The provincial election in Ontario was on Thursday, June 2. Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford won a second majority government.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath was re-elected in her Hamilton riding. Horwath announced she is stepping down as leader despite the party regaining Official Opposition status. Steven Del Duca did not win in the Vaughan-Woodbridge riding and he announced he is stepping down as Liberal Leader. The party failed to secure official party status.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner was re-elected in his Guelph riding. The party failed to capture the Parry Sound-Muskoka riding despite vigorous campaigning.
Live election-results map: Follow along as details come in from Ontario's 124 ridings
Here’s what you need to know about the PC, NDP, Liberal and Green leaders, the party platforms, campaign staff and more.
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford makes a campaign stop in Oakville on Friday, May 27.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Progressive Conservatives
Doug Ford
Age: 57
Riding: Etobicoke North, a riding he first won in the 2018 election. Before entering provincial politics, Mr. Ford was a Toronto city councillor from 2010-2014.
Elections as leader: This is Mr. Ford’s second election as PC Leader. He was elected leader in March, 2018 in a tumultuous 44-day campaign after then-leader Patrick Brown’s abrupt resignation. In the June 7 election that year, Mr. Ford led the PCs to a 76-seat majority with 40.5 per cent of the popular vote.
Doug Ford government projected to win second majority government in Ontario
Campaign slogan: “Get It Done.”
Key promises: The PCs are running on themes of optimism, pledges to build highways and hospitals and attracting new jobs in the auto sector. The party did not release a platform, but made significant funding announcements in the latter stages of government. Its 2022 budget wasn’t passed before the election, but the party said it will bring back those funding promises if re-elected.
- Housing: The PCs have committed to adding 1.5 million new homes in the province over the next 10 years.
- Health care: As government, the party introduced what it called A Plan to Stay Open with a focus on building more health care infrastructure and expanding the work force to ensure Ontario is better prepared for any future emergencies. If re-elected, the party has promised to spend $40-billion over the next 10 years to increase capacity across the system by building new hospitals and renewing existing facilities.
- Transportation: A main pillar of the party’s re-election bid is $25.1-billion in proposed over the next 10 years to build roadway infrastructure including the contentious Highway 413. It pledges to continue work on planned transit projects by spending $61.6-billion over 10 years for public transit.
Campaign team: Kory Teneycke is running the campaign, having masterminded the 2018 election campaign that brought the PCs to power. Mr. Teneycke, who was director of communications for former prime minister Stephen Harper, took the helm of the re-election campaign last spring and has since been credited with giving the government new direction and discipline. Also on the campaign team are Nick Kouvalis, Amin Massoudi, Michael Case and Cody Welton.
The Globe’s Kelly Cryderman profiled the PC Leader: Is Doug Ford an anti-establishment firebrand or likeable everyman?
Whether it’s a muddy field near the route for the planned 413 highway, or outside of an auto dealership, or at a debate in North Bay, there are topics you’ll hear time and again on Mr. Ford’s campaign: Road building, homes and workers. New go-train stations. Cutting the gas tax on Canada Day. The ever-present slogan “Get it done.”
NDP leader Andrea Horwath makes a campaign stop in Toronto on May 25.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
NDP
Andrea Horwath
Age: 59
Riding: Hamilton, where she has served as an MPP since 2004.
Elections as leader: This is Horwath’s fourth – and widely expected to be the last – election as the leader of the Ontario NDP. In the 2018 election, the NDP improved its seat count from 18 to 40 with 33.5 per cent of the vote, and became the Official Opposition.
Andrea Horwath resigns as Ontario NDP leader
Campaign slogan: “Strong. Ready. Working for you.”
Campaign team: The NDP campaign is being run by Michael Balagus, who also led the party’s effort in 2018 and has since served as Ms. Horwath’s chief of staff. Also on the campaign team are Karla Webber-Gallagher, Lucy Watson and Erin Morrison.
Key promises: The NDP platform includes billions in new spending for mental heath care, dental care and pharmacare, as well as hiring thousands of nurses and building affordable and social housing. Horwath says the pledges are aimed at “fixing what’s broken” with a frayed social-safety net laid bare by the pandemic.
- Housing: The NDP pledges if elected to establish an organization titled Housing Ontario to finance and build at least 250,000 affordable and nonmarket rental homes over the next 10 years. They would also end exclusionary zoning to increase the supply of affordable housing.
- Health care: The NDP commits to hiring 30,000 nurses and 10,000 personal support workers in an effort to address staffing shortages and lengthy waiting times. The party also promises to accelerate the rollout of universal pharmacare and dental-care programs, which Ottawa has promised to implement over the next five years.
- Transportation: The NDP pledges to scrap Highway 413 and instead focus on already existing roads. They would increase funding for municipal public-transit services to 50 per cent of net operating costs as well as implement a two-hour, flat-rate fare across transit services in the GTA.
Read the full story: NDP platform includes tax freeze, accelerated pharmacare plan
The Globe’s Jeff Gray profiled the NDP Leader: Andrea Horwath wants to ‘fix what’s broken’ in Ontario. Is that enough to win the NDP more seats?
“This is Andrea’s fourth kick at this can. And I think that the party will say after this one if she doesn’t become premier that it’s time for a change,” Ms. Berns-McGown said. “I don’t think that’s a controversial knife-edge opinion.”
Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca speaks during a campaign rally in Toronto on May 17.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
Liberals
Steven Del Duca
Age: 48
Riding: Vaughan-Woodbridge, which is currently held by Progressive Conservative Michael Tibollo. Mr. Del Duca previously served as MPP in Vaughan from 2012-2018, and served as the Minister of Transportation in former premier Kathleen Wynne’s government.
Elections as leader: This is Del Duca’s first election campaign as Liberal Leader. He won the party’s leadership contest on March 7, 2020 – just days before the first COVID-19 lockdown – and two years out from the Liberals’ crushing defeat in the 2018 election, which reduced the governing party to just seven seats in the legislature.
Steven Del Duca steps down as Ontario Liberal leader after crushing defeat
Campaign slogan: “The choice is yours.”
Campaign team: Christine McMillan, a former aide to ex-premier Dalton McGuinty, is running the Liberal election effort – her first as campaign director. The 44-year-old partner at Crestview Strategy, a lobbying and public-affairs firm, has a number of young new faces working on this campaign. But there is no shortage of Liberal veterans including Don Guy, Brian Johns, Kate Graham, Bob Lopinski, Jonathan Espie, Omar Khan and Dan Moulton.
Key promises: The Liberals have made a series of attention-grabbing promises including a “buck-a-ride” transit pledge and the return of an optional Grade 13.
- Housing: If elected, the Liberals are promising to get 1.5 million new homes built over the next decade. They would also reinstate rent control, create a new tax on vacant homes in urban areas and charge speculators who keep approved housing projects idle.
- Health care: The Liberals are pledging to hire 100,000 new doctors, nurses and health care workers. The party promises to increase wages for health care workers, including a minimum $25 an hour for personal support workers. The Liberals also pledge to expand access to mental-health services including training 3,000 new mental-health and addictions professionals.
- Transportation: The Liberals have made a “buck-a-ride, provincewide” promise to cut fares for every transit system across the province to $1 until January, 2024. They would scrap Highway 413 and instead spend $10-billion (a projected cost for the project) for building schools and reducing the repair backlog.
Read the full story: Liberal platform aims to tackle housing crisis
The Globe’s Jeff Gray profiles Steven Del Duca: Ontario’s Liberals were decimated in the 2018 election. Steven Del Duca worked to rebuild the party, but he’s still a long shot
This is Mr. Del Duca in a nutshell, those who know him say: a details-focused policy wonk who is substance over flash – and who has worked hard behind the scenes to revive his moribund party after it was kicked out of government in 2018 and reduced to just seven seats.
Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner in Toronto on May 12.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Greens
Mike Schreiner
Age: 52
Riding: Guelph, which made history in the 2018 election by electing Ontario’s first Green MPP.
Elections as leader: This is Mr. Schreiner’s fifth election as leader of the Green Party. The party hopes to at least double its number of MPPs, and points to the ridings of Parry Sound-Muskoka (Matt Richter) and University-Rosedale (Dianne Saxe) as possible victories.
Campaign slogan: “The Ontario you want. The leadership we need.”
Campaign team: Becky Smit, Mr. Schreiner’s former chief of staff, is the Green campaign chair. The campaign team also includes Jaymini Bhikha, Bianca Bell, Samantha Bird and Ralph Benmergui.
Key promises: The Green Party’s platform is focused on addressing the climate crisis, with a $65-billion plan if elected to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. The party platform also includes several initiatives to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, including investments in transitioning to electric vehicles and retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient. The Greens would implement new fees and taxes to pay for the plan.
- Housing: The Greens commit to building 160,000 affordable community rental homes in partnership with co-op and non-profit housing providers. They would also launch a Green Building Program to construct sustainable, energy-efficient developments.
- Health care: The Greens pledge to introduce a plan on mental-health care through OHIP and increase spending from seven to 10 per cent of the province’s health budget.
- Transportation: The Greens would cut transit fares in half for at least three months as part of a plan to triple public-transit use by 2030. The party says it would create dedicated truck lanes on Highway 407 to reduce congestion and the need for more highways, as well as triple the amount of dedicated bus lanes in the province by 2025.
Read the full story: Green platform focuses on climate crisis with $65-billion investment
The Globe’s Dustin Cook profiled the Green Party Leader: Mike Schreiner says the Greens punch ‘well above our weight’ at Queen’s Park. Can the party win more seats on June 2?
Mr. Schreiner said his team is focused on building upon the momentum gained over the past four years and at least double its number of elected representatives. “As one Green MPP, we’ve had an outsized influence at Queen’s Park and most observers have said we punch well above our weight, and so we’re hoping to leverage the level of success we’ve had at Queen’s Park over the last four years into electing more Green MPPs,” said Mr. Schreiner. “We’re confident that we’re going to increase our seat count and our vote total.”
What else you need to know about election day (June 2):
Who can vote?
Anyone who is 18 years or older, a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario is eligible to vote in the 2022 provincial election.
How do I vote?
- Election day: Ontario residents can vote in person on election day (Thursday, June 2) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET at their assigned polling station, based on the location of their current residential address.
- Advance polls for early voting: According to Ontario Elections Act, 2021, advance polling will be open for 10 days before the election – up from five – for flexible voting. Ontarians can vote at any of the advance voting locations in their electoral district between May 19 and May 28. Advance voting locations are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
- Mail-in ballot: In order to vote by mail, Ontarians need to complete an application that can be sent in by e-mail or by regular mail. This year, Elections Ontario is offering an online process to apply for a mail-in ballot. Voters can sign up between May 4 and May 27 – and the application must be submitted at least six days before election day. Once the application has been submitted, a voting kit will be sent in the mail so that voters can cast their ballot. The voting kit needs to be submitted by 6 p.m. ET on election day to be counted.
How do I register to vote?
Ontarians can register to vote online through Elections Ontario’s eRegistration. Voters will need one piece of identification that has their name and current residential address in order to register.
Information can be updated or confirmed using the eRegistration system for all voters, including:
- Individuals who are 18 years of age or older, Canadian citizens and residents of Ontario;
- Voters who are temporarily living outside Ontario and intend to return to the province;
- 16- and 17-year-olds who want to be automatically added to the voters list when they turn 18.
How do I find my electoral district and who is running in my riding?
Ontario residents can search for their electoral district by entering their postal code on the Elections Ontario website. Each party’s website also has the latest information on candidates in each riding.
What do I need to bring to the polling station?
Registered voters will need to bring one piece of ID with their name to the polling station. If you are not registered on the voters list, you will need to present one piece of ID showing both your name and current residential address to vote. The Elections Ontario website provides a list of ID requirements for both registered and non-registered voters.
Want to hear more about the Ontario election from our journalists? Subscribe to Vote of Confidence, a twice-weekly newsletter dedicated to the key issues in this campaign, landing in your inbox starting May 17 until election day on June 2.