By Erin Conway-Smith and Candace Wilson
Buoyed by a landslide win in the Oct. 2 provincial election, Richard Patten says he’s ready to start his fourth term as Ottawa Centre’s representative at Queen’s Park.
But this time, after eight years in Opposition, Patten is once again a member of the government. And with the Liberals in the driver’s seat, he’s keen to get started on some of his pet projects.
One particular interest is the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Patten was president of the CHEO foundation between 1990 and 1995 — the years he spent out of office, having lost his seat to New Democrat Evelyn Gigantes.
“That place has a special meaning to me,” he said in an interview the day after his re-election, pointing to framed photos on his office walls from his time spent fundraising for the hospital.
Patten says he wants to make sure CHEO retains its specialized medical units, to ensure that children in Eastern Ontario have access to proper care.
He notes the Conservative government had wanted to move the cardiac care unit to Toronto.
Patten says he is also eager to help fulfill Liberal promises to improve education by ensuring smaller class sizes and, in Ottawa, making sure elected trustees have control over the school board — not a government-appointed supervisor.
He wants to improve health care for the elderly by investing in home care — another Liberal campaign promise, but one that is especially relevant to Ottawa Centre, a riding populated by many seniors.
On the issue of expanding the Queensway, Patten says he wants to work to find a more comprehensive solution that will include improvements to public transit.
“That’s not the way to go,” he said of the plan to widen the Queensway to eight lanes.
Patten, who calls the idea a “1950’s-style approach,” says he wants to find a solution that will ensure the residential core of downtown Ottawa remains strong.
He says he worries that widening the Queensway would encourage people to move to the suburbs by making it easier to commute.
The election turned out to be a clear-cut win for Patten, who in 1999 won his seat by only about 2,500 votes.
This time, Patten beat his nearest opponent, New Democrat Jeff Atkinson, by nearly 11,000 votes – part of a Liberal sweep of 72 seats across the province.
Joe Varner, the Progressive Conservative candidate, came in third – a surprise considering the PC candidate in the 1999 election finished a close second to Patten.
Another unexpected result was the Green party’s Chris Bradshaw, who drew eight per cent of the vote, up from 2.6 per cent in 1999. For the second time, Bradshaw had the most votes for any Green party candidate in the province.
Three other candidates pulled in about 650 votes between them.
Despite the landslide win, Patten supporters who gathered on election night at the Sala San Marco banquet hall on Preston Street seemed more interested in the food and drinks being served than the results being announced on television.
The mood was tame until just after 9:30 p.m., when Patten strolled in and the room exploded as he made his way to the podium to give a victory speech.
About 100 people applauded wildly and chanted “Richard,” drowning out the rock music playing during his entrance, and barely letting the newly elected MPP get a word in edgewise.
During his speech, Patten thanked his campaign team and joked with the crowd, but took time to address the concerns of Ottawa Centre’s residential areas. “I feel very proud because Ottawa Centre plays a very special role in the City of Ottawa because we want to protect the people spaces,” he said.
“We have to protect the centre of the city to make sure it’s a healthy residential area.”
After making his victory speech, Patten was swarmed by reporters who questioned him about whether he will hold a position in the new Liberal cabinet.
Patten served as minister of government services and correctional services under David Peterson. Patten said the decision would be up to Premier-elect Dalton McGuinty.
But, he said, he “would be more than happy to be part of that scene.”