Here's who's running in the provincial election in the Hamilton area

With the provincial election just around the corner, candidates in Hamilton are gearing up for a month of political fisticuffs.

Premier Doug Ford met with the province's lieutenant-governor on Tuesday to request that the Ontario Legislature be dissolved, which means the election campaign begins Wednesday.

The provincial election is in 29 days, on June 2.

Some party leaders have already made their presence known.

The NDP launched their campaign in Gage Park on Saturday.

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On Monday, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner was at the Pier 7 Boardwalk speaking about the housing crisis. He said his party would freeze urban boundaries, eliminate the Ontario Land Tribunal, change some zoning rules and build more affordable housing.

"We have a whole generation of Ontarians wondering if they'll actually be able to afford a home," he said.

Here are the provincial candidates in each Hamilton riding.

Hamilton Centre candidates

Hamilton Centre has seven candidates and has been an NDP stronghold since the 90s.

The current MPP is Ontario's NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

The born and raised Hamiltonian has represented the riding since 2004. The party has failed to win the election under her leadership and if they lose again, it's unclear if Horwath will remain the face of the party.

Ekaterini Dimakis is running for the Liberals. Her website says she's worked on campaigns for Filomena Tassi, Vito Sgro, and was a candidate's assistant for Lisa Hepfner.

The website says she has worked as a cashier, customer service representative, and law office intern. She says she's focused on social justice, mental health, bullying and technology in education.

Sarah Bokhari is running for the Conservatives. She was the party's candidate in London North Centre for the 2019 federal election and finished second behind the incumbent. She didn't run last provincial election.

Sandy Crawley is running for the Greens. His website says he is a professional actor and musician and is the national Green Party's Arts, Culture and Heritage Critic.

Nigel Cheriyan is running for the Communist party. Cheriyan ran in the federal election. They previously told CBC Hamilton they have worked as a line cook in local restaurants, are the president of a housing co-op and study astrophysics at the University of Toronto.

John Chroust is running for New Blue Ontario. Chroust's profile on the party page has no details.

Dan Preston is running for the None of the Above party. Their party page says he's retired.

Brad Peace is running for the Ontario party. His profile on the party page says he was born and raised in the city.

He says he is working on his doctorate in Christian Counseling and Psychology, but "most importantly he is a freedom-loving Canadian who wants to restore sanity and liberty to Ontario."

Hamilton East—Stoney Creek candidates

Hamilton East—Stoney Creek is one of the city's most interesting ridings.

MPP Paul Miller has held the seat since 2007 for the NDP but was ousted from the party in March, making him an independent.

The NDP said he was kicked out because of a "pattern of troubling behaviour" that indicated he may "harbour Islamophobic, homophobic and racist views" and had once joined the Worldwide Coalition Against Islam.

Miller says he has evidence of "multiple, unauthorized logins" to his account leading up to his removal.

The NDP have installed Zaigham Butt to run for the seat. Butt is an accountant, and recipient of last year's Order of Hamilton.

Now, he will also have to compete against city councillor Jason Farr, who is running for the Liberals.

The Conservative party also has a high-profile candidate in Neil Lumsden — a former CFL player, Brock University athletic director and manager of sports marketing agency.

Cassie Wylie is running for the Green Party. Their profile on the party page has no details.

Jeff Raulino is running for New Blue Ontario. Raulino's instagram pages include posts that oppose vaccine mandates and appear to show him in attendance at anti-public health measure rallies.

Brian Ricciuti is running for the None of the Above party. His party page says he's a steelworker.

Domenic DiLuca is running for the Ontario party. His profile on the party page says he has lived in Stoney Creek for 36 years and recently retired from a job in the steel industry. He also says he is standing up for freedom, family and faith.

Hamilton Mountain candidates

NDP MPP Monique Taylor has occupied the Hamilton Mountain seat since 2011. She's the party's deputy whip and critic for mental health and addictions.

Chantale Lachance is running for the Liberals. She is a learning resource teacher at Académie catholique Mère-Teresa French school.

Michael Spadafora is running for the Conservatives. He is president of Kilty B's Jr. Hockey Club, general manager of the Hamilton Huskies Hockey Club and used to be a business development manager for PPG-Dulux.

Daniel Veltri is running for the None of the Above party. His party website has no information about him.

Baylee Nguyen is running for New Blue Ontario. Nguyen has spread COVID-19 misinformation on Instagram and has objected to vaccine mandates.

Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas candidates

The NDP's Sandy Shaw is the current MPP for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas. She is the party's Critic for Environment, Conservation and Parks,

Shubha Sandill is running for the Liberals. She is a York University professor in the faculty of liberal arts and professional studies. Sandill was also the vice president of fundraising for MP Filomena Tassi and former MPP Ted McMeekin.

Fred Bennink is the Conservative candidate. He's the Hamilton police board vice-chair.

Syam Chandra is running for the Greens. He has worked in the education sector, was the Hamilton Car Share Coop director and has taken part in activism for the environment and homelessness.

Jeffrey Skarica, of Green Landscaping, is running for the None of the Above party.

Lee Weiss Vassor is running for New Blue Ontario. Vassor's Facebook states she is a manager of rail corridor planning at Metrolinx and was the former manager of the Metrolinx team responsible for Hamilton's Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Flamborough—Glanbrook candidates

Conservative MPP Donna Skelly has represented Flamborough—Glanbrook since 2018. She is a former city councillor and CHCH-TV personality.

Melisse Willems is running for the Liberals. She's a lawyer and was the executive director of the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

Allison Cillis is running for the NDP. She's a Hamilton high school teacher and the District 21 Human Rights Committee chair within the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation. She's also part of the union's provincial equity advisory workgroup.

Mario Portak is running for the Greens. He's worked in management for over a decade and says his formal educational background is in advertising and communications.

Dean Lyon, a cable TV technician, is running for the None of the Above party.

Paul Simoes is running for New Blue Ontario. His Facebook page shows he is against urban sprawl and the carbon tax.

What issues matter to you?

CBC Hamilton wants to hear what issues matter to you and what will inform the choice you make on election day.

Fill out the questionnaire below to help us know which issues voters want to see focused on.