After spending half his life as MPP – first for Cochrane South, then Timmins riding – New Democrat Gilles Bisson’s provincial political career is over. He lost handily to Conservative George Pirie in Thursday’s Ontario election.
Bisson says the 65-to-30-percent result makes it clear that people wanted change.
“The people are always the ones who make that decision, and I respect that. I’m not angry. I accept the decision of the people of Timmins, and I congratulate George. He won, so it is what it is.”
At 65 years old, he now gets to retire, and says that’s not a bad thing.
“I’m very lucky. I’ve got a great family. We’re all very supportive,” he tells My Timmins Now Dot Com. “We all work together on all kinds of Things. So I’m looking forward to the retirement.”
Bisson was first elected in the Bob Rae NDP landslide across Ontario in 1990. His first term is the only one in which he sat on the government side of the Legislature.
He says over those 32 years, he and his team did a lot of good work for Timmins, together with local organizations. He mentions the new Golden Manor and getting a family health team for the city among those accomplishments.