Niagara West-Glanbrook byelection: Will it be about hydro rates or Sam Oosterhoff?

The leadcandidate is a 19-year-old social conservative who hasideas thatappear to conflict with PC leaderPatrick Brown's. He'sbeenelusive with the media. If he wins, he'll be Ontario's youngest MPP ever.

I think voters deserve to know the truth.- Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier

But candidates in theNiagara West-Glanbrook byelectionsay the main issue at the polls Thursdaywill likely be something different hydro rates.

PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff, Liberal Vicky Ringuette and NDP candidate Mike Thomas are vying for Tim Hudak's old seat on Thursday. The riding, along with Ottawa-Vanier, will elect a new MPP on Thursday.

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Thomas is a retired police officer and former head of Hamilton's police union. Ringuette is a Hamilton lawyer. Oosterhoff is a Brock University student who won the nomination over a former MP and a regionalcouncillor.He's generated controversy overhis views on same-sex marriage, abortion and the Ontario government's sex education curriculum.

While the Liberals have tried to draw attention to Oosterhoff's social views, all three candidates say people'sfeelings abouttheir electricity bills will likely influence votes.

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NDP leader Andrea Horwath has campaigned with Thomasnumerous times. The most recent appearance on Wednesday focused on hydro rates and the party's opposition to the sale of Hydro One.

The pair met with Smithville resident Richelle McDonald to talk about her skyrocketing bills.

"I have heard stories like Richelle's regularly from people every day while I'm knocking on doors," Thomas said in a media release. "Hydro rates are too high, they have been for a long time and Kathleen Wynne isn't doing much about it."

Brown was in the riding Monday to talk about electricity rates too. He and Oosterhoff visited the Grimsby Diner.

"Skyrocketing rates are the No. 1 issue I am hearing at the doors," Oosterhoff said in a media release.

"If the Wynne Liberals were serious about addressing the crisis they created, they would stop signing contracts for power we don't need, stop selling hydro to our competitors for a loss, and stop the fire sale of Hydro One."

Ringuette has heard about electricity rates at the doorstoo. She tells peoplethe Liberals will reduce the rates by 8 per cent in January by removing the HST portion of their bills. She also talks abouta new deal to import electricity from Quebec. The Liberals have made positive changes to hydro in Ontario, she says.

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"When it does come up, we're able to have some good discussions in terms of why it's important to have done the upgrades we did," she told CBC Hamilton last week.

When it does come up, we're able to have some good discussions in terms of why it's important to have done the upgrades we did.- Vicky Ringuette

"Once constituents have more information about this at their disposal, it's been quite positive."

Other commonly mentioned issues include homecare for seniors, and a plannedexpansion to West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby, whichthe Liberals scrappedin 2012.

But largely, Ringuette's campaign has taken pains to differentiate her from Oosterhoff. The Liberals said Wednesday that Brown has masked the young candidate's "true views" as part of his ongoing effort to make the party appear centrist.

"The contrast couldn't be clearer," said Deputy PremierDeb Matthews while campaigning with Ringuette last week.

"For me, the big issue is about being honest with the public about who you are and what your values are." With Brown, "his position changesaccording to whose vote he's trying to get."

Brown's assertions that he supports same-sex marriage are "diametrically opposed to Sam's position," Matthews said. "I think voters deserve to know the truth."

Sam's got his beliefs, his views ...I'm running on my experience.- Mike Thomas

Thomas, meanwhile, has mostly stayed away from criticizingOosterhoff. He and Horwath skirted the subject in an interview with CBC Hamilton last week, emphasizing Thomas's qualities instead.

"Sam's got his beliefs, his views," Thomas said. "They're intrinsic in him. I'm running on my experience We've got good solutions. We're working hard. Those are the things we're arguing for."

Oosterhoff couldn't be reached for comment this week. His websiterefers to his support of parents being primary educators, a point he makes when asked about the Liberals'ssex education curriculum. HisFacebooklikes include the "We can end abortion" community andthe Libertarian Christian Instituteas well as theindiebands Imagine Dragons and Death Cab for Cutie.

Whatever the result, Matthews said it won't necessarily be foreshadowing the 2018 provincial election.

"Byelections are funny things and I always hesitate to read too much into them," she said."We can say VickyRinguette is a really strong candidate."