Pirie takes Timmins for the Tories, incumbents returned in other northeastern ridings

The loss of long-time incumbent in Timmins was perhaps the biggest surprise in northeastern Ontario on election night.

What was most surprising wasn't that outgoing Timmins mayor George Pirie beat New Democrat Gilles Bisson -- it was the margin of victory.

With all of the votes counted, Pirie, a Progressive Conservative, won by 5,155 votes – or 64.93 per cent. Bisson, who was first elected in 1990, garnered 4,295 votes, or 29.51 per cent.

“Well I'm somewhat surprised," Bisson told reporters.

"We thought we were in a pretty good spot when we looked at the numbers and how we related with previous voters but obviously the people of Timmins made a decision and in a democracy that’s never wrong."

"So you have to accept it. I accept the decision of the people of Timmins and I wish George well,” he added.

Pirie said he and his team just kept working.

“They obviously knew before we did so it was quick and that caught me off guard," said Pirie.

"We campaigned ... like you’re one vote behind all the time and that’s what we did you know so right up to the end, right to the end of the day, we just kept working, working and so we got it done.”

Elsewhere in the northeast, it was incumbents ruling the day. Vic Fedeli easily held on to Nipissing for the Tories.

First elected in 2011, Fedeli won a little more than 50 per cent of the vote, beating NDP hopeful Erika Lougheed by more than 6,500 votes.

"I'm excited to be re-elected with a strong mandate," Fedeli told reporters Thursday. "I'm thrilled for our colleagues and thrilled to see what appears to be a very strong (result)."

In Nickel Belt, France Gélinas is headed back to Queen's Park for a fifth consecutive term, easily winning the riding with more than half the vote.

Her landslide win keeps the NDP's streak alive in a riding that has been orange for more than 50 years.

"Pretty happy," Gélinas said Thursday.

"It's an honour to be an MPP ... It is a job with a lot of responsibility and (it's) a job the people of Nickel Belt decide if you are the right person to do that job. Tonight they decided to put their confidence in me."

Jamie West, who held on to Sudbury for the NDP, said he was thrilled when he saw the outcome.

“I was really nervous all day today, but then just seeing everyone here and knowing all the people who went out and voted means a lot," West said.

“The focus next for us is to really help Laurentian University. So, we can rebuild, we need to get out of CCAA. We also need to bring a francophone university to University of Sudbury. We need to address the opioid overdose epidemic that we’re having in Sudbury. We’re sadly the leaders across the province. Those are the main focuses."

Tory Ross Romano easily won his seat in the Sault, winning by more than 2,500 votes over New Democrat Michele McCleave-Kennedy.

Elsewhere, Michael Mantha has been re-elected in Algoma-Manitoulin. As of late Thursday evening, Mantha had a more than 2,400 vote lead over PC candidate Cheryl Fort.

Graydon Smith won Parry Sound-Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives. The riding had been held by another Tory, Norm Miller, since 2001.

And Guy Bourgouin has held on to the Mushkegowuk-James Bay riding for the New Democrats, CTV New has declared.

In Timiskaming-Cochrane, New Democrat incumbent John Vantof had a 1,600-vote lead, but he had not yet been declared winner.

-- With files from Lydia Chubak, Alana Everson, Molly Frommer and Eric Taschner