WE really need to get rid of this guy

[spaminator]

Ford Tories trail leaderless Liberals in new poll
New Liaison poll numbers spell more bad news for struggling PCs

Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Jun 19, 2026 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 2 minute read

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media before heading into the caucus room at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Photo by Peter Power /Postmedia File

OTTAWA — It’s more bad news for the Doug Ford Tories.


A little over a week after a new Angus Reid poll showed Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s approval ratings had reached all-time lows, new numbers released Friday by Liaison Strategies show the leaderless Ontario Liberals edging a slight lead over the Tories.

“The Liberals have moved from a tie to a three-point lead,” said Liaison Principal David Valentin.

“That is not a runaway lead, but the movement this month is against Ford. The PCs are down two points from May, the Liberals are up one, and the NDP is up two.”

If an election were held today, 38% of decided voters said they’d vote for the Ontario Liberals, with just 35% opting for the Doug Ford PCs.

The Ontario NDP continue their slight upward trajectory by snagging 22% of the vote.

Ford’s approval ratings reach personal lows
This continues a trend that began late last year, which saw support for the Tories slip as support for the Liberals — and to a lesser extent the Ontario NDP — climb.


Liaison’s numbers also correlate to last week’s Angus Reid data on approval ratings for provincial premiers, which put Ford dead last compared to his counterparts — joining Alberta’s Danielle Smith and B.C.’s David Eby as the least popular premiers in Canada.

According to Liaison, 69% of those polled do not approve of Ford’s performance as premier, compared to 26% who do approve, and five per cent who said they weren’t sure.

“The province’s direction numbers are no better,” Valentin said.

“Twenty-nine per cent say Ontario is headed in the right direction, while 66% say it is headed in the wrong direction. That is an extremely difficult environment for an incumbent government.”

Many unhappy with the health-care system
Liaison’s survey also identified health care as a key frustration point for Ontarians, with 60% reporting somebody in their household having trouble accessing timely health care during the past year.

As well, 67% of those polled said Ontario’s health-care system is worse than it was a year ago, with 20% saying it’s about the same, and 10% saying its gotten better.

Sixty-six per cent also said they don’t trust the current government to improve health care in Ontario.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

Ford Tories trail leaderless Liberals in new poll

Doug Ford’s Tories have coughed up their lead to the leaderless Liberals as Ontarians lose patience with the health-care system. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding
’I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time’

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 02, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read

John Tory Jr.,
John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of former Toronto mayor John Tory. LinkedIn

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running to replace outgoing Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.


John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of Toronto’s former mayor, is seeking the Liberal nomination as a Beaches-East York candidate.

“When I meet with people, and I’m out in the community, and I give my name, there’s obviously a moment of recognition,” the pilot and aviation executive told TVrg.

“But people are not terribly interested in who my family is or who I am in terms of who I’m related to. They’re interested in what I can do for them.”

Why Liberal and not Conservative?
Tory Sr., who resigned as Toronto’s mayor in 2023 after disclosing an extra-marital relationship with a younger former staff member, joined the Progressive Conservatives as a teen and led the provincial party from 2004-09. He defeated Doug Ford and Olivia Chow to take the mayor’s seat in 2014.

Tory Jr., however, said he has always been more interested in the Liberals.


“I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time,” he told TVrg. “I can’t put a date on it, but as I got older, and started raising a family.”

As a married father of three (ages 13, 16, and 18) with wife Melanie, Tory Jr.’s special interests are education and health care.

“I want those public institutions to be strong for them. And so, to me, that’s a Liberal government,” he said.

This will be Tory Jr.’s first election race.

How the seat came open
Erskine-Smith’s failed bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership led him to the neighbouring Scarborough Southwest riding provincially, making his federal seat available.

After Erskine-Smith’s unsuccessful appeal in which he alleged voting irregularities, he later confirmed he will resign his seat in the House of Commons this summer. He’s now considering a run for Toronto city council.

However, a nomination race is still up in the air.

Prime Minister Mark Carney skipped nominating meetings and appointed candidates in University-Rosedale (Danielle Martin) and Scarborough-Southwest (Dolly Begum), with both easily winning their byelections.


What Tory Jr. says of his dad
On his father’s political knowledge, Tory Jr. told TVO his dad has ” been an adviser to me throughout my life.”

“He’s somebody who understands a lot about politics, and he gives me the same advice that I think he gives to other people — which is just to say that it’s really about how sure I am in what I’m saying, and in my message, and in what I’m trying to do. It’s not about what he may have done.”

His 72-year-old dad recently confirmed he would not be running to reclaim his former job as Toronto’s mayor.

“I think he’s proud of the fact that his time in public service has inspired one of his children to put their name forward and seek elective office, and to try to make a difference,” his son said.

jstevenson@postmedia.com

TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts

tvo.org

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running for the Liberal nomination. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding
’I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time’

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 02, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read

John Tory Jr.,
John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of former Toronto mayor John Tory. LinkedIn

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running to replace outgoing Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.


John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of Toronto’s former mayor, is seeking the Liberal nomination as a Beaches-East York candidate.

“When I meet with people, and I’m out in the community, and I give my name, there’s obviously a moment of recognition,” the pilot and aviation executive told TVrg.

“But people are not terribly interested in who my family is or who I am in terms of who I’m related to. They’re interested in what I can do for them.”

Why Liberal and not Conservative?
Tory Sr., who resigned as Toronto’s mayor in 2023 after disclosing an extra-marital relationship with a younger former staff member, joined the Progressive Conservatives as a teen and led the provincial party from 2004-09. He defeated Doug Ford and Olivia Chow to take the mayor’s seat in 2014.

Tory Jr., however, said he has always been more interested in the Liberals.


“I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time,” he told TVrg. “I can’t put a date on it, but as I got older, and started raising a family.”

As a married father of three (ages 13, 16, and 18) with wife Melanie, Tory Jr.’s special interests are education and health care.

“I want those public institutions to be strong for them. And so, to me, that’s a Liberal government,” he said.

This will be Tory Jr.’s first election race.

How the seat came open
Erskine-Smith’s failed bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership led him to the neighbouring Scarborough Southwest riding provincially, making his federal seat available.

After Erskine-Smith’s unsuccessful appeal in which he alleged voting irregularities, he later confirmed he will resign his seat in the House of Commons this summer. He’s now considering a run for Toronto city council.

However, a nomination race is still up in the air.

Prime Minister Mark Carney skipped nominating meetings and appointed candidates in University-Rosedale (Danielle Martin) and Scarborough-Southwest (Dolly Begum), with both easily winning their byelections.


What Tory Jr. says of his dad
On his father’s political knowledge, Tory Jr. told TVO his dad has ” been an adviser to me throughout my life.”

“He’s somebody who understands a lot about politics, and he gives me the same advice that I think he gives to other people — which is just to say that it’s really about how sure I am in what I’m saying, and in my message, and in what I’m trying to do. It’s not about what he may have done.”

His 72-year-old dad recently confirmed he would not be running to reclaim his former job as Toronto’s mayor.

“I think he’s proud of the fact that his time in public service has inspired one of his children to put their name forward and seek elective office, and to try to make a difference,” his son said.

jstevenson@postmedia.com

TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts

tvo.org

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running for the Liberal nomination. Read on.

torontosun.com

it will be interesting to see if name recognition helps him win.

 

[spaminator]

Graham Platner, Democrat accused of rape, exits key U.S. Senate race
Political newcomer won last month's Democratic primary to oppose Republican Sen. Susan Collins

Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Frankie TAGGART
Published Jul 08, 2026 • 3 minute read

After scandals plagued his campaign, Graham Platner will not be Maine's Democratic Senate candidate in November's midterm election against Republican Senator Susan Collins (R).
After scandals plagued his campaign, Graham Platner will not be Maine's Democratic Senate candidate in November's midterm election against Republican Senator Susan Collins (R). Photo by Sophie Park, LEIGH VOGEL /GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Graham Platner, a scandal-plagued Democratic Senate nominee whose insurgent rise had drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, ended his campaign Wednesday after a rape allegation threatened to derail one of his party’s best chances of flipping a Republican-held seat.


Platner, a Marine veteran, oysterman and political newcomer, won last month’s Democratic primary in the northeastern state of Maine to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterm elections.


His withdrawal gives Maine Democrats only days to regroup in a race central to the party’s hopes of regaining control of the U.S. Senate.

“We are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted on X. “This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt and it most certainly is not.”

“I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw.”

Under Maine law, Democrats can replace Platner on the ballot because he quit before a Monday deadline. The state party has until July 27 to choose a new nominee.

The scramble comes after Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who previously dated Platner, accused him of forcing her to have sex in late 2021 despite her repeated objections.


Platner, also 41, strongly denied the allegation, calling it “troubling, serious and false” and saying any accusation of non-consensual behaviour was “categorically untrue.”

But his campaign rapidly lost support across the Democratic Party, from the Washington establishment to progressive lawmakers and activists who had previously defended him.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand urged him to withdraw, warning that the party’s campaign arm would not invest in the Maine race if he remained on the ballot.

“We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power,” Platner said in the video on X.

Several other former Platner supporters in the Senate called for him to step aside, while the Maine Democratic Party said “principle does not bend based on party affiliation” and urged Platner to quit.


The collapse of his campaign is a dramatic reversal for a candidate who only weeks ago was celebrated by supporters as proof that a blunt anti-establishment message could break through with voters tired of cautious Democratic politics.

Fervent following
Platner built a fervent following in Maine with attacks on corporate power, the political donor class and Collins, whom he accused of serving billionaires rather than ordinary people.

His appeal drew comparisons to Trump’s own disruptive rise: Personal magnetism, contempt for establishment politics and a promise to break a system many voters see as corrupt or exhausted.

But the qualities that thrilled his supporters also unsettled Democrats who feared his personal baggage could cost them a winnable race.

Even before the latest allegation, Platner’s campaign had been dogged by old incendiary online posts, sexually explicit messages sent to women early in his marriage, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up and allegations that he had mistreated women.


Platner has acknowledged past struggles with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol abuse, but has denied physically harming former partners.

His exit leaves Democrats facing a compressed and politically fraught replacement process.

Progressives have already begun pushing for a nominee who can inherit Platner’s movement and policy agenda, while party leaders are under pressure to choose someone able to reassure moderates, independents and female voters in a state where Collins has repeatedly survived difficult races.

Collins, a five-term Republican and one of her party’s few remaining moderates in Congress, is among Democrats’ top targets this year.

But the turmoil around Platner has given her campaign a reprieve and exposed Democratic divisions over candidate vetting, populism and electability.

In the video, Platner called on “the Democratic establishment” to step up for the “will and the values” of the people of Maine, a largely rural and rugged state.

Maine is one of the party’s clearest Senate pickup opportunities and Democrats likely need to gain several seats to win back the chamber.

Graham Platner, Democrat accused of rape, exits key U.S. Senate race

The Marine veteran, oysterman and political newcomer won last month's Democratic primary to oppose Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Bonnie Crombie running for Mississauga mayor again
65-year-old last served in the position from 2014 to 2024

Author of the article:Ian Shantz
Published Jul 12, 2026 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 1 minute read

Bonnie Crombie
Bonnie Crombie is pictured after winning 57% of the vote in a leadership review at the Ontario Liberal Party annual general meeting on Sept. 14, 2025. Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

Bonnie Crombie is aiming to become mayor of Mississauga again.


She said in a message to a small group of supporters and Mississauga councillors on Sunday that she’ll register to run on Tuesday.

“Please join me as I officially register as a candidate,” Crombie wrote. “I’d love to have you there as we mark this exciting moment together.”

Crombie, 65, served as Mississauga mayor for a decade, from 2014 to 2024, succeeding longtime mayor Hazel McCallion.

She resigned as mayor in 2024 after winning the Ontario Liberal Party leadership race the previous year.

Crombie lost the election to Doug Ford in February 2025. She stepped down as Liberal leader following a weak leadership review from her party in September.

Crombie had replaced party leader Steven Del Duca in December 2023. She didn’t win a seat in the provincial legislature during the 2025 election last February, losing in a close vote to Silvia Gualtieri of the Conservatives.

“I am looking forward to spending more time with my family, including welcoming my first grandchild, while giving the party the space it needs to move forward with new leadership,” Crombie said in announcing her resignation at the time.


Ottawa South MPP John Fraser, who succeeded former premier Dalton McGuinty as the riding’s representative at Queen’s Park in 2013, was nominated by the Ontario Liberal caucus to fill in as their temporary leader for a third time after Crombie’s resignation.



As of Sunday, six people had registered to run for Mississauga mayor, including incumbent Carolyn Parrish, and city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.

The next municipal election is Oct. 26.

The deadline to file a nomination to be a council or school trustee candidate is Friday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.

Bonnie Crombie running for Mississauga mayor again

Bonnie Crombie is aiming to become mayor of Mississauga again. Find out more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

John Tory Jr. no longer seeking Beaches--East York federal Liberal nomination
Son of ex-Toronto mayor says tight timeline does 'not provide a realistic or viable path to success for me'

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 13, 2026 • 3 minute read

John Tory Jr.
John Tory Jr. Photo by johntorybey.ca

Less than two weeks after he declared he was seeking the federal Liberal nomination for the Beaches–East York riding, John Tory Jr. is out of the race.


The 47-year-old son of former Toronto mayor John Tory said in a statement released Monday that timing and longer-running candidates led to his decision.

“I have decided to suspend my campaign to be the Liberal MP nominee for Beaches–East York,” wrote Tory on a campaign website.

“The tight timeline of this campaign, combined with the strong support earned by the other candidates from their years of hard work, do not provide a realistic or viable path to success for me. The best thing for our party, for myself and my family and for Beaches–East York is for me to focus all of my energy on ensuring a Liberal MP is elected in this summer’s byelection. The person nominated will have my full support and I will do everything I can to help them.”


‘Not a great prospect of success’
Tory told his father on Newstalk 1010 on Monday morning, when the senior Tory was filing in for John Moore, that the Liberal nomination meeting for the riding is on Saturday.

“There were a couple of candidates who also put themselves forward for nomination and they’ve been working on this for many years in terms of building their roots in the community as Liberals and as people who had shown interest in seeking the office,” said the younger Tory on Newstalk 1010.

“So for me, there was not a great prospect of success, but there is a great prospect of success if we unite behind the eventual nominee and make sure they get elected.”

Tory had previously announced his interest in challenging for the riding held by outgoing Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.

The pilot and aviation executive said that while his famous dad has been a conservative since he was a teen, Tory said “myself and my friends and family have known me to be a Liberal for a long time. I can’t put a date on it, but (it was) as I got older and started raising a family.”


Tory thanks family, friends for support
The married father of three teens with wife Melanie thanked his “family and my team for your support, patience, humour and comfort.

“To the friends, neighbours, community leaders, business owners, parents, students and everyone else who took a few minutes for me — thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to you and for open minds and ears,” he said. “It is both humbling and inspiring to be able to listen to the challenges and aspirations of people I have only just met and I am grateful for the trust and hope that so many of you were willing to place in me.”

The senior Tory resigned as Toronto’s mayor in 2023 after disclosing an extra-marital relationship with a younger former staff member, led the Progressive Conservatives provincially from 2004-09 and defeated future Ontario Premier Doug Ford and future Mayor Olivia Chow to take the mayor’s seat in 2014.

Erskine-Smith’s failed bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership and quest to represent the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest made his federal seat available.


Beaches-East York Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith answers questions by the journalists before heading into the caucus meeting at the West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK /Postmedia
No date set for byelection
After Erskine-Smith lost the riding’s nomination process to Ahsanul Hafiz and had an appeal of the results denied, he later confirmed he would resign from his seat in the House of Commons this summer. He’s now considering a run for Toronto city council.

As for the younger Tory, he said his “energy is not gone and neither am I.

“I am turning now to make sure we elect our nominated candidate as the Liberal member of Parliament for Beaches–East York to join the Mark Carney team in Ottawa,” he said.

A byelection date for the riding has yet to be announced, but needs to be declared by Jan. 3, 2027. Beaches–East York is one of four vacant federal seats alongside one in B.C. and two others in Quebec.

http://elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/dis&document=vacant_2025&lang=e

A Message from John Tory

johntorybey.ca

John Tory Jr. no longer seeking Beaches--East York federal Liberal nomination

Less than two weeks after he declared he was seeking the Grit nomination in Beaches--East York, John Tory Jr. is out of the race. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Bonnie Crombie eyes return as Mississauga mayor
Stepped down from post in June 2024 to run opposite Premier Doug Ford as the provincial Liberal candidate in the 2025 election.

Author of the article:Gordon Anderson
Published Jul 14, 2026 • 3 minute read

crombie
Former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie officially joined the race for mayor in Ontario's fourth largest city on Tuesday in Mississauga. Photo by Gordon Anderson/Toronto Sun

On perhaps the hottest day of the year, the former mayor of Mississauga tossed a few coals on the fire.


“I left the current mayor (Carolyn Parrish) with a strong and resilient city with strong fiscal management and low taxes, a plan to build houses that are affordable and a plan to build transit,” Bonnie Crombie said on Tuesday morning in Mississauga. “I left in support of our police, our police chief, we kept taxes low, and we had a vision for the future.”

Among numerous and ardent supporters on Tuesday, Crombie officially entered the mayoral race in the fourth-largest city in Ontario.

And despite the heat and the long delay in filing her papers, there was more heat from the ex-Mississauga mayor.

“What I see now is drift, not direction,” she said. “I see inaction, a lack of leadership. Taxes are higher. In fact, they have increased 14% over the past two years. What we see is increased congestion, increased gridlock. Everything has been at a standstill with so much inaction and inactivity.”



Parrish took to social media earlier to comment on her competition.

“Well well. Bonnie Crombie announced today, at a community BBQ, that Mississauga needs stable leadership. I agree!” Parrish posted on X, sharing a clip of herself and Crombie on CP24 following Parish’s win in 2024, with Crombie congratulating and showing support for her successor.

Crombie stepped down as the city’s mayor in June 2024 to run opposite Premier Doug Ford as the provincial Liberal candidate in the 2025 election. Crombie did not win the election against Ford. She resigned as Liberal leader in January of this year.

Parrish assumed the top chair in Mississauga, winning a by-election in June of ‘24.

Crombie said that affordability, crime, low taxes are key issues she will be running on.

“I do have the experience to bring back affordability,” Crombie said. “I also bring experience and the fiscal discipline that is necessary to get the job done, and I am going to earn back (the voters’) trust. I have experience. I have the leadership and I have the vision and the energy, and I want to provide Mississauga with an affordable future.”


Clashes in the past
She has had numerous public spats with politicians in the past. Ford threw his public support behind Parrish, publicly stating he would “send an army” of supporters to ensure Crombie does not win. At one point, Crombie said Ford was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so he could not possibly understand the struggles of ordinary Ontarians.

“The premier and I have the same goals and objectives,” Crombie said. “He wants a strong prosperous Ontario, and I want a strong and prosperous Mississauga. He and I have worked very collaboratively in the past, and I know we will again.”

Crombie said the job as mayor is the one she truly desires. And while she did not answer directly if she has any regrets leaving the job for the Ontario Liberals, she did say “this is the better job.”

“I really care deeply about the city, and this is the most important job,” she said. “I am here to stay the course, and I will be here to the end.”

Parrish, Alvin Tedjo, George Tavares, David Shaw, Mike Matulewicz and Rahul Mehta are her opposition in the race at the moment. The race for mayor will be decided on Oct. 26.

Crombie acknowledges she has some fences to mend.

“I know I am not the incumbent, and I know that I am not the front runner, but what I do know is that I have the experience, leadership and I am going to work very hard,” she said.

ganderson@postmedia.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2076106618123497911

Bonnie Crombie eyes return as Mississauga mayor

Bonnie Crombie on Tuesday officially entered the mayoral race in the fourth-largest city in Ontario. Find out more.

torontosun.com