Midwestern Ontarians who have made up their mind on who to vote for in the federal election can cast their ballot over the Easter long weekend.
Advance voting in Canada's 45th general election begins on Friday. The advance polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day through Monday.
Unlike in some provincial and municipal elections, the federal vote only allows electors to vote at their assigned polling station. Voters can find their assigned polling station on the back of their voter information card - which should have arrived in the mail - by entering their postal code online at elections.ca or by calling 1-800-463-6868.
To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18-years-old on election day. A list of identification that can be used to verify your identity when voting can be found by clicking here.
The three ridings in midwestern Ontario are Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Perth-Wellington, and Huron-Bruce.
There are six candidates running to be the Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. Natasha Akiwenzie is the Green Party candidate, Ann Gillies is running under the United Party of Canada banner, Christopher Neudorf is the NDP candidate, Alex Ruff, who has held the seat since 2019, is the Conservative candidate, Pavel Smolko is the People's Party of Canada candidate, and Anne Marie Watson is the Liberal candidate.
In Perth-Wellington, there are four candidates - Wayne Baker for the People's Party of Canada, Kevin Kruchkywich for the NDP, David Mackey for the Liberals, and John Nater for the conservatives. Nater is the incumbent in the riding.
Six candidates are vying for the seat in Huron-Bruce. Melanie Burrett is running for the NDP, Ben Lobb for the Conservatives, Gregory J McLean is the Green Party candidate, James Rice is running for the Liberals, and there are two independent candidates - Caesar salad Pella and Justin L Smith. Lobb has been the MP for Huron-Bruce since 2008.
More than 5.7-million Canadians voted in advance polls held over three days during Canada's last federal election held in September 2021. That was an 18.46 per cent increase from advance votes cast in the 2019 general election.
Canadians also have the option to vote by mail by applying for a special ballot by 6 p.m. on April 22. Special ballots differ from those provided at advance polls and on election day as they require the voter to write the name of their chosen candidate, rather than selecting from a provided list.
People who choose not to vote in the advance poll or by special ballot can cast their ballot on election day April 28.