Local election results: Conservatives flip two key seats in Windsor, sweep region

Conservatives have flipped two significant seats in Canada's automotive capital, completing a blue sweep of Ontario's most southwestern tip.

Conservative candidate Kathy Borrelli has won a narrow race in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, beating Liberal incumbent Irek Kusmierczyk by fewer than 300 votes with all polls reporting. 

Results in the newly expanded border city riding were delayed as Elections Canada counted a final special ballot box containing more than 3,000 votes on Tuesday. Elections Canada attributed the delay to "high turnout in this election, particularly by those voting by special ballot and at advance polls."

Elsewhere in Windsor, Conservative candidate Harb Gill has won the coveted riding of Windsor West. A political newcomer, Gill has flipped the riding from the NDP's Brian Masse, who held it for more than two decades.

Outside the city, Conservative incumbents Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington), Marilyn Gladu (Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong) and Chris Lewis (Essex) have been re-elected. 

Despite the local Tory wins, CBC News projects the Liberals will form government. You can view national results here.

Canada's automotive capital emerged as a focal point of the 36-day federal campaign because of its proximity to and relationship with the U.S. amid President Donald Trump's trade war.

Windsor was a popular destination for party leaders, particularly the Liberals' Mark Carney and the NDP's Jagmeet Singh, who bookended their campaigns in the city. 

Before election day, turnout in the region's five federal ridings had been high, with thousands of voters hitting advance polls over the Easter long weekend. 

Windsor West

Gill's team and supporters celebrated at a local banquet hall as he was projected to win the Windsor West seat, one of the most closely watched this election. 

"Oh my god, this is one of the greatest nights," said Al Teshuba, who worked on Gill's campaign.

"We knew that Brian Masse was beatable, we knew that the border town of Windsor deserved a Conservative for the right border, trade, economy."

Windsor West has long been an NDP stronghold, with Masse holding it since 2002. But the riding was flipped by Gill, a former police officer, who was projected to win with roughly 40 per cent of the vote share and nearly all 231 polls reporting.

"I think our message was of hope matched with action which is going to bring results," Gill said. "That is what resonated with the voters."

He said "affordability, crime, opioid awareness" are among his priorities for when he gets to Ottawa. He also thanked fellow candidates Richard Pollock, who ran for the Liberals, and Masse. 

"They are great people," Gill said. "Anybody who steps up to public service — I've done 30 years of public service, I know the sacrifices you have to make, and so did they."

In a concession speech, Masse told supporters he is without regrets. 

"It's not the result that we wanted, and I thought about this a lot before even coming here," Masse said. 

"I am super proud and grateful for all of you here today, because I still believe in positive politics," he said. "I don't for once think that the future of this country is about remaining hidden or doing things not up front, because what we need to do is still provide hope and opportunity, and not the negativity that we see sometimes during politics."

Here's what voters in the riding told CBC Windsor they were looking for from candidates.

Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore

Borrelli's win in the redrawn riding means the area will be represented federally by a Conservative for the first time in decades. 

Results in the riding were delayed until Tuesday afternoon as Elections Canada counted one remaining special ballot box containing around 3,500 votes.

Special ballots include those from voters abroad, incarcerated people, deployed military members, and more, Elections Canada said. Those ballots are counted in Ottawa, and Elections Canada received a "very high volume of international and national ballots" this election, including 10,000 to 15,000 just before Monday's 6p.m. ET deadline.  

"Obviously we're going to fight 'til the very last vote," Kusmierczyk said on election night. "We know its a very, very close race."

He said that what was "really important" was that voters have "elected a good man in Prime Minister Mark Carney, and a good leader that will be able to lead this country and unite this country during [...] the biggest fight of our lifetime."

Borrelli said she "expected it to be close" based on past results. 

"I felt the tremendous passion that exists here," she said. "A hope for a better future." 

Asked about local unions that endorsed different candidates, she said: "They made their choices, and obviously they chose the wrong candidate."

Election day in the newly redrawn riding got off to a fiery start after a blaze erupted on the roof of the WFCU Centre, one of the riding's polling stations. Voters were redirected to St. Joseph's Catholic High School. 

The riding made national headlines early on in the race when the Conservatives removed candidate Mark McKenzie over comments he made on a podcast in 2022. The party replaced McKenzie with Borrelli, who ran in the riding unsuccessfully in the last federal election.

Kusmierczyk has held the seat since 2019, and the NDP's candidate was Alex Ilijoski, an ambulance communications officer.

Ilijoski, trailing in a distant third, told CBC Windsor that at voters' doors, "the number one issue for the vast majority of people was Trump and the tariffs […] especially for our riding being a border city."

"The vast majority of Canadians do not want us to become part of the United States and this election is basically a show of that," he said.

Here's what voters in the riding told CBC Windsor they were looking for from candidates.

Essex

Chris Lewis, who has held the riding since 2019, has been re-elected, CBC News projects.

In his victory speech, Lewis thanked voters, as well as his family and team, for their support. "It means the world to me," he said.

He also praised Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying he "has worked tirelessly."

"He cares about our region," Lewis said. "I'm proud of him, I stand firmly behind him, and I'm just excited to get to work."

Essex is a largely rural riding that includes several municipalities and saw the third highest turnout in advance voting nationwide. 

A Liberal stronghold from the 1970s to the early 2000s, the riding has voted mostly Conservative since. Lewis faced a challenge from Liberal candidate Chris Sutton, a farmer and millwright, and the NDP's Lori Wightman. 

Here's what voters in the riding told CBC Windsor they were looking for from candidates.

Chatham-Kent—Leamington

CBC News projects that incumbent Dave Epp will be headed back to Parliament. In an interview with CBC Windsor, Epp said it was "truly humbling to be given the trust" of constituents once again. 

"What I heard at the doors are the issues that we've heard for several years," he said. "The cost of food, cost of living, cost of housing, and certainly with the threat of tariffs, and the uncertainty, the precarity that brings to employment, the concerns that Canada's been facing over the last couple of years are just exacerbated."

Agriculture and automotive are important employers in this riding, which the Conservatives have held since 2006. 

Keith Pickard was the Liberal candidate and Seamus Fleming ran for the NDP.

Here's what voters in the riding told CBC Windsor they were looking for from candidates.

Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong

Marilyn Gladu, who has held the riding since 2015, has also been re-elected, CBC News projects.

Once a bellwether riding, Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong was expanded and renamed ahead of this election to include Walpole Island First Nation.

"This is a great victory, certainly hard fought. We had doubled the size of the riding and added 20,000 people," Gladu told CBC Windsor.

"I will definitely be a strong voice to get dollars from the federal government back to our riding to support the things we need to do here as a cross border community." 

"Even for those who didn't vote for me, I'm here for you," she added.

George Vandenberg was the local Liberal candidate, while Lo-Anne Chan was running for the NDP.

Here's what voters in the riding told CBC Windsor they were looking for from candidates.