The retirement of veteran Conservative MP Rob Nicholson is not the only reason the Niagara Falls riding is being viewed as a wide-open race this federal election.

Another aspect is the highest-profile candidate running so far is an independent.

It's an unusual development that adds extra intrigue to this fall's contest, said Livianna Tossutti, an associate professor in the department of political science at Brock University.

The Niagara Falls riding, which also encompasses Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake, already has six candidates - and others still have time to come forward.

The deadline to file as a candidate is 21 days before election day, at 2 p.m., according to Elections Canada.

The federal election is scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 21.

As things stand, the most well-known candidate in the riding is Mike Strange, who is running as an independent.

Strange is a former Olympic boxer and bar owner, current realtor, Niagara Falls city councillor and organizer of community fundraisers helping children who have battled, or are battling, cancer.

The Conservative candidate is Tony Baldinelli, senior manager of communications and stakeholder relations with Niagara Parks Commission.

The Liberal candidate is Andrea Kaiser, a former Niagara-on-the-Lake town councillor who has experience in the wine, tourism and agricultural industries.

The New Democratic Party candidate is Brian Barker, a teacher, coach and community volunteer.

The Green party candidate is Sandra O'Connor, who worked for conservation authorities, Natural Resources Canada, University of Victoria, a professional association and her own consulting company.

The People's Party candidate is Alex Taylor, who works at Fallsview Casino.

Tossutti said the decision by Nicholson, "who is so closely tied to the Conservative brand in the riding," to not seek re-election and the potential for an independent upset sets the riding up for a "compelling" race.

Since Confederation, Tossutti said, at least 93 MPs have sat as independents in the House of Commons - and the "vast majority" have been politicians who resigned or were expelled from their parties.

"Having independent candidates actually win the election is quite unusual, in part because having party affiliation makes the candidate much more competitive and offers benefits that independent candidates don't necessarily have," she said.

"This is why usually you have higher-profile people gravitating to political parties."

But this election will offer "some intriguing possibilities" for independents.

In addition to Strange's high profile in Niagara Falls, two other well-known former Liberal politicians will run as independents - Jody Wilson-Raybould in the riding of Vancouver Granville and Jane Philpott in the riding of Markham-Stouffville.

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The ongoing saga of the SNC-Lavalin scandal involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saw Wilson-Raybould resign from cabinet before being ousted from the Liberal caucus alongside Philpott.

"Arguably, all three (Strange, Wilson-Raybould and Philpott) have a legitimate shot of getting elected, so that makes things very intriguing," said Tossutti.

The odds of winning as an independent are long because as well as not having as many resources that are available to party candidates, voters generally tend to base their choice on either the party label or the party leader, she said.

Nicholson's absence, however, offers a "possible opening" for an independent candidate who has a higher profile, such as Strange.

"Now, the odds are still against him, but it helps in that respect. If Nicholson were running again, I think it would almost be virtually impossible for someone to beat him."

Tossutti said Strange has "strong" community roots in many ways.

"The competitors, they are rooted in the community, but they may not have the same profile, so that does increase (Strange's chances)," she said.

However, along with not having an affiliation, independents often find it difficult to put together large teams and obtain the financial resources afforded to political parties to run viable campaigns.

"While money doesn't necessarily dictate the outcome, it certainly helps to have it."

Raymond.Spiteri@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1645 | @RaySpiteri