Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty gestures as he releases the Liberal Party Election Platform during a news conference in Toronto September 5, 2011.STRINGER/CANADA/Reuters
Dalton McGuinty is often flanked by fire fighters on the campaign trail. But Day Five on the hustings for the Liberal Leader will be all about the men and women whose job it is to rush into burning buildings. Mr. McGuinty will be in London for a memorial and tribute to fallen firefighters to mark the 10th anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks on the Twin Towers.
He could have paid tribute to firefighters almost anywhere in the province, but he is returning to London for the second time in four days. The Liberals won all four seats in the area in 2007. But this time around, they are bracing for a tough fight. In the recent federal election, the Progressive Conservatives won three of the seats and the NDP picked up one.
Before arriving in London, Mr. McGuinty will stop off in Oakville, where he and his wife, Terri, will flip pancakes at a breakfast for firefighters at a firehall in the city. The Liberals could also be in a tight race here. Liberal Kevin Flynn went against his own government in opposing plans for a natural gas-fired plant in a residential neighbourhood after stiff opposition from residents. Mr. McGuinty ultimately nixed the project.