The Ontario election marketing campaign is in full swing — which you might have seen due to an unsolicited textual content message from PC Chief Doug Ford (extra on that under).
Here is a fast take a look at how the race unfolded in the course of the first full week of campaigning. We’re protecting issues easy right here, however make sure to comply with the hyperlinks for deeper dives.
We have additionally answered just a few questions from our CBC Information viewers concerning the election and our protection.
That you just, Doug?
The Ontario PCs are sending unsolicited texts to some voters, providing in follow-up messages to supply a voting location on election day. The texts are allowed beneath Ontario election legislation and had been additionally utilized by the PC campaigns in 2018 and 2022. (CBC)
A number of folks have emailed asking us to look into textual content messages claiming to be from Ford himself.
In a world the place digital spam and scams appear relentless, it’s possible you’ll be skeptical concerning the messages — particularly as a result of follow-up texts solicit your postal code with a promise to message once more on election day with details about the place to vote.
However the PC marketing campaign has confirmed they’re behind the texts, which Elections Ontario says are completely reliable beneath the province’s marketing campaign guidelines. The messages are a contemporary get-out-the-vote tactic, and the PCs deployed the identical technique in the course of the 2018 and 2022 elections.
If a textual content from any occasion directs you to the flawed voting place, you possibly can submit a proper grievance to Elections Ontario, a spokesperson stated.
“Elections Ontario is your trusted supply for correct election data. You probably have any questions or come throughout one thing you are uncertain about, go to us at elections.on.ca for the info you possibly can belief,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail.
Tariff anxiousness, reduction, and… extra anxiousness
The week began with the highlight on tariffs set to take impact Tuesday.
By Monday morning, Ontario was making ready to yank U.S. booze off the LCBO’s cabinets and rip-up a contract with Elon Musk’s satellite web firm.
And all 4 of the province’s main political events had been promising to battle for you and stand as much as U.S. President Donald Trump.
Then at 3 p.m., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump bought on a name and agreed to a 30-day reprieve.
Canadians throughout the nation took a collective deep breath, and Ontario stated it might pause any retaliatory measures in the meanwhile.
With the specter of tariffs quickly delayed — although there’s nonetheless a possible calamity on the horizon — the query is, what’s going to this election be about?
Ford has made it clear he desires to proceed to wage this electoral battle primarily on the query on tariffs.
However does the reprieve supply his rivals an opportunity to shift the main focus to different vital provincial points? Learn extra about that right here.
CBC’s senior Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley breaks that query down: 
With the commerce battle on pause, will tariffs stay the main focus of Ontario’s election?
The Ontario NDP, Liberals and Greens are all making an attempt to shift the narrative of the election towards different main points for voters. CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley explains how.
The week in missteps
Like Trump, Ford has an enormous, baked-in benefit of dominating the eye cycle. He will get to be the PC chief, however he is additionally nonetheless the premier and a outstanding voice on this tariff debate.
However in a sizzling mic second this week that his opponents pounced on, Ford revealed he had been a Trump fan and was “100 per cent” completely satisfied when Trump was re-elected. That’s, till the president “pulled out the knife and f–king yanked it into us,” Ford stated.
Watch the second for your self: 
Trump ‘pulled out the knife and f–king yanked it in us,’ Ford says
After talking to reporters on Monday, PC Celebration Chief Doug Ford stated he was initially “happy” Donald Trump gained the U.S. election till he threatened Canada with hefty tariffs.
After disavowing his earlier help for Trump throughout a marketing campaign cease, Ford stated: “I am positive there’s thousands and thousands of Canadians that thought ‘OK, this may be a very good change down within the U.S.’ — [but] it has been a catastrophe… I would by no means help that man in my complete life.”
His political rivals rapidly jumped on the new mic remark. The Ontario Liberal marketing campaign ran an assault advert the following morning, replaying the second a number of occasions in a one-minute spot.
NDP Chief Marit Stiles used it as an opportunity to repeat her marketing campaign message that there are two completely different Fords.
“I believe the truth that he retains saying one factor in entrance of you and one other factor behind doorways tells you all the pieces you’ll want to learn about Doug Ford,” she stated.
The subsequent day, Ford was peppered with questions on his feedback throughout a cease in Ottawa. The day after that, his marketing campaign began limiting queries to at least one query and one follow-up from six reporters at every occasion.
Watch Ford reply to questions on his Trump remark: 
Ford responds to video saying he was ‘happy’ Trump gained till tariff tussle
After being captured on video saying he was completely satisfied President Donald Trump had gained the latest U.S. election till the specter of tariffs, PC Chief Doug Ford advised reporters Tuesday that he thought “things might be a little different” with this Trump administration.
The week was not with out gaffes for Crombie, both.
In entrance of cameras in Hamilton, she learn out an e-mail slamming the PCs for changing a Fort Erie emergency room to an pressing care centre.
The issue? That change was made again when the Liberals had been nonetheless in energy.
Because the context grew to become clear to her in actual time, Crombie let loose an “oh, gosh” after which skipped forward to a different a part of the e-mail.
In the meantime, The Trillium fact-checked the declare plastered in block letters throughout the Liberals’ marketing campaign bus that 11,000 Ontarians had died whereas ready for surgical procedure final yr. The evaluation discovered the quantity is severely inflated.
Requested concerning the discrepancy, Crombie pointed to the persistence of ‘hallway well being care’ in Ontario.
“So we stand by our statistics,” she stated.
What the polls say
Eric Grenier, the polling knowledgeable behind TheWrit.ca, dropped by CBC Toronto to supply an replace on the place the polls stand.
Spoiler alert: Ford’s PCs have a commanding lead.
Grenier’s evaluation is attention-grabbing, as he aggregates the various polls which can be on the market to attract his conclusions.
Watch his dialog with Chris Glover right here: 
What the polls say within the lead as much as the Ontario election
PC Chief Doug Ford is main the provincial election marketing campaign, however by how a lot? Polling knowledgeable Eric Grenier breaks down the newest numbers.
Let’s hear from the strategists
Metro Morning’s political panel additionally teed off on the place the events stand, and the way the marketing campaign image is altering:
Watch the vigorous debate: 
Ford is main within the polls. These political strategists say that may change
Metro Morning’s political panel debated the rationale behind Doug Ford’s momentum within the Ontario election marketing campaign — and which of the key occasion leaders may show to be his strongest rival.
Are Ontario’s adverts offside in the course of the marketing campaign?
Noticed on American TV: pro-Ontario advert spots.
The province is operating a multi-million greenback advert marketing campaign with hopes of dissuading the U.S. from levying tariffs.
Usually authorities promoting is paused as soon as an election is known as, however the province’s auditor basic — who oversees the ethics of advert spending — confirmed any such promoting is OK.
“Within the case of this explicit advert marketing campaign, we decided that it’s exempted from the prohibitions in the course of the writ interval as a result of it’s associated to revenue-generating exercise and is time-sensitive,” a spokesperson stated.
Answering some reader questions
Can we get a platform, please?
A number of readers have written us to ask about the place the key events stand on the problems that actually matter to them.
“I used to be questioning in case you guys are planning on doing coverage summaries for this yr’s provincial marketing campaign,” Danny in Toronto wrote, for instance.
The quick reply is: sure! We’re hoping to launch our platform tracker function early subsequent week.
One problem is that not one of the 4 main events have launched their full platforms but (possible a consequence of the snap election name).
However we’re doing our greatest to convey you a primary model that will likely be up to date as we go.
Within the final provincial election, the PCs selected to not launch an official platform in any respect, and as an alternative pointed to their finances as their listing of guarantees. Ford stated they do not intend to launch a platform this time both, so we’ll must depend on the autumn financial assertion (principally a mini-budget launched in October) and any new commitments that come up on the marketing campaign path.
Are you able to vote on-line?
A number of folks have emailed to ask if they’ll vote on-line.
No, you possibly can’t vote on-line in Ontario.
There’s additionally a whack of e-mail from snowbirds and sun-seekers questioning how they’re going to solid a poll earlier than they go away the nation.
Choice 1, in case you’re nonetheless right here: head to an area election workplace to get a particular poll.
Choice 2, in case you’re not: apply to vote by mail as quickly as potential.
Learn extra on this right here, or head over to the Elections Ontario web site for details about voting.
Debates are coming
The 4 main occasion leaders will likely be in North Bay subsequent Friday for the primary debate of the marketing campaign, targeted on points that matter most to Northern Ontarians.
It is set for Friday at 1 p.m. ET and we’ll have dwell protection right here at Ontario Chronicle.
Markus Schwabe, the host of CBC Radio’s Morning North, will reasonable the talk and pose questions on behalf of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities.
