Ontario's upcoming provincial election set for Thursday is shaping up to be a nail-biter, particularly with unexpected endorsements from Green party candidates boosting their NDP counterparts. This electoral twist marks just one of the developments making headlines as candidates across the province prepare for the key contest of 2025.
The Green Party’s Shefaza Esmail, running in Waterloo, threw her support behind incumbent NDP candidate Catherine Fife, who expressed surprise at the gesture during her appearance on The Mike Farwell Show. "I was quite surprised, I have to say," Fife remarked, emphasizing the endorsement's potential impact on the election. "I think vote-splitting is really a concern," she noted, raising alarm over how divided voter sentiment might favor the Progressive Conservatives.
Vote splitting—when voters from similar parties divide their support, inadvertently helping another party—has become a central focus among candidates and voters alike. Fife underscored the need for discussions surrounding electoral reform, stating, "If it does not go forward, then it is time for us to have really courageous conversations about political parties in Ontario."
On the same day, Brayden Wagenaar, the Kitchener—Conestoga Green candidate, also extended his support to NDP candidate Jodi Szimanski, with both Green candidates calling for unity around common community goals. Wagenaar emphasized the need for candidates who genuinely care about their constituents. Green Party leader Mike Schreiner defended his candidates' autonomy by saying, "The people of your riding are your boss…If these two candidates have made decisions based on what their constituents told them, those are riding specific decisions I’ll respect."
Meanwhile, as Ontario's election date approaches, voters are also considering responses to pressing issues like healthcare and housing, with candidates articulately voicing their plans. "Ottawa should receive the same level of support as Toronto when it concerns public transit,” Liberal candidate John Fraser stated, underscoring his commitment to equitable transit funding.
Across ridings, candidates from all four main political parties have shared their visions for tackling afflictions of healthcare, housing, and affordability. The NDP candidate for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, John MacRae, offered insights about his hometown’s restaurant scene, illustrating their community connection. "Other than the friendly staff and good food, it has sentimental value to me because that's where my extended family will meet to catch up," he noted, bridging personal narratives with broader electoral themes.
Doug Ford, the leader of the Progressive Conservatives, returned to Windsor—where his campaign began—on the last day of campaigning. Wearing his Team Canada jersey, Ford reiterated the need for Ontario to assert its significance amid tensions with U.S. trade policies, particularly those posed by President Trump. "We’re going to fight like we’ve never fought before,” he assured supporters, appealing to voters’ sense of pride and economic security.
Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie also hit the campaign trail hard, emphasizing trust as the electoral theme. “Who do you trust to have the right priorities?" she asked rhetorically, pledging to address Ontario's healthcare crisis with ambitious goals for family doctor accessibility.
While Ford and Crombie campaigned intensively, NDP leader Marit Stiles asserted their party’s commitment to ensuring accountability from the Liberals, describing them as entitled. "The Liberals are telling you they’re entitled to your vote. Well, you know what? The Liberals aren’t entitled to anything,” she asserted. Stiles positioned the NDP as the reliable choice against perceived bipartisan entrenchment.
The election could swing on ten closely-watched ridings. For example, Mississauga East-Cooksville is especially significant with Crombie aiming to sway votes her way, boosted by her name recognition. Meanwhile, Windsor West—held by the NDP’s Lisa Gretzky since 2014—could signal bigger shifts if the Progressive Conservatives claim the seat. Ford launched his campaign here, demonstrating interest conformity with local aspirations.
Other battlegrounds like York South-Weston and Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte remain competitive as parties vie for voter loyalty, indicating the relevance of local issues amid broader party frameworks. Voters’ needs are being voiced more tangibly, driven both by personal narratives from candidates and the larger backdrop of Ontario’s political climate.
It’s all come to this moment, with voters poised to make decisive choices on health, housing, and economic stability amid the clamor of candidate promises and party pledges. With candidates advocating positions on some of the most pressing concerns facing Ontarians, the outcome is anyone's guess as election day descends.
Rotting under the weight of expectations, election day reveals the potential for tradition to shift, incumbents to falter, and new political landscapes to emerge from the ashes of these tense electoral battles. Voters are armed with their concerns, and they’re eager to see who will rise to the occasion come election day.