Progressive Conservative leader to be chosen in spring 2015

The next leader of Ontarios Progressive Conservative party will be chosen next spring, a party spokesman said.

A leadership convention will be held between from April 1 to May 31. 2015.

Due to a significant amount of input from Party members and Caucus, the executive decided there is an appetite for further consultations and discussions with Party members across Ontario to ensure everyone has had an opportunity to weigh in with their opinions and recommendations on the details of how the leadership contest should best be conducted, a release from the PCs said.

The race for a new Tory leader was sparked by the resignation of former leader Tim Hudak following a crushing loss in the June 12 provincial election.

Three MPPs who are mulling leadership bids say the generalconsensus among rank-and-file Tories is a leadership election nextApril or May.

Lisa MacLeod says there's not need to rush into it, since theparty has four years until the next provincial election to heal andrebuild after its fourth consecutive loss.

She says the party's numbers have dwindled to 10,000, a fractionof what it was before they lost government in 2003.