Liberal candidate to hold meet-and-greet Thursday

The second candidate vying to be Liberal nominee in the next provincial election is holding a meet-and-greet Thursday.

Elise Idnani, a professional engineer and chair of the Sudbury Chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, has joined the race to replace longtime MPP Rick Bartolucci, who announced last year he was retiring when the next election is called.

Idnani, a political newcomer, will hold a campaign kickoff party Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at Fromagerie Elgin on Cedar Street. Her website, www.eliseidnani.ca, says she volunteers at Eat Local Sudbury, is a leader for Girl Guides and founded the Minnow Lake Community Garden, “which built 16 raised beds with the help of 14 volunteers.

“These experiences continuously show me what a wonderful community we live in,” her website says.

Idnani joins Andrew Olivier in the race for the nomination. Olivier is a bilingual small businessman who has an MBA from Laurentian and was awarded the 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. He's also a political newcomer.

The winner of the nomination race will have to overcome opinion polls that show the NDP with a strong lead in Sudbury. The New Democratic candidate in Sudbury is Joe Cimino, who's currently a city councillor in Ward 1. Former school board trustee Paula Peroni is the Progressive Conservative candidate, while the Green Party is Casey Lalonde, a psychology student at Laurentian University.

While no election has been called, there is widespread speculation that Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne's minority government could fall when it tables its budget this spring. No date for the Liberal nomination meeting in Sudbury has been announced.