TORONTO _ Ontario voters poised to deliver sweeping change to the province’s political landscape encountered a handful of technical glitches and unspecified delays as they headed to the polls on Thursday.

Voters were casting their ballots to choose a victor in the hotly contested race that’s pitting Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives against the New Democrats led by Andrea Horwath. The election is also raising questions about whether the governing Liberals, who have held power in the province for the past 15 years, will retain official party status.

But the voting process, like the campaign that preceded it, was not without complications.

Elections Ontario said it had to extend voting hours at three of the province’s approximately 7,200 polls.

The organization did not immediately explain why it prolonged voting at individual polls in the eastern Ontario riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, the Toronto-area riding of York South-Weston, and the Kiiwetinoong riding in the northwest of the province.

Voting hours in those locations were extended anywhere from 40 minutes to four hours beyond the 9 p.m. closing time in the rest of the province.

Early in the day a number of voters took to social media to complain of problems with the new technology that’s been deployed across half of the province’s 7,200 voting locations in a bid to cut down staffing levels and speed up results.

But Elections Ontario said 99.6 per cent of the polls currently using the new scanning and tabulation machines are working as expected.

“The few voting locations that are experiencing technical issues are being addressed if they have not already been rectified,” the organization said in a statement. “In the event of a technical issue, poll officials will revert to the traditional paper method of servicing electors, the same process which is in place at polls where technology is not being used for voting.”

Two of the three party leaders were among those casting their ballots early on election day.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who issued a stunning statement conceding her party’s looming defeat days before the election, appeared upbeat Thursday after voting in the riding she’s fighting to retain.

“I’m looking forward to what the people of Ontario decide,” she said. “It’s going to be an exciting night.”

A smiling Ford simply said he was “feeling great” after casting his ballot in his home riding.

The Progressive Conservatives and the NDP have polled neck and neck for most of the campaign, with the Tories giving up a strong lead they held at the beginning. But a tie in popular support could lead to the Tories winning a majority of seats, projections suggest.

As Tory leader, Ford rolled out several popular promises, from cutting gas prices by 10 cents a litre to introducing buck-a-beer to cutting hydro bills. But he was accused of failing to be transparent by dodging calls to release a fully costed platform.

With about one week left in the campaign, the party published a list of promises and their price tags, but didn’t indicate how they would pay for them, what size of deficits they would run or for exactly how long.

Then in the waning days of the campaign, Ford family drama _ that had laid mostly dormant in the public sphere since the death of his brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford _ burst onto the scene with a lawsuit from Rob Ford’s widow alleging Ford mishandled his brother’s estate and destroyed the value of the family business.

Late in the campaign, to soothe wary voters, Ford also began emphasizing the strength of his team, which includes former long-time legislator Christine Elliott, lawyer and businesswoman Caroline Mulroney and former Postmedia executive and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. CEO Rod Phillips.

By contrast, Horwath consistently polled as the most popular of the three party leaders, so Ford repeatedly slammed her roster of candidates as radical and inexperienced.

The Liberals warned that the NDP’s plan was not practical, gleefully pointing out mathematical errors in their platform, including one that increased their proposed deficit by $1.4 billion annually. Wynne also frequently slammed Horwath’s opposition to back-to-work legislation, saying it would lead to indefinite strikes.

Horwath made a pitch to undecided voters Wednesday, framing the ballot as a “stark” choice between her positive plan to help families create better lives and the cost-cutting proposals of Ford.

On Thursday while visiting campaign volunteers in Toronto, Horwath said it’s been a great campaign.

“I’m excited about the possibilities that await us tonight and tomorrow should we be given the opportunity to be the government that continues to push Ontario forward,” she said.

The NDP has been relegated for the past several decades to holding pockets of seats in the north, southwestern Ontario and Toronto. But party insiders say their number crunching shows them poised to capture seats in broader swaths of the province, eyeing several Liberal strongholds.

The Liberals came to power in 2003 under Dalton McGuinty, and when he stepped down in 2013, Wynne took the reins. She led the party to a majority in 2014, despite the party already being bogged down by scandals at eHealth Ontario, air ambulance service Ornge and a price tag of up to $1.1 billion to cancel two gas plants.

Her popularity began to dip after taking power, and reached well below 20 per cent in 2016 and 2017, in large part due to anger over rising hydro prices.

The Liberals eventually cut bills by eight per cent, then another 17 per cent months later, but by her own admission, Wynne failed to recognize early enough the impacts that investments in the energy system were having on people’s wallets.

She also faced criticism over her partial privatization of Hydro One and her decision to plunge the province’s books back into the red after finally getting them to balance in 2017-18.

Wynne insisted that the billions pumped into health care, child care and a drug and dental-care program represented necessary spending.

Wynne spent the last few days of the campaign pleading with voters to elect at least some Liberals. Party insiders say they are worried they could win fewer than eight of the province’s 124 seats, which would mean a loss of official party status in the legislature.

The day before polls opened, Elections Ontario advised voters in the riding of Ottawa-Vanier that inaccurate information about some voting locations appeared to be circulating.

On Thursday, the organization said it was not aware of similar situations arising in other ridings. A spokeswoman advised all voters to check their voter information cards or the Elections Ontario website for accurate information about where to vote. </s> Election day is upon us and that means people will be lining up at their assigned polling stations to cast their ballots.

If you're voting in the provincial election, here's what you need to know.

You must be at least 18.

You must be a Canadian citizen and resident of Ontario.

Where you vote is based on where you live within your electoral district.

You can only vote at the polling station assigned to you.

You can look that up on the Elections Ontario website by entering your postal code.

It's also on the Voter Information Card you may have received in the mail.
• None Ontario election path to victory runs through the 905
• None Poll Tracker |Get the latest projections here

What you need to bring

The identification you need will depend on whether you are on the voter's list. That's also something you can look up on the Elections Ontario site.

If you are on the Voter's List:
• Bring one piece of ID that has your name written the same way it appears on the Voter's List.

If you are not on the Voter's List:
• Bring one piece of ID that has your name and current residential address.

Acceptable forms of ID include an Ontario's Driver Licence, Ontario Photo Card, Band Council Identification and bank statements.
• How Ontario's 2018 election campaign will be different from 2014

Something like an Ontario's Driver Licence that includes your name and address would do. Some voters might need to bring a combination of ID to prove their name and another to prove address.

Proof of address can come in the form of a cellphone bill addressed to you and it doesn't have to be a paper copy.

You can bring up a digital copy on your phone—which is new this year.

At the voting station an election official will hand you a ballot with a list of all of the candidates running in your electoral district.

You'll be directed to a privacy screen where you will mark an "X" in the assigned bubble next to the name of the candidate of your choice.
• None Vote Compass: Compare your views to party platforms for the 2018 Ontario election
• None 9 new political parties vying for seats in Ontario election

If you make a mistake and need a new ballot, you may take it to an election official who will write "Cancelled" on the back of it.

Cancelled ballots are not counted in the official results.​

To brush up on the candidates, their platforms, their polling numbers and latest news, visit CBC's Ontario Election interactive website here: Elections 2018: Ontario Votes </s> "A new day has dawned in Ontario: a day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth. We're going to turn this province around. We will make sure Ontario is the greatest place on earth to live, to do business and to raise a family. And we will make Ontario once again the engine of Canada." — Premier-elect Doug Ford

"Our democracy is strong. And because of that, let me congratulate Doug Ford. I've spoken to him and I wish him well. And I have committed to work with him to make this transition as smooth as possible. And now I trust that the rancour and the polarization of an election campaign can give way to the necessary civility of well-run government." — Kathleen Wynne, Liberal leader and former premier

"Today millions of people voted for change for the better. We have won more seats than we have held in a generation." — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

"Ontarians have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to Doug Ford who will have the honour and privilege to serve as premier. I look forward to working with the new provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, make Ontario a world-leading centre for innovative and sustainable technologies, and build infrastructure that meets the needs of Ontarians." — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Today, the people of Ontario have elected a new Progressive Conservative government, putting an end to 15 years of Liberal mismanagement. On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to the next Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, and his new team of incoming Progressive Conservative MPPs." — Andrew Scheer, federal Conservative leader, on Facebook </s> Amid their final whimpers of this weirdo election campaign, Ontario’s parties spent some of Wednesday urging their supporters to make specific plans to vote.

“Do you know when you’ll be voting?” an emailed blast from the Progressive Conservative campaign asked. “In the morning before work? On a break? After work? Will you be driving there? Bringing friends or family? You need to have answers to these questions.”

“If you haven’t voted yet, make a plan to vote as soon as you can,” the New Democrats implored.

Research from the United States shows that asking supporters to think through in advance how they’ll cast ballots has a significant effect on whether people turn themselves into voters. Lots of people vaguely intend to vote but don’t quite get around to it — like going to the gym — but if a campaign can get its supporters to mentally schedule a trip to the polls and start visualizing it, that changes their behaviour.

Harvard scholars tested this in a massive experiment in 2008, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were competing for the Democratic Party nomination for president. They got each campaign to use pre-set scripts in the phone calls they made to supporters in Pennsylvania, more than 200,000 of them. Asking voters to make plans to vote in the party primary, instead of just reminding them they ought to vote, increased turnout rates by as much as nine per cent. It makes them think through logistical problems in advance, find their voter-ID cards, and so on.

What else works? Getting people to think of themselves as voters, so that voting diligently is a small part of who you are rather than just something you sometimes do. Voters vote.

Columnists who lament low turnout rates do not help, apparently. Humans like to do what a lot of other humans are doing. If we figure lots of people are voting, we don’t want to be left out; if we figure lots of people won’t bother, we decide sullen detachment is the cool way to be.

Hey, did you know that Elections Ontario reported a huge upswing in advance voting this year? Even though they reduced the number of polling stations? An estimated 768,895 people voted during the days of early voting at the end of May, an increase of nearly 19 per cent from the last election in 2014. And overall turnout in 2014 was up from the previous election in 2011.

Eastern Ontario had some of the biggest turnouts in advance polls, too. Kingston-and-the-Islands topped Ontario’s 124 ridings; Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke and Orléans were third and fourth. Seems like lots of people are voting.

Even if the choices are not as inspiring as we might like.

The Progressive Conservatives, the party of grownups, haven’t put together a financial plan, and are running a startling number of candidates facing police and professional investigations. The leader’s sister-in-law is suing him for millions, accusing him of looting his late brother’s estate.

The New Democrats, unexpectedly competitive, did put together a financial plan but erred in the math to the tune of $1.4 billion a year. Their candidate roster includes ideologues, weirdos and malcontents.

The Liberals are the Liberals. They’ve piled up an Everest of baggage in 15 years — consequences of bad decisions and cowardice, glossed with the arrogance that power eventually brings. Even if you like them, their leader Kathleen Wynne threw the race last weekend.

The Greens are the usual mixed bag. They’re dead smart about environmental issues (every other party should steal from them) but go a bit goofy when they leave that comfort zone. Their goal this campaign is to get their leader Mike Schreiner elected in Guelph, which kind of left other candidates dangling before the election was even called.

Maybe you feel like you’re having to choose the lesser of evils. Doesn’t matter. Some combination of these people are still going to be Ontario’s government after the votes are counted. Choosing the less-evil people is really important.

Vote because you’re hopeful, vote because you’re sad, vote with your nose held, vote because you’re mad. However, whenever (as long as it’s before 9 p.m. Thursday night), for whomever. But vote. Figure out how you’re going to do it, then go do what voters like you do. </s> All politics is local, or so we’re told. Elections certainly express themselves in a telling level of local detail.

Ontario’s provincial election is the first where detailed poll-level data has been available on election night, as opposed to a week or two afterward. Here, we’ve used it to tell the stories of Ontario’s dramatic election.

Not all polls had reported when we prepared the maps, but enough have to give a general idea. Our 2014 maps use an overlay of the 2018 ridings.

READ MORE: Kathleen Wynne won her seat, but the Liberals lost official party status

Guelph elected Ontario’s first Green MPP, party leader Mike Schreiner. In the end, it wasn’t all that close, as you can see below. The Greens followed a strategy similar to the one that’s worked for them federally: focusing on one riding instead of dissipating effort and not winning any seats. (The Greens got 354,000 votes in Ontario’s 2007 election, but won no seats at all.)

READ MORE: Mike Schreiner becomes first Green Party candidate to be elected in Ontario

WATCH: Following the majority government win by the Progressive Conservatives, Eric Sorensen takes a look at the new make-up of Queen’s Park when the new government returns to the legislature.

 



It was going to be interesting to see where Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, a new riding created in the last redistribution, went in this election. It was cobbled together out of part of Hamilton Mountain, reliably NDP, and Ancaster and Dundas, which traditionally vote either Liberal or NDP.

In the end, Ancaster voted PC, but Dundas joined Hamilton Mountain in voting NDP, swinging the riding to the NDP.

READ MORE: NDP candidate Ian Arthur wins Kingston and the Islands

Kingston’s 2018 map is unrecognizable, compared to 2014. It becomes one of a few NDP outposts in eastern Ontario,.

READ MORE: The story of the Ontario Liberals’ 2018 election campaign

As expected, Ottawa Centre swung to the NDP. Andrea Horwath had fought hard for the seat, as the party’s likeliest pickup in the Ottawa area.

WATCH: Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker called the 2018 Ontario Election results as the “revenge of the commuters” after a majority of rural voters turned to the Conservatives.

 



Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne was re-elected in a nail-biter finish that in the end was settled by fewer than 200 votes, after the very last poll reported. Don Valley West moved west in a recent redistribution, changing its political personality but not its name. The shift favoured the PCs, adding Tory polls and dropping Liberal ones. (The map below shows the 2018 boundaries on the 2014 results.)

The political divisions in the riding are related to income, with high-income Tory polls in the north of the riding, and more mixed-income polls to the south.

St. Paul’s, an upscale midtown Toronto riding traditionally thought of as an impregnable Liberal stronghold, fell to the NDP in a three-way race. Once a solid brick of red with a few Tory polls in the wealthy Forest Hill area, the neighbourhoods to the south and west, and along Yonge St., opted for the NDP.

Ford Nation turned out for the PCs

In Toronto, PC polls have a strong relationship to polls won by Doug Ford when he was a mayoral candidate in the city in 2014 – northern Etobicoke, Scarborough and, to a lesser degree, North York. The maps raise questions about whether the federal Conservatives can hope for inroads in the 416 area code, until recently a bastion of Liberal and NDP support, in 2019.

Etobicoke North was reliably Liberal for many years. When PC leader Doug Ford ran there, some wondered if he was taking a risk, notwithstanding his family’s political dynasty in that part of the city. How did that turn out? Have a look at the maps: </s> The 2018 Ontario election is coming to a close as voters in the province will elect a new government after a tumultuous campaign between Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, Andrea Horwath’s NDP, and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals.

Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, with results expected to pour in shortly after. At least seven polling stations will remain open past originally scheduled closing times due to technical issues with voting machines, according to Elections Ontario.

Across all platforms, Global News is providing comprehensive coverage of the Ontario election on June 7. Find out how to watch, listen and read on Globalnews.ca.

The hotly contested race is expected to come down to either Ford’s PCs or Horwath’s NDP as Ontario appears ready for a significant change in government following the Liberals’ 15 years in power.

Wynne last weekend conceded she won’t be Ontario’s premier after Thursday’s election. The Liberal leader’s stunning admission, seen as a move to salvage at least a few seats for her party, came with an appeal to voters to prevent either of her NDP or Progressive Conservative rivals from achieving a majority.

Heading into Thursday’s vote, the latest polls and projections have predicted that the PCs could be set for a majority government, while Wynne’s Liberals could be reduced to less than eight seats and lose official party status. There are 124 ridings being contested this year, up from 107 in 2014, meaning 63 seats are required for a majority.

The three main party leaders were out voting Thursday in their ridings.

“Feeling really great. It’s a beautiful day to change Ontario,” Ford said on his way to cast his ballot in his Etobicoke riding. “I never take anything for granted. I’m going to continue working hard right up until the last minute.”

WATCH: Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford comes to vote in 2018 Ontario election

Wynne, who is in a battle to win her Toronto seat in Don Valley West, cast her ballot with partner Jane Rounthwaite.

Wynne made history in 2013, when she became the first openly LGBT premier in Canada and first woman premier of Ontario after replacing Dalton McGuinty as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. She won a majority government in the 2014 election.

“Jane and I marked our ballots in Don Valley West this morning. I am very committed to continuing to serve as your MPP,” read a tweet from her account.

Meanwhile, Horwath thanked all NDP volunteers and candidates who worked on campaigns across the province and said this election was about change.

“I’m energized,” Horwath told reporters. “Today of course is the day where we bring it all home. And I’m really excited.”

“I’m running to premier of this province. I’m not interested in playing footsies with the other parties.”

WATCH: Horwath speaks with reporters just hours before polls close

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner could also be in for a historic night and become the first Green elected in Ontario.

The four-week campaign, has seen a number of dramatic swings and controversies as the party leaders travelled across the province appealing to voters.

The NDP began the campaign firmly in the third spot, but surged in the public opinion polls as Ford’s campaign stumbled. Ontario hasn’t elected an NDP government since former leader Bob Rae secured a surprise victory in 1990.

While there have been no shortage of controversies throughout the campaign, just days before the election, it revealed that the widow of Ford’s brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, was suing the PC leader for more than $16 million.

The suit claims Ford mishandled the estate of his late brother, causing her and her children financial harm. Her suit also alleges Ford has mismanaged the family business, Deco Labels, destroying the value of the company. Ford has denied the allegations and vowed to fight them in court.

As the results roll in Thursday night, there will be several crucial ridings to watch. Global has compiled a list of the seven most important ridings that could determine a majority or minority government for each party. </s> On election day in Ontario, officials are urging excited citizens to think twice before taking a selfie with their ballot.

Taking a selfie with a completed ballot is a violation of the province’s Election Act because it undermines the secrecy of the vote, Elections Ontario says.

A photo of a completed ballot, even if it’s not in a selfie, is also a violation of the law.

Before the 2015 federal election, Elections Canada said voters could be influenced if they were allowed to take photos showing their choice at the ballot box.

Instead of posing with your ballot, why not express your enthusiasm for the democratic process by posing with one of the Elections Ontario signs that designate your local polling stations? There’s no law against that. </s> Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is thanking the people of Ontario for giving his party a majority government.

Speaking to supporters gathered at the Tory campaign headquarters, Ford says under his government, Ontario will enter a previously unseen period of economic prosperity.

Ford, whose favourite campaign slogan was “Help in on the way”, tells the cheering crowd “Help is here.”

He says “the party with the taxpayers’ money is over.”

And he promises to work to win the support of those who did not vote for him.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has won her seat in the provincial election.

Wynne admitted last weekend that her party would lose the election, but urged voters to elect enough Liberals to prevent the other parties from winning a majority government.

Wynne’s low personal approval ratings helped drive the Liberals way down in the polls.

Many of her cabinet ministers have been defeated.

The Liberals, who have been in government for the past 15 years, could drop to single-digit seats in the legislature, losing official party status.

Wynne has declined to say whether she’ll stay on as party leader, but many expect her to step down.

Many Liberal cabinet ministers have been defeated in the Ontario provincial election.

In Ottawa Centre, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi lost his seat, finishing second to New Democrat Joel Harden.

Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault, a New Democrat turned Liberal, lost to the NDP’s Jamie West in the Sudbury riding.

Steven Del Duca, minister of economic development, lost his seat in the Vaughan-Woodbridge riding to Tory Michael Tibollo.

Christine Elliott, a three-time loser in bids to lead Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives, unseated Liberal Environment Minister Chris Ballard in the Newmarket-Aurora riding.

And Treasury Board President Eleanor McMahon lost to Tory Jane McKenna in the Burlington riding.

The Canadian Press is projecting a Progressive Conservative majority government in Ontario.

It’s a stunning victory for the party led by Doug Ford, whose campaign was heavy on populist promises but light on fiscal details.

The New Democrats, who had been neck and neck with the Tories in several polls before the election, will form the Official Opposition.

The election has also marked a stunning collapse for the Liberals, who governed the province for the last 15 years.

Ford positioned himself during the campaign as a defender of “the little guy,” promising to lower taxes, cut hydro rates and eliminate the province’s cap-and-trade-system.

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford has won in his riding in the west-Toronto suburb of Etobicoke North.

Ford was a city councillor for the area while his late brother Rob Ford was Toronto mayor, and the family has a long history in the community.

The 53-year-old politician was elected party leader in March after Patrick Brown stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations he denies.

Ford campaigned on a populist message of cutting taxes, lowering hydro rates and the price of gas, and putting more money into people’s pockets.

He did not release a fully costed platform, prompting his rivals to warn of massive cuts to public services under a Tory government.

The last few days of Ford’s campaign were dominated by news of a lawsuit against him from Rob Ford’s widow alleging mismanagement of the family business.

Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner has won his bid to become the first Green to hold a seat in the province’s legislature.

Schreiner finished third in his riding in Guelph, Ont., during the last election, narrowly behind the Progressive Conservative candidate.

The race was thrown open for this election when the incumbent and prominent Liberal Liz Sandals announced she would not run again.

Andrea Horwath has handily won in her Hamilton-Centre riding, which she has held since 2004.

The NDP leader has consistently polled as the most popular of the three party leaders vying to become the next premier of Ontario.

Her New Democrats saw a surge in the polls halfway through the campaign, triggering a wave of attacks from both the governing Liberals and the opposition Tories.

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford repeatedly slammed Horwath’s roster of candidates as radical and inexperienced.

Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne also painted New Democrats as radical ideologues and urged left-leaning voters to stop Horwath from forming a majority government.

Horwath’s campaign slogan was “Change for the better.”

Most of the polls have closed in Ontario and ballot counting has begun following a hotly contested race pitting Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives against Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats.

The governing Liberals, who have been in power for the past 15 years, are fighting for survival following Premier Kathleen Wynne’s stunning admission of defeat last week.

They will need at least eight seats to retain official party status.

The province used new technology in this election, and problems with some of the electronic vote tabulators caused delays in a few polling stations.

As a result, Elections Ontario has extended voting hours in seven locations.

Approximately 9.8 million people were registered to vote today, and more than 768,000 voted in advance polls. </s> TORONTO (Reuters) - The Progressive Conservative Party, led by populist Doug Ford, is on track for a sweeping victory in Canada’s most populous province, Canadian networks projected on Thursday, as Ford declared the province is “open for business.”

Ford’s party will win the majority of seats in the province of Ontario’s legislature, ending 15 years of Liberal rule and giving him broad powers to pass legislation, the networks forecast.

“We have taken back Ontario. We have delivered a government that is for the people,” said Ford, promising economic growth and prosperity in a speech to supporters in Toronto.

“The party with the taxpayers’ money is over - it’s done.”

Ford, 53, is the brother of the late mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, who made international news in 2013 when he admitted to smoking crack cocaine.

Ford’s stronger than expected showing and the Liberals’ significant losses to the New Democrats may worry supporters of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal Liberal party, up for re-election in 2019.

CBC News projected the Progressive Conservative Party to win 76 out of the 124 seats in the province’s legislature, with the New Democrats in second place with 39 seats.

With about a third of Canada’s population of 36 million, Ontario is the country’s economic engine and home to its biggest city, Toronto. It has one of the largest sub-sovereign debts in the world, at nearly C$350 billion ($272 billion) in March.

“This election outcome addresses a number of key concerns in the business sector - a pause in minimum wage increases; a number of measures to address energy costs, most significantly scrapping the cap-and-trade program; and tax rate reductions,” said Robert Kavcic, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Blunt and combative with the media, Ford has drawn comparisons with U.S. President Donald Trump, although he has tried to appeal to voters in the immigrant communities that sway elections in many Toronto suburbs.

“I do think there’s a bit of spillover from populism in the United States that could have washed over the Ontario election,” said Jonathan Rose, a professor at Queen’s University.

“It’s hard to believe that someone who has never held office other than as a municipal councillor ... is elected to lead the largest economy in a G7 country,” he added.

The contest in Canada’s industrial and manufacturing heartland became a fight between Ford and the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) after Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne, premier since 2013, dropped to a distant third in opinion polls.

Wynne, the first female premier and first openly gay premier the province has had, said she would resign as leader of the Liberal party.

While seen as generally business friendly, the PC party never released a fully costed platform, and promised to cut taxes and find some C$6 billion in efficiencies without eliminating jobs, leaving some bond investors uncertain that they will improve the province’s fiscal health. [L1N1SH1OE]

As Canadian media projected a Ford victory, investors were seeking details of his economic policies.

Both the centrist Liberal party and the left-leaning NDP campaigned on expanding social services, especially childcare and health coverage.

Ford, who served on Toronto’s city council when his brother was mayor, has spent much of his life running the family’s label business.

His campaign was hit with a series of controversies, including allegations from his brother’s widow that he mismanaged the family business and separate accusations that he interfered with a party nomination fight. Ford denied both allegations.
Canadian citizens residing in Ontario go to the polls to elect a new provincial government.