Kinga Surma

Kinga Surma (born ca. 1987/1988 in Poland[2]) is a Canadian politician and the Ontario Minister of Infrastructure since June 18, 2021. She represents the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.[3] She previously served as Ontario's first Associate Minister of Transportation. In the cabinet shuffle announced on June 18, 2021,[4] she was promoted to the position of Minister of Infrastructure.

The Honourable
Kinga Surma
MPP
Minister of Infrastructure
Assumed office
June 18, 2021
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byLaurie Scott
Associate Minister of Transportation for the Greater Toronto Area
In office
June 20, 2019 – June 18, 2021
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byStan Cho
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Etobicoke Centre
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byYvan Baker
Personal details
BornPoland[1]
NationalityCanadian
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Residence(s)Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario
Alma materUniversity of Guelph
Ryerson University

Early life

Surma was born in Poland and moved with her family to Canada when she was four years old, and was raised in Ottawa.[2]

Surma attended the University of Guelph majoring in Public Policy & Administration, and spent a year in France studying Economics. After graduation, Surma relocated to Toronto.[2]

Career

Surma worked for former Toronto City Councillor Peter Milczyn, and at the same time was the President for the Etobicoke-Lakeshore Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC) riding association. Surma worked on the Etobicoke—Lakeshore 2013 by-election for PC candidate. Following the election she was fired from her job with at Toronto City Hall.[5]

Surma ran for City Councillor in Ward 5 in the 2014 Toronto municipal election and placed second with 13.9% of the vote.[6]

Surma won the contested PC nomination in the riding of Etobicoke Centre in November 2016. It was alleged that then former City Councillor Doug Ford intimidated her opponent in favour of Surma.[7][5] Further controversies regarding the election followed, as Ford was accused of breaking party rules by purchasing party memberships to secure voters for the election of Surma.[5] This came after the release of an audio recording of Ford recruiting members with Surma, claiming memberships are free despite voting being only open to party members who pay a membership fee.[8] PC party chair Walied Soliman cleared Ford of wrongdoing in 2018.[8]

Surma ran in the 2018 Ontario general election, and won her riding of Etobicoke Centre with 42.67% of the vote.

Surma presented her first[9] successful motion in her first year in government in support of the Toronto Catholic School Board's International Languages Program (ILP).[10]

On June 27, 2019, Surma was appointed as the Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA). She is the youngest female member of Executive Council of Ontario.[11] The same year, she spoke in favour of expanding subways in the Greater Toronto Area.[12] She also spoke in favour of expanding the provincial GO Transit rail network to provide two-way, all-day service on key segments of the network.[13] In 2020, during COVID-19 pandemic, Surma introduced legislation to fast track construction on the province's new subway projects.[14] On April 26, 2021 Surma introduced the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act regulating road safety, street racing, stunt driving.[15][16]

Surma sought funding for a new Toronto Catholic District School Board school in her riding.[17] On August 27, 2020 she announced provincial funding replace the Buttonwood hill school.[18] On October 30, 2020 she announced a $26.4 million investment to build a new Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke Centre and $35 of funding for the refurbishment of Bishop Allen Academy.[19]

Election results
2022 Ontario general election: Etobicoke Centre
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeKinga Surma21,99948.61+5.61
LiberalNoel Semple15,40334.04-0.64
New DemocraticHeather Vickers-Wong3,8868.59-9.56
GreenBrian MacLean2,0334.49+2.15
New BlueCathy Habus1,1172.47
Ontario PartyMitchell Gilboy5301.17
None of the AboveRichard M. Kiernicki1980.44
ModerateGenadij Zaitsev860.19
Total valid votes 45,252
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
Turnout 48.05-13.86
Eligible voters 94,168
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +3.13
Source: Elections Ontario[20]
2018 Ontario general election: Etobicoke Centre
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeKinga Surma24,43243.00+10.58
LiberalYvan Baker19,70834.68-14.02
New DemocraticErica Kelly10,31118.15+6.63
GreenShawn Rizvi1,3292.34-0.29
Canadians' ChoicePaul Fromm6311.11
LibertarianBasil Mummery2520.44
IndependentWallace Richards1620.29
Total valid votes 56,82599.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 5731.00
Turnout 57,39861.91
Eligible voters 92,715
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +12.30
Source: Elections Ontario[21]
2014 Toronto election, Ward 5[6]
Candidate Votes  %
Justin Di Ciano15,36254.2
Kinga Surma3,93613.9
Guy Bowie2,7449.7
Walter Melnyk1,3994.9
Raymond Desilets1,3654.8
Tony D'aversa1,3074.6
Nikola Samac1,0193.6
Magda Chelminska6452.3
George Lehto5651.9
Total28,342100

References
  1. https://www.kingasurma.com/about
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InLFRG5b8aw&t=373s "Kinga Surma Christmas PCParty" YouTube video uploaded by GoniecTV Toronto, Surma reveals she was born in Poland, moved to Canada when she was 4, which was 25 years from Feb. 2017
  3. Shephard, Tamara (June 7, 2018). "Kinga Surma wins Etobicoke Centre for PCs". Toronto Star.
  4. "Rod Phillips replaces Merrilee Fullerton as Ontario's LTC minister as part of large cabinet shuffle | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  5. Blackwell, Tom (25 May 2018). "Young candidate embroiled in controversy with Doug Ford has long history with PC leader and Tory politics". National Post. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. "City of Toronto Official Results" (PDF).
  7. "Campaign Notebook: Liberal candidate asks Wynne to stay away, then invites her back". 23 May 2018.
  8. Kennedy, Brandon (May 25, 2018). "PCs say Ford cleared of membership-buying allegations in 2016". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. "Private members' motions | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  10. "Votes and Proceedings 2018-Nov-22 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  11. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-cabinet- shuffle-list-1.5183542
  12. "$28.5 billion plan for Toronto transit unveiled".
  13. "Province says two-way, all-day service in the works for GO Train line that runs through Halton Hills". 6 August 2020.
  14. "Ford government to fast-track construction of transit systems, as Ontario reports 154 new COVID-19 cases | CBC News".
  15. "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  16. "Ford government toughens penalties for stunt drivers". BlackburnNews.com. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  17. Shephard, Tamara (2019-04-29). "Etobicoke is getting a new Catholic elementary school to reduce crowding". Toronto.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  18. Shephard, Tamara (2020-08-25). "Ontario invests $16M in new Catholic elementary school in central Etobicoke". Toronto.com. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  19. "Ontario Newsroom | Salle de presse de l'Ontario". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  20. "Candidates in: Etobicoke Centre (028)". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  21. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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