People vote for change in the Timmins riding

Timmins NDP MPP incumbent Gilles Bisson walked into his election party Thursday night, flashing the peace sign and offering gratitude to his loved ones and supporters.

"To you guys, I tip my hat and say thank you so much," he said

For the first time in decades, Timmins will have an MPP on the side of government as the city's current mayor, George Pirie, won the riding's the seat for Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative party – which earned another majority.

Queen's Park will be a much bigger pond for Pirie and Bisson has some friendly advice for the new MPP-elect.

"Don’t go to Queen’s Park and get lost," cautioned Bisson. "Remember that it’s the people of Timmins that matter the most and you need to take care of your constituents. Something that myself and my staff have done all the last 32 years. So I hope that he doesn’t forget. It’s not about just going to Queen’s Park. It’s about taking care of the people back home."

At the McIntyre Coffee Shop on Friday, patrons there told CTV News they were well aware of the news that Bisson had been out-voted.

"I think that I’m going to miss Gilles Bisson very much. That’s my reaction. I can’t say too much about the other contestants, but Gilles Bisson, I’m really gonna miss him cause he really was for the people," said April Chartrand.

Although she'll miss Bisson, the people of Timmins have spoken. They chose to make Pirie the new MPP with 65 per cent of the vote.

"We’ve had a declining population for a couple of decades," Pirie said.

"We’ve got to turn that around. We’ve got to start to grow and we got to start taking and capitalizing on the opportunities that we have in the north and we got the team that can make that happen. And as you know, with that type of results, the citizens of Timmins, they support us as well. They want this to happen."

When the talk in the coffee shops settles and Pirie is sworn-in, only then will people find out if their chosen candidate can make a difference.

Will passenger rail service return?

Will Highway 101 be rebuilt?

Those questions remain to be answered, but some northerners told CTV News they have faith.

"He knows our history, he knows our past and he gets along with everybody," said Ted Vail, a Timmins constituent.

Danny McIntyre, a resident of Iroquois Falls, said, "A government member, possibly a cabinet member, can only be good for the area."

As Bisson exits the political stage, for now, the sentiment in his riding is, "thank you for the decades of service and enjoy a well-earned retirement."