EXPLOITS (13)

Candidates:

Liberal: Roger Grimes PC: Clayton Forsey NDP: John Whelan

Current MHA: Roger Grimes (LIB), Premier

District Profile: Forestry is now the major source of income in the district of Exploits.

To the north, Exploits includes communities in Notre Dame Bay such as Cottrell's Cove, but most of population lives in southern centres such as Botwood and Bishop's Falls. Communities in the district include: Bishop's Falls, Bishop's Falls South, Botwood, Charles Brook, Cottrell's Cove, Fortune Harbour, Glover’s Harbour, Leading Tickles West, Moore's Cove, Northern Arm, Peterview, Phillip's Head, Pleasantview, Point Leamington, Point of Bay, Ritter's Arm and Wooddale.

Candidate profiles:

Liberal Roger Grimes: Roger was born in 1950 in Grand Falls-Windsor. He attended Memorial University of Newfoundland and earned a B.Sc. and master’s in education. He taught math, physics and chemistry in schools from Grand Falls to Bishop’s Falls and Norris Arm. In the early 1980s, Grimes was president of the provincial teachers union. First elected to the House of Assembly when the Liberals won in 1989, Grimes has held several cabinet portfolios, including education and mines. He won a closely fought leadership race to lead the Liberals and take over as premier. Grimes was sworn in as premier on Feb.13, 2001.

PC Clayton Forsey, 50, was named as the party’s candidate in early August. Forsey works as a manager with Brookfield Dairy in central Newfoundland. He’s also worked with Morgan Printing in Grand Falls-Windsor and the Iron Ore Company of Canada in Labrador City. In the 1980s he was a town councillor in Bishop’s Falls. In addition to his involvement with economic development groups, such as the chamber of commerce, Forsey has been active with the local Lions Club.

John Whelan (NDP) ran for the party in the Bonavista North byelection in July 2002. He managed to get only 35 votes, as Tory Harry Harding beat former premier Beaton Tulk. During that campaign, he criticized his union president, Tom Hanlon, for backing the Liberal government in the vote. Whelan is a librarian at the College of the North Atlantic in Grand Falls-Windsor. He’s on the executive board of the provincial NDP. Whalen’s also on his local library board and is an active member of church organizations.

Political History:

1999: In the 1999 election, Grimes defeated PC Gonzo Gillingham. 1996: Grimes held on again in 1996 by defeating PC Rod Stockley. 1993: Grimes defeated Cooper again in 1993 to regain the seat. 1989: In 1989, Liberal Roger Grimes, who had been defeated in 1979 in Grand Falls, ran in the district of Exploits and defeated PC Paul Cooper by 49 votes.