Nolan Quinn hopes to take on the job of filling retiring MPP Jim McDonell’s shoes in the provincial election this coming June. Front row, from left to right: Nolan Jr., Nevyn and Norah Quinn. Back row: Kim and Nolan Quinn, Jim and Margie McDonell. Courtesy Photo

SDSG – Retiring Conservative MPP Jim McDonell will have Cornwall’s Nolan Quinn hoping to replace him in Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry in the upcoming provincial election.

The election is slated for on or before June 2, 2022.

On Sat., March 26 the Stormont Dundas South Glengarry Conservative Riding Association held its internal election to select someone to replace McDonell. The choice came down to Nolan Quinn and runner up Andrew Guindon.

Quinn announced the result of the nomination vote on his campaign social media page Saturday afternoon.

Voting took place at the Ramada Inn in Cornwall and the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors’ Support Centre in Williamsburg.

“I am excited to take on the challenge. I am pretty excited to hit the ground running.”

He said he is looking forward to taking on issues in the agricultural community and from the community in general.

Quinn has no illusions about the hard work ahead of him.

“My restaurant has always been 24/7, even though I have had four great managers, I have always worked seven days a week.”

He said his family is on board with his run to represent SD&SG at Queen’s Park.

Quinn was born and raised in Cornwall, and is the youngest of five children.

“After graduating from St. Joseph’s Secondary School, I continued my studies locally at St. Lawrence College, receiving a diploma in Business Management and Human Resources,” said Quinn.

Quinn and his wife Kimberly live in St. Andrews West, with their three young children. Kimberly has been working for the past 11 years as a teacher with the Upper Canada District School Board and is currently teaching at Central Public School in Cornwall.

In a press release announcing his intention to run for the leadership role in his riding, he said “My children are the driving force for my seeking the nomination for Ontario PC Party here in SDSG. I have seen firsthand how difficult life can be for young families in Ontario, especially during the Wynne-McGuinty years. Daycare is expensive and difficult just to secure. Rural education is not given the same focus as schools in major urban centres. It is increasingly difficult to raise our families in the same fashion as the generations before.”

Quinn is a small business owner and owns a Dairy Queen restaurant in Cornwall.

“Small businesses make up the backbone of the Canadian economy and I will fiercely defend their interests. Not only do they provide employment for the vast majority of Ontarians, they also give back to their communities in many facets. Personally, at Dairy Queen, I try to support as many community initiatives as possible. We have given to numerous silent auctions and events to help with the fundraising of organizations such as the Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Caring Hearts Radiothon for over 12 years in support of the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation.”

When the provincial election does arrive this summer, Quinn’s closest rival may be South Dundas Deputy Mayor Kirsten Gardner who is the only person, to date, to put their name forward for the Liberal nomination.