The sign says it all. Billy Denault is seen here with his family on election night. From left, step-mom Lynn Dickson, dad Brian Denault, Mr. Denault, mom Pauline (Glofcheski) Denault, sister, Monika Denault, and maternal grandfather, Mike Glofcheski.

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Pembroke – The electors in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke made it very clear who they want representing the riding in the Legislature at Queen’s Park last Thursday night by giving Progressive Conservative (PC) Party Candidate Billy Denault an overwhelming victory in his inaugural campaign.

A councillor with the Town of Arnprior since 2022, Mr. Denault accepted the offer from Premier Doug Ford to succeed former MPP John Yakabuski, who announced his retirement in late 2024, ending his 22-year tenure in office.

The 24-year-old Arnprior native captured 24,297 votes, 14,493 more than his closest competitor, Oliver Jacob of the Liberals. Marshall Buchanan of the NDP was third with 6,607; Kevin Holm of the Ontario Party was fourth at 1,587; Anna Maria Dolan of the Green Party was fifth at 1,123; and Mark Dickson, of the New Blue Party, was sixth with 893.

When he took to the podium at his victory party at the Clarion Hotel around 10 p.m. to a standing ovation, Mr. Denault began by sharing a story from a campaign stop in Killaloe, where a woman pointed out he was identified as William Denault by Elections Ontario.

“This one voter decided she would point that out and said I know you as William,” he explained. “I said actually, I go by Billy, and she smiled and said, ‘Billy, I like that. To me it kind of sounds like Billy The Kid is in town.’

“Well tonight, I’m going to tell you, Billy The Kid is in town, and I’m ready to be Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke’s gunslinger at Queen’s Park,” he added to loud cheers from his supporters.

Mr. Denault acknowledged his two closest opponents, Marshall Buchanan (NDP) and Oliver Jacob (Liberal), adding he had received a concession call from Mr. Jacob.

“I want to say, running for office takes courage and dedication, and I deeply respect anyone who puts their name forward. Their participation is the backbone of our democracy and we are all grateful for their contribution to that democratic process.”

He turned his attention to his “incredible campaign team” and “army of supporters” from across the riding, saying without their hard work and dedication, the successful results would not have been possible.

“We ran a positive campaign, one that brought us to almost every part of the riding, from door-knocking to events, meeting people where they are, face-to-face,” he shared. “It’s a campaign that we can all be proud of and tonight’s results really show that the people of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke certainly agree.

“To my family, your support through this journey has been immensely appreciated,” he continued. “You are all my guiding North Star and I am eternally grateful to have you by my side. I’m extremely proud to be a grandson, son, and brother to such amazing role models who continue to inspire me to do right by those who deserve to be done right by, and certainly never let me forget my roots and where I come from.”

Mr. Denault then acknowledged someone he has looked up to for 22 years, former MPP John Yakabuski.

“His tireless dedication to our community has left a lasting impact that cannot be overstated, and while we’ve only grown close in the recent years, I’ve greatly admired and been inspired by his work for a long time. To me, he always embodied what was, and what it meant to be a true public servant.

“His endorsement and support are high praise and his mentorship during this transition has been invaluable,” he added.  

He stressed the evening was not the end of things, but the beginning of something exciting for the riding and province.

“The people of Ontario have spoken and with a strong mandate our government will now have a responsibility to get to work. These are difficult times, and we are travelling uncharted waters, but our party will protect our province, strengthen our economy, and while we stand up for Ontario’s workers, businesses, families, and the communities that they call home.

“I want to say that I will always fight for this riding, because this riding is my home. It has given so much to me, and now, it is my turn to give back to it.”

He noted when he was elected to municipal council in 2022 he made a promise to take on a role that means a lot to him by not simply being a councillor, but a public servant. He said being a public servant is different than just a representative, it’s deeper, it’s full of commitment, and drive.

“It means you’ve got a title, not for greater glory, not for personal fortune, but to give back to a community that’s given so much to us,” he remarked. “And I know my community of Arnprior gave a lot to me.

“And to the people of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, I make that same promise – for the next four years you will have my fullest dedication, my undying commitment, and I will work for you and you alone,” he concluded. “And so I say, thank you to the people of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. I will not let you down.”

Expects Great Things

Mr. Yakabuski had the pleasure of introducing the MPP-elect to the gathering moments after campaign manager Bill Griese had identified the important role Mr. Yakabuski played in the campaign. He noted about three weeks earlier, when he felt the campaign wasn’t going that well they called on Mr. Yakabuski to assist through photos, radio ads, etc.

“That turned the entire campaign around,” he stated. “I only met him for the last month. I know he’s a legend as your MPP, but he’s a hell of a human being.”

Mr. Yakabuski described the evening as a fantastic night.

“I couldn’t be happier or prouder of you Billy and your team, and the people of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke who made a big decision. You know, I was there a long time, and I’ll tell you when you’re there a long time, people start to get used to you.

“They just feel they’re in a comfort zone and we knew that Billy was a complete change,” he added.

He recalled when Mr. Denault first announced he was running, one of the first questions he was asked was how old Mr. Denault was.

“But that didn’t deter us,” he stated.

He said he knew Mr. Denault to some degree through his role as a councillor in Arnprior.

“But the more I got to know Billy,  the more comfortable I got with the idea that this guy is not only going to be the next MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, but one hell of an MPP.”

Mr. Yakabuski credited Mr. Denault for running a great campaign and for working hard each and every day. He said they talked almost every day and he was impressed at how he was travelling around the riding.

“I just knew, I just had a tremendous feeling, that this was going to be a hugely successful campaign. It’s not about me, but when people get used to voting for one person, it isn’t automatic, so you’ve earned every bit of this victory tonight Billy.

“This is not about anything I did for the last 22 years,” he added. “This is your campaign. Congratulations. I expect to hear some really great things about you”

In a media scrum afterwards, Mr. Denault addressed how he was feeling knowing a mere four weeks ago he as a councillor in Arnprior and now he is the MPP-elect for the riding.   

“It feels amazing and in a lot of ways, I’m speechless,” he stated. “But I’m ready to get to work, I’m really ready to get started and get going, hit the ground running, and start working for the people.”

He said in his two years on council, he learned the importance of relationship building.

“It’s an important skill that I pride myself in being able to do around the council table and I want to bring that sort of trait and skill to Queen’s Park, because it really matters to have a government and MPP now to be able to build those relationships and advocate for our riding at Queen’s Park.”

Mr. Denault set no goal as to the number of votes he hoped to receive, choosing to focus on getting his name out there as much as possible.

“Because I recognize it’s a big change for the riding. But our number one goal from the beginning was get out there, meet people, door knock, go to every event that you can.

“And that was the key to the success tonight,” he said.

He said it was awesome to experience the riding in a whole new way during the campaign.

“The riding is beautiful. Getting to drive from Arnprior to Head, Clara, Maria, to Barry’s Bay, and everywhere in between, you get to see your communities in just a whole other light. That was really a great opportunity I got over this campaign.”  

He noted not only is the riding beautiful, it is extremely diverse in farming, lumbering, manufacturing, etc. 

Mr. Denault said the three biggest concerns he heard on the hustings were in regards to infrastructure, especially Highway 17; the Canada-U.S. relations and how Ontario will manage through that scenario, and healthcare.

“Luckily, for me, it wasn’t that hard to for me to tell people at the doors about what the Ontario PCs are offering, because their platform touched on all three of those issues.”

When asked if people addressed his lack of attendance at the debates or the fact the government called an election while campaigning, he replied, “a little bit”.

“I found that a lot of people were actually very positive and very gracious through the process. I think a lot of residents in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke were engaged in this election, they wanted to have their voice heard and they have here tonight.”

He has always admired anyone who takes public service seriously like Mr. Yakabuski, and other MPPs and MPs.

“It’s something that has always driven me to this point, to be able to fulfill that role for my residents.”

Mr. Denault said in no way did he find the moniker “Billy The Kid” offensive in any way.

“I think Billy The Kid is a great name and you know what, I’ll keep it. I think it’s a good brand and I’m ready to keep it.”

He said he is starting to think about assembling a staff for his constituency office, get it running, and make it as efficient and as responsive as possible as soon as he can.

“I recognize that a good constituency office is very important for the riding and I’m going to try and do that as best as I can.”

Mr. Denault said the point of the election was to have a mandate that is consistent and extend beyond the Trump term because the people of the province want someone in power who will stand up to “the bully down south”.           

 “And that’s what the people of Ontario have delivered, a mandate that will now extend beyond the Trump presidency.”

Having his mother, father, sister, and maternal grandfather on hand for the celebration made the evening extra special for him.

“My grandfather is a big part of my life because he’s given so much to me as a young man.”

He said his desire to give back to the community was fostered by his family, who have always been very active in their community.      

He didn’t know when the swearing-in might occur, but expects it will be sooner rather than later.

Incredible Team

The formalities began with Mr. Denault’s campaign manager, Bill Griese, acknowledging the members of the campaign team. He recalled meeting with Mr. Denault after his nomination and asking him who was going to run the campaign.

“He said ‘I want you’, and I said, ‘no, seriously kid, this is your like, maybe get somebody else’. And he said ‘no, I want you’.”

For the first four days he did nothing but research the job of a campaign manager. He also began calling on Zig Mintha and Susan Fynn of Eganville who led Mr. Yakabuski’s campaigns.

“Zig got so damn tired of me calling that he started coming to the campaign office to say ‘what do you need today’,” he remarked to a round of laughter. “So, I just followed the trail of what Zig and Susan set down. Thank you, I’ll remember this forever.”

He thanked Brandon Potter, who handled the social media, Eric McGill, Tiffany Lepack, Kim Kenny, CFO, and her husband, Peter, Cathy Toner, Lorne Ruckwald, and Adam Taylor.