Elections Ontario approves registration of provincial New Blue Party
Jim and Belinda Karahalios have announced their intention to create a new provincial party in Ontario. According to Elections Ontario, the name New Blue Party of Ontario was requested on September 18 by Jim Karahalios and reserved on October 8.
Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios was removed from the Ontario PC Party caucus in July after she voted against the controversial Bill 195 put forth by Premier Doug Ford. The bill gave the Ontario government the ability to extend some of the power granted to it from the emergency measures act.
Jim Karahalios, the husband of Belinda, was previously disqualified from running in the Conservative party leadership race. Originally rejected in February, a court upheld Karahalios' right to run, but the Party still scrapped his attempt to be on the ticket.