. An elementary school teacher and union representative, Bowen said she ran after witnessing gaps in the education system affecting those with the greatest needs, from meal programs to music to autism supports.

Ajax was poised to be a contest between political heavyweights before both were swept away by recent scandals.

Incumbent Rod Phillips, Ontario’s former Finance Minister, announced he would not run for re-election in January. Phillips, one of Ford’s star MPPs, resigned from cabinet after he went on vacation to the Caribbean island of St. Barts during Christmas vacation in 2020, when Ontario was in COVID lockdown. Phillips had released a fireside holiday video message during his trip that made it appear he was still at home.

While Phillips recovered from the misstep and was reappointed to cabinet as Minister of Long-Term Care, the harsh scrutiny of public office chastened him and he said he looked “forward to returning to the private sector.”

The NDP was poised to make a push in the riding when it recruited former Ajax Mayor Steve Parish to run. But he too was pulled from the ballot after it emerged that he had supported naming a street after a Nazi naval captain while mayor, and continued to support the choice during a successful push by the Jewish community years later to have the name removed.

In April, the NDP nominated children’s TV producer and journalist Christine Santos to replace Parish. Santos, who was born in the Philippines, moved to Canada at 19 and has pledged to represent Ontario’s diverse voices at Queen’s Park.

Beyond candidates, Ajax has remained on the periphery of several of the major issues that have dominated the election campaign. While not directly impacted by Ford’s proposed highways (the proposed Hwy 413 and Bradford Bypass are not nearby), the Conservatives did pander to drivers in the area by cancelling tolls on Hwy 412, which runs just east of the riding boundary.

The tolls had long been criticized by residents of Durham as unfair, since they (along with those on Hwy 418, just east) were the only fees on public highways in the province. This forced congestion onto adjacent streets as commuters tried to avoid the charges.

The privately-owned Hwy 407, which runs east-west along the top of the riding, still charges hefty tolls more than 20 years after being sold off by the province. During the pandemic, the highway owners were liable for a $1-billion fine, which the Ford government decided not to pursue.

Ajax is also next to Pickering, where an aging nuclear reactor will be shut down in 2025. To compensate for the loss, the province plans to crank up the use of natural gas generators, leading to a 400 per cent surge in greenhouse gas emissions.

Before getting its own seat in 2018, Ajax was part of the Ajax-Pickering riding, which was held by Liberal MPP Joe Dickson for more than a decade. Dickson lost to Philips in the last election.

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