Party leaders roll through Ottawa South

Ontarios provincial party leaders continue to pay visits to Dalton McGuintys former riding as the byelection campaignnears its final week.

Tuesday saw appearances in Ottawa South by the NDPs Andrea Horwath and Tim Hudak of the PCs.

Hudak toured a small manufacturing plant with candidate Matt Young and said the vote is a referendum on Dalton McGuintys legacy.

"I think that the byelection is a chance to send a message that enough is enough, and that we want to see change," he said.

"I think that message is even stronger if it's the former riding of Premier McGuinty himself."

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McGuinty, who had represented Ottawa South provincially since 1990, resigned earlier this year amidst a number of controversies including the decision to cancel construction on a pair of gas plants.

Liberals have held riding since 1987

Horwath visited the General campus of the Ottawa Hospital on Tuesday and said both the PCs and Liberals have mishandled the healthcare system.

"We've seen a history of (Progressive) Conservative cuts when (they) were in power, and of course now we're watching the same thing under the Liberals," she said.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner visited the riding in recent days.

On Friday, Wynne said she wants voters thinking of changing sides to focus on her partys response to scandal and on what they can still offer.

"That is their prerogative, Im not going to second-guess the democratic process," she said at a jobs centre.

"I would also say look at the whole picture... look at the changes that have happened in education over the last nine and a half years, look at the infrastructure investments we're making."

Candidates include Young, the NDPs Bronwyn Funiciello, John Fraser of the Liberals and Taylor Howarth of the Green Party.

Advance voting in the riding is underway, with polls closing the night of August 1.