Follow the local results as they come in tonight. To catch up on the latest developments in the provincial race, go to our Ontario Votes page.
We're covering the election from The Red Harp in Acton, where Liberal candidate Alex Hilson's team is gathering, and Judy's Restaurant in Erin, where PC candidate Joseph Racinsky's supporters will be.
10:20 p.m.: Racinsky has just secured the local MPP seat by almost 10,000 votes.
Read the developing story here.
9:45 p.m.: With 46 out of 56 polls reporting, Racinsky remains firmly ahead of the other candidates by a margin of over 9,000 votes.
Commenting on how the election didn't need to be called, Hilson said it's been a "tough, short campaign" with "all sorts of challenges," but noted, "I'm proud of the work we did."
Hilson said the weather definitely impacted the campaign and he's curious how the overall voter turnout goes, especially considering the 2022 election had the lowest voter turnout in Ontario election history.
When asked about the youth vote, Hilson said he thinks the young people should be "engaged now more than ever," especially considering some of the current pressing issues like healthcare, housing and of course, tariffs.
"It's important they (the young people) get out there and vote because that's the only way the government parties and leaders are going to better reflect those priorities that are important," said Hilson.
9:30 p.m.: With over half of the polls reporting, Racinsky in the lead with 45 per cent of the vote, followed by Hilson who has secured 27 per cent of the vote.
Among those at Judy's to support Racinsky is his grandfather.
"He does blame me for getting him into politics," says Bernie Racinsky.
But he says his grandson has been putting a lot of effort into his campaign.
"He's a tremendous worker," the proud grandfather said. "He's done a lot of door knocking, over 1,000 doors."
With Joseph just two years into his term as Ward 2 councillor in Halton Hills, the elder Racinsky said running for MPP was a great opportunity for his grandson.
"He told me this was an opportunity he should not miss. The riding has been PC for the last 30 years, so this is a great place to start."
9:15 p.m.: Racinsky's supporters are feeling good as they see initial returns come in.
"I'm pretty excited," said Karl Brown, who assisted with Racinsky's campaign. "Hopefully they see all the hard work he has done at the municipal level and that he brings a lot to the riding."
8:55 p.m.: Liberal campaign members and event planners Barb Brown and Kathy Cunnington said they're feeling "positive" and "really excited" about Alex Hilson's campaign so far as they wait for the returns to come in.
Commenting on the short campaign timeline, Brown said she believes the campaign has gone "really well" and that there has been a good voter turnout both online and in-person at all the events Hilson has participated in.
As for the weather, Brown said it has impacted their campaign and believes it will likely affect voter turnout, but is confident Hilson's connection to his community will pull through.
8:45 p.m.: The polls are set to close in 15 minutes. Here's where the local candidates will be watching the results come in tonight:
- Joseph Racinsky/PC - Judy's Restaurant in Erin
- Alex Hilson/Liberal - The Red Harp in Acton
- Bronwynne Wilton/Green - The Brew House on the Grand in Fergus
- Simone Kent/NDP - private event
- Stephen Kitras/New Blue - Elora Legion
- Jason Medland/Ontario Party - at home in Acton
- Ron Patava/Independent - at home in Georgetown
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