Brian Johns is stepping back from an Ontario Liberal Party headed for some change.
The former head of the Newmarket-Aurora federal liberal riding association won't be running again for the party presidency after five years in the role. He departs as the party seeks a new leader after another third-place finish in the Ontario election.
Although he said he believes in the leadership and candidates the party put forward, voters wanted something else.
“The voters are looking for something different than what was being presented by the party,” he said, noting the lowest provincial voter turnout on record. “Ontarians were very clearly not content with all the options that were in front of them.”
The East Gwillimbury resident and former co-owner of Vince’s Market started rising through the ranks in 2016, as the regional vice-president for the Greater Toronto North area. Hhe then stepped into the president’s role in 2017 and got a second term in 2019, before the pandemic extended his time there.
Johns, currently CEO at Water Ambassadors Canada, said he felt he helped get a lot done within the party while he was president, guiding the party out of debt financing, phasing out local association fee payments, and “cutting red tape” in internal financial transactions.
“Removing the financial barriers allowed for many, many more people to join the party,” he said. “That's kind of not the exciting things that happens in politics, but I’m happy that we were able to serve members in that way.”
But efforts to update the party internally did not change much in the legislature. The party did come second in the popular vote with 23.85 per cent but only came away with eight seats, just one more than in 2018.
The Liberal Party platform was built through significant consultation with members, Johns said. He referenced a process called “take the mic,” which involved speaking with tens of thousands of everyday Liberal members and stakeholders to generate ideas for the platform.
More of that will be necessary as the party rebuilds, he said.
“The work that needs to be done in rebuilding the party is going to happen outside of the legislature,” Johns said. “The policy needs to ring true to Ontarians."
John Fraser stepped in as interim party leader after Steven Del Duca resigned following the loss.
There will be conversations throughout the party in the fall and winter, Johns said. That will include conversations about policy and how the party was run.
“Coming out into spring, the party is very much going to see renewal coming out of the AGM with those that put their name forward to represent those conversations,” he said, adding he has a "very positive outlook" of the party’s future. “Ontarians want us to take that time and make sure we’re having the right conversations with people.”
But Johns himself will be having conversations of a different nature this fall. He has announced he will run for East Gwillimbury council in Ward 2.
He said the town is going through a time of significant change as the fastest growing municipality in the province. But he said that comes with challenges to building the community.
“There is very much a desire for renewal within the council as well,” he said.
Johns ran unsuccessfully in a tight race for councillor for Ward 6 in Newmarket's 2010 election.
