TORONTO - Ontario Liberals will be gathering to choose their candidate in the race to fill the Toronto seat vacated by Michael Bryant, the former economic development minister who stepped down in May.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has yet to call a byelection for the riding, but party members will get the process rolling with a nomination meeting Wednesday.

They will pick one of three candidates: Eric Hoskins, a family doctor and the founder of War Child Canada, lawyer Charles Finlay and Judith Moses, a former senior assistant deputy minister of agriculture who has also served in several other ministries.

The New Democrats will nominate their own candidate Sept. 9, and two contenders have already presented themselves.

They are Julian Heller, a trial lawyer who ran as the NDP candidate in St. Paul's in both the 2003 and 2007 provincial elections, as well as the former leader of B.C.'s Green party, Stuart Parker.

No candidates have yet been named for the Progressive Conservatives.

The Green party is putting forth three contenders -- realtor Chris Chopik, businessman Trifon Haitas and Raj Rama, a social and business entrepreneur -- and will also be choosing their candidate Wednesday.

Bryant, a colourful and outspoken minister, stepped down in the spring to take on a role as head of Invest Toronto, a new corporation to attract investment to the city.

He had been McGuinty's point man on talks to save Ontario's ailing auto industry, but left politics as General Motors headed into a crucial deal to qualify for billions of dollars in government loans, which were eventually granted.

Before leaving, Bryant raised eyebrows with an enthusiastic speech about the need for a stronger government role in business, a so-called "reverse Reaganism" plan that would have Ontario picking "winners and losers" on a case-by-case basis.