SUDBURY—A former New Democrat MP has been elected Premier Kathleen Wynne’s newest MPP, overcoming controversy over his defection and an OPP investigation into allegations that Liberal operatives tried to bribe another candidate to step aside.

After a campaign full of twists and turns, voters said yes to Glenn Thibeault, a former radio broadcaster and United Way executive who had represented the riding for six years in Parliament.

“You worked so hard,” Wynne told a victory party full of campaign workers, many of them staffers from Queen’s Park.

“There was a lot of negativity in this campaign and you saw through that,” she added, refusing to answer questions about the police probe as reporters chased her to a hotel elevator.

Thibeault later insisted his victory is not tainted.

“‎No . . . we won tonight,” he told reporters. “The OPP needs to do what the OPP needs to do. You need to leave it in their hands.”

Thibeault defeated his closest challenger, New Democrat Suzanne Shawbonquit, who had hoped to hold the riding for her party after the surprise resignation of MPP Joe Cimino last November.

‎The drama continued as voters headed to the polls Thursday amid new revelations from the OPP into accusations from independent candidate Andrew Olivier — who ran for Wynne in last June’s provincial election — that he was offered a job to step aside quietly and make room for Thibeault.

Wynne’s office earlier Thursday downplayed the OPP allegations in a document used to get a search warrant for tapes of Olivier’s conversations with two Liberal emissaries.

“It is common for an investigator to make an assertion in an ITO (information to obtain),” Wynne spokeswoman Zita Astravas said in a statement.

“It in no way confirms that an offence occurred.”

She was referring to an online Toronto Sun report on a police document used to get the tapes of Olivier in conversation with Sudbury Liberal fundraiser Gerry Lougheed and Pat Sorbara, Wynne’s deputy chief of staff and a Liberal campaign director.

“I do believe that Gerry Lougheed and Pat Sorbara both engaged in soliciting and negotiating with Andrew Olivier,” Det.-Const. Erin Thomas of the ‎OPP anti-rackets squad is quoted as writing in the document.

Noting that both Loughheed and Sorbara mentioned Wynne, Thomas added, “I believe the references to the premier’s authority threatens the appearance of the government’s integrity.”

The police allegations have not been proven in court and no charges have been laid.

Wynne, the Liberals and Sorbara have repeatedly maintained they did not illegally or improperly offer Olivier a job.

It is against the Criminal Code to solicit or negotiate “in any manner . . . with respect to an appointment to an office in expectation of a direct or indirect reward, benefit or advantage.”

Opposition parties urged the OPP and Elections Ontario to investigate after Olivier released the tapes publicly two weeks ago.

In the tapes, Sorbara is quoted as saying to Olivier, “We should have the broader discussion about what it is that you’d be most interested in doing . . . whether it’s a full-time or part-time job in a constit (MPP’s constituency) office, whether it is appointments, supports or commissions, whether it is also going on the exec (party executive), there are lots . . . .”

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Wynne, who also had a chat with Olivier that he said was not tapes, has said previously there was “no specific offer” of a job from her or the party in any call, just discussions on Olivier’s future role in the party.

Lougheed has not commented on his conversation with Olivier. He and Sorbara could not be reached for comment.

Although the OPP investigation has been a well-known fact in the campaign, opposition parties quickly jumped on the OPP accusations and their effect on the race.

“‎This just puts a black cloud over the entire election,” said Progressive Conservative House leader Steve Clark.

With files from Richard J. Brennan and Robert Benzie

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