The countdown to the October Provincial Elections has begun and the candidates are stepping forward to announce their intentions.

Following an announcement from NDP MPP Howard Hampton that he would not seek re-election, newcomers Sarah Campbell and Robert Sindling have stepped up to the plate.

Sinding, a trial lawyer specializing in family, aboriginal has been an active NDP member for over 20 years.

“I was approached by a number of members of the riding association and it was something that I had thought about from time to time in the past. There are a lot of important issues that still need to be addressed,” said Sinding. “Howard (Hampton) has been an excellent advocate for this riding and for the north. We need to continue to have a strong voice at Queen’s Park so we’ve heard, to raise issues like the increasing costs that are coming out of people’s wallets, dealing with the HST, problems with respect to home heating, and all these costs that are eating away at people’s standard of living.”

The NDP are currently underway with their travelling ballot box within their membership, and the official NDP candidate is to be announced following Aug. 15.

The Liberal party had an acclamation, with Anthony Leek, a councillor from Emo, going unopposed in his bid for candidacy.

The Green Party will see Jo Jo Holliday of Kenora on the ballot, as she was in 2007.

The Conservative Party saw two names on the ballot, with Rod McKay, Manager at Kenora Forest Products and Lou Roussin, councillor for the city of Kenora.

“I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while, and put my name in once I sorted out how it would affect my life with my family,” said McKay.

McKay also sits on Kenora City Council, and if elected, will have to give up his seat. McKay says he’s very concerned about the decline of the forest industry, including the loss of jobs as well as the cost of energy.

Roussin was not available at time of print for comment, and no date has been set as of yet, for the Conservative nomination.

By Ally Dunham