Ontario PCs gather for convention after a victorious but turbulent year

The first big gathering of Progressive Conservative party members since Doug Ford's decisive election victory takes place this weekend in Toronto.

Although the convention will be largely a celebration, it comes shortly after a cabinet minister was forced to step down after an allegation of inappropriate sexual behaviour, two senior political staff were shown the door in rapid succession, and former leader Patrick Brown released a book claiming he was toppled bypeople inside the party.

Also, there's a bitter race for the party presidency, to be decided Sunday by the 1,750 voting delegates expected to attend. It pits longtime party operative Brian Patterson against outspoken grassroots activist JimKarahalios.

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ThatKarahaliosis even running for the party presidency shows just how much has changed since the last PC convention a year ago: the party executive revoked his membership and barred him from attending over hiscriticism of then-leader Patrick Brown.

That event saw the launch ofBrown's election platform, called the People's Guarantee. The platform included a carbon tax, with all the revenue returned toOntariansin the form of income tax cuts. Barely two months later, Brown resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct, and the candidates to replace him all abandonedthe carbon tax as politically toxic.

Karahaliosbelieves the leadership candidates did that in no small part because hisAxeTheCarbonTaxcampaign had revealed the policy was deeply unpopular among PC party members.Karahaliosalsodrew attention to questionable nominationsthat were eventually overturned after Brown was ousted as leader.

Karahaliosnow has his sights trained on his rival.

"Brian Patterson has friends in the party ...and they'll do anything to stop me from being party president because they're trying to hold on to a relic of the past," saidKarahaliosin an interview this week withCBCKitchener-Waterloo.

"The tens of thousands of PC members that want their say and want a party that is governed with integrity and accountability, that want the party constitution to be upheld, I have their support."

Patterson, who did not respond to aCBCrequest for an interview, has the public endorsement of at least a dozen cabinet ministers and the premier.

Thank you Premier @fordnation for your support and friendship! #ForTheMembers #ForThePeople @OntarioPCParty pic.twitter.com/Lvc5JF9O3W

—@Forthemembers1

"People like Brian Patterson and his team have been dedicated to our party and our conservative roots for many years," said Ford in a statement posted to Patterson's Twitter account.

"What our party needs right now is an executive that is forward looking, represents the voices of our grassroots across the province, and works well with me and my team here at Queen's Park."

Patterson's campaign slogan is "For the Members," echoing Ford's "For the People," and his logo mimics the visuals that were on Ford's campaignsignagethis spring.

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"It's up to party members to decide and I think that they`ll make the right decision," said MelissaLantsman, who is on Patterson's slate of candidates for the party executive as regional vice-president for the Greater Toronto Area.

Lantsmanled the election campaign "war room" for the party this spring.

The party needs "to make sure that we choose somebody to move forward, and not to reexamine and lick our wounds from the last 15 years," saidLantsmanin an interview withCBCNews.