Premier Kathleen Wynne is taking heat for calling five byelections in previously safe Liberal seats in the dog days of summer.

Both the opposition Progressive Conservatives and the New Democrats blasted Wynne on Wednesday after she called byelections for Etobicoke, Scarborough, Ottawa, London, and Windsor on Aug. 1.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath derided the Grits for their “cynicism” in holding contests “in the dead of summer right before a long weekend.”

“This is the same old kind of thing that we expect from the Liberals when they arrange things so that they’re most opportunistic for themselves,” fumed Horwath.

Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean—Carleton) said the date is designed to suppress voter turnout, which could aid the governing Liberals.

MacLeod complained that is “akin to stuffing the ballot boxes.”

“They will do anything in order to stay in power,” she said, accusing Wynne of wanting the byelections before the auditor general’s report on the cancelled Mississauga gas plant later this summer. A previous report on the scrapped Oakville facility revealed a massive hit to taxpayers. So far, the tally for axing the two plants is $585 million.

Democracy Watch called the premier’s mid-summer move “as dangerously undemocratic and self-interested as former premier Dalton McGuinty’s decision to shut down the legislature last fall so the Liberals could hold their party leadership race.”

But Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Glen Murray said it’s “a bit ridiculous” to claim Aug. 1 votes are unfair.

“I find it ironic coming from the Conservatives who only a few weeks ago tried to force a general election in the middle of the summer,” said Murray, predicting “there’s going to be a high voter turnout.”

“It’s great weather. We’re all at work right now,” he said.

Even though the Tories have been campaigning since last fall, there is confusion over whether their Etobicoke—Lakeshore candidate, Toronto police detective Steve Ryan, will be supplanted in favour of deputy mayor Doug Holyday.

Holyday said he’s being urged to run and will soon announce his intentions.

“As you know the Conservatives do not hold a (provincial) seat in Toronto. They’d like to break the pain, if you like,” he said Wednesday.

But Tory party official Alan Sakach refused to discuss Holyday’s candidacy, noting Ryan, who was unavailable, has been the nominee since December.

Councillor Peter Milczyn will try to keep Etobicoke-Lakeshore, represented by former intergovernmental affairs Laurel Broten since 2003, in the Liberal column. The Green candidate is business development manager Angela Salewsky while the NDP has yet to choose a nominee.

In Scarborough—Guildwood — held since 2007 by Margarett Best, who Wynne demoted from cabinet in February — the governing party is banking on Mitzie Hunter, the CivicAction chief executive officer.

Hunter may have a difficult time against Conservative realtor Ken Kirupa, a past president of the Canadian Tamils’ Chamber of Commerce who has been campaigning for months. The New Democrats haven’t nominated a candidate yet.

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With McGuinty’s resignation as an MPP after 23 years last month, a vote is also set for Ottawa South. His long-time constituency aide John Fraser is vying to replace his old boss.

Tory hopeful Matt Young, a business development manager with the aerospace firm General Dynamics, admits he is “David to the Liberal machine’s Goliath.”

“Are people furious about gas plants? Yes. Are they going to vote something other than Liberal just because of gas plants? No, it’s a cumulative dissatisfaction,” said Young.

The NDP are to select an Ottawa South candidate on Saturday.

In London West, held since 2003 by former energy minister Chris Bentley, the Liberals hopes rest with Ken Coran, recently retired as president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

Coran had campaigned for the NDP against the Liberals in last September’s Kitchener—Waterloo byelection, when teachers’ unions were warring against McGuinty and protested at the Liberal leadership convention in January.

That’s now water under the bridge and he’s in a three-way race with Thames Valley District School Board trustee Peggy Sattler, the NDP candidate, and Tory lawyer Ali Chahbar.

The toughest seat for the Liberals to retain should be Windsor—Tecumseh, which former treasurer Dwight Duncan represented since 1995. New Democrat Percy Hatfield, a Windsor city councillor and former CBC reporter, is favoured in a riding that is also a federal NDP stronghold.

Hatfield is facing Liberal Jeewen Gill, a local business owner, and Tory Robert de Verteuil, an automotive industry systems engineer.

Byelection results will not change the balance of power in the 107-member minority legislature, where there are 48 Liberals, including Speaker Dave Levac, 36 Tories, and 18 New Democrats.

With files From Paul Moloney

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