This article will be updated as more MPPs announce their retirement. Have we missed anyone? Let us know at dhains@qpbriefing.com.

In the calm before the storm of another election campaign, it's time for MPP retirement season.

Here at QP Briefing we'll track the announced retirements of MPPs, what they said, and what they plan to do next.

Updated: April 5, 2018 to include Eric Hoskins, Michael Chan, Tracy MacCharles, Grant Crack, Sarah Campbell and Cindy Forster.

As of this writing (Oct. 10), four current Liberal cabinet ministers have announced their retirement or moved on to a new job, as have two former cabinet ministers and Speaker Dave Levac. One PC MPP and two NDP MPPs have also announced they plan to move on from Ontario politics.

Liberals

Deb Matthews

London North-Centre

A cabinet minister since 2007, Matthews, 63, has represented London North-Centre since the Liberals won power in 2003. The president of the Liberal party from 2003 to 2006, Matthews was also the minister responsible for Children and Youth Services, Women's Issues, and Health and Long-term Care.

A confidant of Premier Kathleen Wynne, Matthews has been the Deputy Premier since 2013.

In a statement announcing her departure from Queen's Park on Oct. 6, Matthews wrote:

Politics matters. Politicians matter. It matters who gets elected. I am challenging all people, especially those who are not often enough heard, to be engaged and active in the political process.

Matthews added she was "confident" that the Liberals would win a mandate in the 2018 election. She has signed up to be the co-chair of the campaign, a role she also played in the 1987 and 1995 elections.

While Matthews has represented the riding for four terms and won by comfortable margins, the seat has historically flipped between Liberals and Conservatives. Red Tory and one-time Conservative leadership hopeful Dianne Cunningham represented the riding (and its predecessor, London North) from 1988 to 2003. Former Liberal cabinet minister Ronald Van Horne represented the area from 1977 to 1988, while former premier John Robarts occupied the seat from 1955 to 1971.

One-term Conservative MP Susan Truppe is the PC nominee for the riding. The NDP has not nominated its candidate yet.

Liz Sandals in 2016.
Photo by Richard Brennan/Torstar

Liz Sandals

Guelph

Sandals, 69, has represented Guelph in the legislature since 2003. A former computer science professor and school board trustee, she served in a variety of parliamentary assistant roles from 2003 to 2013. From 2013 to 2016 she was education minister, and since then has been the president of the Treasury Board.

In a statement published on Facebook on Oct. 6, she announced her retirement from politics:

When the 2018 election arrives, I will have spent 30 years in elected office and have celebrated my 70th birthday. After a summer of discussion with my husband and children, I have made the difficult decision to retire – and so I will not be running in the next provincial election.I will continue to serve as the MPP for the riding of Guelph until the end of the term, and at the Premier’s pleasure, I would be honoured to continue to serve in her cabinet. This was a challenging decision to make because while I’m ready to be a fulltime grandmother, I’ve never had more faith in Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Ontario Liberal Party.

For more than 30 years, Guelph has served as an electoral bellwether for the rest of the province. Before Sandals served four terms as a Liberal, the riding was held by PC cabinet minister Brenda Elliott (1995 to 2003), NDP MPP Derek Fletcher (1990 to 1995), and Liberal MPP Rick Ferraro (1985 to 1990) - all when their respective parties held power at Queen's Park.

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner will run for the Guelph seat. None of the other parties has nominated a candidate yet.

Brad Duguid Christopher Reynolds / QP Briefing

Brad Duguid

Scarborough Centre

The influential chair of the Liberal Scarborough caucus announced his retirement from provincial politics on Sept. 8.

The 55-year-old was first elected to Queen's Park in 2003 after serving as a city councillor in Scarborough for nine years. He became a cabinet minister in 2007, first as the minister of labour, and then the portfolios of aboriginal affairs, energy and infrastructure, economic development, and the training, colleges, and universities.

Duguid is notably a strong supporter for the Scarborough subway extension, which Toronto city council approved in October 2013 with support from all three provincial parties.

Duguid recently survived a health scare in 2016 when he had a mild heart attack.

In a statement announcing his retirement, Duguid wrote:

After 23 years in elected office, and 30 years working in politics, I have decided that I will not stand for re-election in the next provincial election. I made this decision after a summer of discussion and deliberation with my wife, family, and friends. I intend to serve as MPP for Scarborough Centre until the end of the term, and I would be honoured to continue to serve in Cabinet at the pleasure of our Premier.

Before Duguid, the PCs represented the riding from 1995 to 2003.

Small business owner Thenusha Parani is the nominee for the PCs, although that came with some controversy. The NDP haven't nominated their candidate yet.

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Glen Murray speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, November 9. Jessica Smith Cross / QP Briefing

Glen Murray in November 2016. Jessica Smith Cross / QP Briefing

Glen Murray

Toronto Centre

A former Liberal leadership hopeful, Environment Minister Glen Murray quit his seat on Sept. 1 to lead the Pembina Institute, an energy think-tank.

Murray had been an MPP for seven years after filling the seat left vacant by George Smitherman's unsuccessful run for mayor of Toronto.

Among Murray's portfolios were environment, transportation and training, colleges and universities.

It has been my honour over the past seven years to serve as the Member for Provincial Parliament for Toronto-Centre and as a Minister in the Governments of Premier Dalton McGuinty and Premier Kathleen Wynne. Serving the people of Toronto-Centre as their MPP has been a privilege and humbling learning experience. No place in the world that I can think of is as diverse as the neighbourhoods that I have represented and fought for every day.

While PC Al Leach won the riding in the 1995 election, it's considered a Liberal stronghold. As a result of growth, Toronto Centre will be smaller in the next election cycle, as some of the north part of it will be redistributed to the new University-Rosedale riding.

No by-election will be called for the riding's vacant seat.

None of the parties has nominated a candidate for Toronto Centre as of October.

Dave Levac

Brant

Mustachioed, silver-maned, and carrying the authority of a grade-school principal — because he was one — Speaker Levac, 63, announced in May he would be bowing out come election time.

The speaker is among the longest-serving Liberal MPPs, having won his hometown riding amid a sturdy Tory majority in the 1999 election.

Well-regarded as an impartial referee willing to chastise unruly MPPs, Levac will be the province's longest-serving speaker of the house in the legislature's history at six-and-a-half years, the premier noted.

He kept a grip on raucous proceedings at Queen's Park during the turbulent years of minority government between October 2011 and May 2014. His contempt ruling tied to the Grits' cancelled gas plants in two precariously held Liberal ridings provoked a backlash from senior staff in the ex-premier's office.

Like other soon-to-be political retirees, Levac insisted poor Liberal poll numbers played no role in the curtain call:

My retirement from provincial politics is made knowing some will question or even use my announcement against my party and my leader. That would be unfortunate and wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. ... Simply put, between my career as an educator and provincial politics, I will be in my 45th year of public service in 2018.

Ruby Toor, a retirement home administrator, will run for the Liberals in the new riding of Brantford-Brant on June 7, 2018. She will face off against PC candidate and optometrist Will Bouma and New Democrat Alex Felsky, a school board trustee.

Monte Kwinter

York Centre

The oldest MPP ever to grace the oak and marble halls of Queen's Park, the 86-year-old Kwinter (pictured above, on the left) is retiring come 2018.

Kwinter has represented residents of North York since 1985, when he rode to power under the banner of Liberal premier David Peterson, whose minority government ended 42 years of Conservative rule in Ontario.

“It has been a distinct honour to serve my community in the Legislature over the past 32 years,” said Kwinter, who was a minister in the Peterson and McGuinty governments, in a statement in July. “I am proud of what we accomplished during that time in my riding, and it has been a privilege to serve under three Liberal premiers.”

Kwinter, who holds a fine arts degree with stints at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Université de Montréal, found a second life in politics in his 50s following a career in real estate. The election on June 7, 2018, would have been his 10th.

Kwinter's announcement leaves a gaping hole in North York, with Humber River-Black Creek Liberal MPP Mario Sergio — a 22-year veteran — also stepping down with the 2018 election. The nominee will go up against the PC Roman Barber, an upstart lawyer who walloped former finance federal minister Joe Oliver for the Tory nomination in January.

Photo courtesy of Ontario Liberal Party

Mario Sergio

York West

The veteran MPP announced in July he wouldn't be running again in 2018, shortly before the Liberals announced his would-be replacement, Deanna Sgro.

Sergio, 77, was first elected to Queen's Park in 1995. Before that, he was a North York councillor for nearly two decades. The former minister responsible for seniors affairs stepped down from cabinet last spring, saying he wanted to make way for a new generation.

In a release in mid-July, Sergio said his two decades as MPP "has been an amazing experience," and that he plans to dedicate more time to his wife and family when he retires.

“I will cherish recollecting the many memorable events and the pleasure to have known thousands of beautiful people. I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the hundreds of volunteers making every election a memorable one," he said.

Sgro, meanwhile, was nominated for the Grits in the new riding of Humber River-Black Creek in late July. She is a lawyer and the daughter of Liberal MP Judy Sgro, who represents the area federally.

Next June, she will battle PC Cyma Musarat, a small business owner, and New Democrat Tom Rakocevic, an executive assistant to Toronto Councillor Anthony Perruzza.

Eric Hoskins

St. Paul's

The former health minister suddenly resigned in late February to go to Ottawa and lead a panel on national pharmacare. It's unclear how much authority the former MPP for St. Paul's will have, as the role seemed more expansive at first before federal finance minister Bill Morneau characterized the mission as one that would fill in the gaps.

Hoskins, a medical doctor, has sparred with industry representatives before, so he's used to the fight.

He leaves behind what is considered one of the safest Liberal seats in the province, though it's one that has had its share of recent controversy. There were reports that the premier was going to appoint Liberal insider Will Falk to the seat, but after an outcry the decision was reversed. Falk will not run for the seat, but the Grit candidates include Steven Del Duca chief of staff Charles Finlay, director of legal affairs and party services at the Liberal Party of Canada Jess Spindler, and lawyer and businessman Greg Coleman.

Michael Chan

Markham

The minister for international trade was first elected in Markham in a 2007 by-election, where he succeeded Tony Wong. Chan said he is stepping down for health reasons. The seat was last won by the PCs in 1999.

Tracy MacCharles

Pickering–Scarborough East

The minister of government and consumer services announced in April that she would not seek re-election due to health reasons. MacCharles was first elected in 2011, when she defeated an incumbent PC MPP.

Grant Crack

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

The backbench Liberal MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell announced in April that he would not pursue re-election in order to pursue other career opportunities.

Progressive Conservatives

Julia Munro in 2014.

Julia Munro

York-Simcoe

The longest-serving female MPP in Ontario history, Munro has represented the York-Simcoe/Durham-North/York-North area at Queen's Park since 1995.

A former deputy speaker, Munro previously taught high-school history for more than two decades before turning to politics.

Munro announced her retirement in March 2017:

I have never lost my enthusiasm for public service, however in any career there comes a time to retire. Nobody can do this job alone. I am forever grateful to my family, staff, volunteers, and constituents for their faith and trust in me over the years. I look forward to serving the remainder of this term, and to spending more time with my family. I will not be seeking re-nomination.

In what is considered a safe Conservative seat, the PCs have nominated star candidate Caroline Mulroney to run for the party. The Liberals and NDP have not nominated candidates for York-Simcoe yet.

The riding was last won by a non-PC MPP in 1990, when the NDP's Larry O'Connor represented the region in the legislature.

New Democratic Party

Cheri DiNovo

Parkdale-High Park

After winning several close elections in Toronto's downtown west end, Cheri DiNovo is calling it a day.

The outspoken advocate for social justice causes became the NDP's first LGBTQ critic, and sponsored several successful private member's bills as an MPP.

DiNovo will return to the clergy, where she will join the Annex-area Trinity-St. Paul's parish in January 2018.

DiNovo represented her riding for 11 years at Queen's Park, winning most recently by a narrow 1.2 per cent over Liberal challenger Nancy Leblanc.

She dropped out of the federal NDP leadership race in 2016 because of health reasons. She announced her retirement on Sept. 20.

The NDP have nominated Bhutila Karpoche to succeed DiNovo. The Liberals and PCs have not yet nominated their candidates.

Jagmeet Singh meets with the Toronto Star editorial board on Sept. 15 to discus his platform and campaign at One Yonge. Vince Talotta / Toronto Star

Jagmeet Singh

Bramalea-Gore-Malton

You may have heard of him. No longer the Ontario NDP leader's No. 2, Singh is now the newly acclaimed leader of the third-party opposition in the House of Commons — although he won't actually be in there much, given he won't have a seat until at least 2019.

The departure of the dynamic leader with a stylish, youthful air leaves the NDP looking a little older and a little whiter. Pegged as a "growth candidate" with a focus on First Nations, climate and electoral reform, Singh — a political unknown six years ago — announced in May his goal of federal New Democrat in chief.

The first turbaned Sikh to sit in the Ontario legislature, he launched his national leadership bid at the same banquet hall in Brampton where he celebrated his first election victory in 2011. There, he said he's aiming for "leadership that will bring people together, to build a Canada that is truly inclusive and where everyone can realize their dreams."

Singh said on Oct. 1, when he won the leadership on the first ballot with 54 per cent of the vote, that he would immediately resign his provincial seat to helm the federal party.

The premier is unlikely call a byelection in Bramalea-Gore-Malton only eight months before a provincial election to fill the now-vacated seat.

The NDP selected Nikki Clarke, president of the Ontario Black History Society, as their candidate for the new Mississauga-Malton riding. The other parties have yet to choose their nominees.

Sarah Campbell

Kenora - Rainy River

Campbell represents the NDP stronghold in the northwest part of the province that was once repped by former party leader Howard Hampton. In November she announced she was expecting another child, and also wanted to tend to health issues with her other child. Campbell was first elected in 2011.

Former Conservative MP Greg Rickford hopes to win the riding for the Tories, who last won the area in 1985.

Cindy Forster

Welland

Forster represents an NDP stronghold, but she's stepping down to address "family circumstances." She was first elected in 2011.

With files from Sabrina Nanji

A list of MPPs who aren’t running for re-election in 2018

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