Liberals poured $115,216 into Brian Tamblyn’s campaign to win the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte seat in last fall’s election, Elections Canada financials show.
The retired Georgian College president, however, lost by 86 votes – a number determined after a judicial recount, a number reduced from the official results loss of 108 votes – to Conservative Alex Nuttall.
Tamblyn’s election spending records showed the Barrie-Springwater Oro-Medonte Liberals contributed $90,000 from Sept. 20 to Nov. 27 last year. The Liberal Party of Canada gave the campaign $25,216.
This is in stark contrast to Barrie-Innisfil, Barrie’s more southerly riding, where the federal party gave nothing and the Liberal riding association contributed $5,015 for signs, buttons, banners and other supplies.
Tamblyn spent a total of $111,040.85 on the campaign.
He also accepted donations from local lawyers including Karen Jokinen (who was one of two $1,000 donors), Rose Adams, Albert Miller, James Vigmond and Roger Oatley.
Also supporting Tamblyn were retired city administrator Peter Lee and former long-time alderman Rob Warman. The other $1,000 donor was local businessman Craig Busch.
Jennifer Armstrong, who is married to Mayor Jeff Lehman, was one of several $250 donors.
Nuttall, accepted $8,525 in donations, his expense records show. His mother Judith Nuttall gave him $350, as did long-time former PC MPP Garfield Dunlop. Home builder Brad Pratt and Lacey Pratt each contributed $1,000.
In the closely fought riding, the five candidates spent a total of $304,674.54 to win the hearts of voters. All were within the $207,773 limit, a number determined by a federal formula based on the number of valid votes cast.
As well as battling it out in debates, Nuttall and Tamblyn also reached out via “voter contact calling services”. Here, Tamblyn spent $23,11.65, more than double Nuttall’s $11,3000. No other candidates used robocalls, according to the records.
The riding’s $304,674.54 spending total breaks down as follows:
- Independent Ram Faerber: $1,353.95
- NDP Marty Lancaster: $30,596.20
- Conservative Alex Nuttall: $161,672.61
- Libertarian Darren Roskam: $10.93
- Liberal Brian Tamblyn: $111,040.85
In Barrie-Innisfil, Conservative John Brassard spent $152,037.98 to win the riding that takes in Barrie south of Tiffin Street.
The popular Ward 7 councillor won handily, with 46 per cent of votes cast. He beat Liberal Colin Wilson by more than 4,500 votes in the riding where 49,528 votes were cast.
Brassard spent $24,860 on voter contact services, while Wilson spent $44.51.
In the riding, those running in the campaign spent a total of $230,933.15, with all candidates under the $209,977.36 limit.
The spending totals are as follows:
- Conservative John Brassard: $152,037.98
- NDP Myrna Clark: $20,705.84
- Christian Heritage Party Gary Nail: $512.25
- Green Bonnie North: $11,907.65
- Canadian Action Party Jeff Sakula: no report
- Liberal Colin Wilson: $45,769.43.
