Ontarians are heading to more than 7,000 voting stations as Premier Doug Ford, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Leader Mike Schreiner face off to become premier.
Ford called the snap election on Jan. 29, arguing he needs a “strong mandate” to lead Ontario against the trade war against Donald Trump. The move cost taxpayers around $189 million.
Ford called the election about 16 months before it was required. Only 44 per cent of eligible voters came out to cast a ballot in 2022, when the PCs won 83 seats with 40.8 per cent of the vote, the NDP won 31 with 23.7 per cent, the Liberals took eight seats with 23.9 per cent, and the Greens won one seat with six per cent of the vote.
However, at dissolution, Ford’s party held 79 seats, the NDP had 28, the Liberals had nine, the Greens had two and there were six independent MPPs.
Polls leading to election day showed Ford holding a commanding 17-point lead over the runner-up Ontario Liberals Bonnie Crombie.
Before entering provincial politics, Ford was a councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North from 2010 to 2014. His brother is former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who confessed to using crack. The PC leader focused his campaign on the multibillion-dollar plan to build a tunnel under Hwy. 401 and again apologized for trying to touch the Greenbelt.
Ontario Liberal Party leader Bonnie Crombie believes in a completely different scenario. The Liberals lost their party status in 2018 and won only seven seats in the 2022 election. Crombie is a former mayor of Mississauga and was MP for Mississauga East-Cooksville from 2008 to 2011.
NDP leader Marit Stiles mainly focused her campaign on affordability issues. She was elected MPP of Davenporth in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. In 2023, she was appointed party leader and led the NDP as the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park.
The Ontario Greens are hoping Mike Schreiner leads the party to more seats in the legislature. Schreiner, who was first elected in 2018, focused his campaign on healthcare and the housing crisis.
Etobicoke North
Population: 116,003
The electoral district of Etobicoke North includes the neighbourhoods of Rexdale, The Elms, Humberwood, Kingsview Village, Thistletown and Willowridge.
The district has switched between Progressive Conservative and Liberal representatives. Doug Ford currently holds the seat since he was elected in 2018. Ford is the current Premier of Ontario, and the leader of the Progressive Conservative party since 2018. Also a Canadian businessman, he led the party to two majority victories in 2018 and 2022. Ford served as the vice-chair of the Budget Committee, he oversaw cost-saving measures that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer savings.
Ford is facing off against Liberal Julie Lutete, NDP candidate Brian Blair and Green Chelsey Edwards.
Lutete moved to Canada from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to care for her sister. Advocating for people who do not have access to healthcare and people struggling with the cost of living crisis. Her leadership allowed her to open the first French-language health service centre in Etobicoke.
Blair, a lifelong resident of Toronto, focused on issues such as affordable housing, fair wages and improving public services. He comes from a working class background and works as a HVAC contractor, giving him insight into financial pressures everyday families face. His campaign is pushing for stronger tenant protection.
Green Party candidate Edwards has a background in criminal justice and public policy. She is committed to addressing poverty and dismantling systemic barriers. Edwards is running to champion a bold, community-led solution that empowers people and safeguards the environment for future generations.
Davenport
Population: 105,946
The electoral district of Davenport embodies the neighbourhoods of Bloordale, Little Portugal and Junction Triangle.
The district has historically switched between Liberal and NDP representatives. On the federal level, Davenport is led by Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz.
Voters can choose between NDP leader and incumbent Marit Stiles, Liberal Paulo Pereira, PC Nick Pavlov and Green candidate Randi Ramdeen.
Stiles, the MPP for Davenport since 2018, was elected leader of the party in 2023, she has been the leader of the Official Opposition. Her campaign was mainly focused on affordability issues.
Pavlov has been a real estate broker for over 20 years with RE/MAX. Pavlov has a background in labour law and holds degrees in political science and law. Pavlov, like all other PC candidates, did not participate in any local debates.
Liberal candidate Pereira did not go through a traditional local nomination process as parties scrambled to name candidates when Doug Ford called an early election. Pereira was born in Davenport and once worked at BMO.
The Green Party's Ramdeen has a background in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and anti-racism education. She is a member and advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and an activist for social justice and sustainability.
Guelph
Population: 143,428
Guelph was the only riding that elected a Green in the 2022 election. Federally, Guelph is held by Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield.
Voters have a choice between Green leader Mike Schreiner, Liberal Mustafa Zuberi, NDP Cameron Spence and PC Robert Coole.
Schreiner is looking to retain his seat for the third-straight term. Schreiner, leader since November 2009, is looking to win more seats for the Greens in Queen's Park.
PC candidate Coole has been the president of the riding association since 2014. He is a semi-retired horse trainer, contributes to the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant review team, and volunteers at the Guelph Legion branch executive board. He wants to address issues like healthcare, affordable housing and job opportunities.
The Liberals were the last of the four major parties to select their candidate. Zuberi moved to Guelph from Pakistan when he was 13 years old. He works as a customer service representative with the city and if elected, he would advocate for a medical school at the University of Guelph.
Spence holds a PhD in Global Health and Social Medicine from King’s College London. Spence has taught at McMaster University and worked at Polycon and later at Well.ca. After a workplace injury, he transitioned to marketing.
Mississauga East-Cooksville
Population: 116,346
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie is trying to wrest the seat last held by Independent and ex-Progressive Conservative MPP Kaleed Rasheed, who is not running this election. The riding has not had a Liberal Party representative since 2018.
The riding includes the neighbourhoods of Cooksville, Applewood and parts of Mississauga Valley. The riding has historically alternated between Liberal and Progressive Conservative representation.
PC candidate Silvia Gualtieri recently ran for mayor of Mississauga in the 2022 elections, finishing in third place. She has worked in the financial services industry and has been a long-time organizer for both the federal Conservative Party and Ontario PC.
NDP candidate Alex Venuto was a deputy director of a United Nations supported organization focusing on sustainable urban development. He is also an advocate for renters.
Crombie is a former mayor of Mississauga. She also served as MP for Mississauga-Cooksville from 2008 to 2011. She focused her campaign on healthcare and affordability in Ontario.
Green candidate David Zeni is a math teacher at Mississauga Catholic high school. Zeni’s campaign focused on sustainability, accessible transit and affordable housing. He ran for MPP of Mississauga-Lakeshore in 2022, finishing fourth in the race.
