On a night where you might expect Dalton McGuinty’s sins against the north to hang like a cinder block from the neck of Liberal candidate Anthony Leek, local debate goers instead conjured the ghosts of former Premier Mike Harris to haunt Progressive Conservative candidate Rod McKay

Candidates in the race for the Kenora-Rainy River Riding met in Dryden’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch #63 Hall for a televised candidates forum sponsored by Dryden media partners and Dryden Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 15.

Representing the Green Party, experienced candidate and holistic health practitioner Jojo Holliday; long time aide to Howard Hampton and KDSB board member, Sarah Campbell represented the New Democrat Party; Kenora councillor and mill manager Rod McKay sat as the PC candidate; and Emo councillor and native studies teacher Anthony Leek completed a youthful panel representing the Liberal Party.

Northern Ontario Heritage Party candidate Charmaine Romaniuk, who entered the race early last week, could not be reached in time to be part of the debate.

With no incumbent MPP to draw attacks, the format felt refreshed, dynamic and civilized, despite a crowd numbering no more than 40 residents.

While the NDP’s Campbell was perhaps the best prepared to illustrate how her party would change policy in the north, the Liberal’s Leek was the surprise of the evening ? establishing a positive tone and a skilful delivery that seemed to transcend his association with a provincial Liberal party that has alienated Northerners with everything from the Far North Act (Bill 191), to energy policy and the HST.

Spending much of the night defending Liberal policies, Leek benefitted in no small measure from a concerted effort in the room to confront PC candidate Rod McKay on the legacy of deep spending cuts to government services by former premier Mike Harris.

McKay, a 30-year veteran of the forestry industry, was perhaps strongest in his personal concern with the state of forestry and the province recently re-vamped wood tenure system ? a system he says has created industry uncertainty and barriers to new investment.

Green candidate Jojo Holliday spoke of establishing local forestry councils, upgrading the north’s electricity grid and supporting small renewable energy projects on First Nations. She also spoke of addressing root causes of health and social problems like addiction, FASD and poverty within the region.

McKay presented many elements of the PC Party’s Changebook North which, interestingly, mirrors aspects of the NDP plan in its plans to unravel to McGuinty’s tapestry ? in scrapping the province’s Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and removing the HST from electricity bills.

Leek, at times betrayed a sense of annoyance over the PC and NDP parties use of politics over policy ? using anti-Liberal sentiment to attack programs he says already allow more local decision-making, like the LHINs.

The PC plan pledges to eliminate the ‘debt retirement charge’ on Hydro bills and scrap the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy producers.

The NDP’s Campbell also found traction in the politically-ripe arena of electricity and the HST ? pledging the NDP to remove HST from electricity and home heating, creating an industrial energy rate and capping gasoline prices.

Campbell also shone in highlighting the region’s woes in regards to senior’s care, stating that privatization of home care services has led to erosion of services. The NDP plan focus on more doctors for under-serviced communities and new family health care centres in the north. Changes to the Northern Health Travel Grant are also part of the NDP platform.

Campbell and McKay went after the Liberals on Bill 191 (The Far North Act) which was universally rejected by northern First Nations for lack of consultation.

The Liberal’s Leek says it’s time to move past the era of consultation into full-engagement of First Nations communities, adding that unity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people is the key to the future in the Kenora Rainy River Riding.

Catch a re-broadcast of the Dryden Candidate Forum on Shaw TV at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 and throughout the week in the evenings.