What to know
- Olivia Chow leads Brad Bradford 51 per cent to 34 per cent among decided voters, with Chris Alexander at nine per cent.
- One in five Toronto voters remains undecided less than four weeks before election day.
- While 55 per cent say it’s time for a new mayor, 27 per cent of those voters have yet to choose a candidate.
- The poll finds 54 per cent of Torontonians believe the city is headed in the wrong direction.
With Toronto’s mayoral race entering its final stretch, Olivia Chow is holding a sizable lead over her closest rival Brad Bradford according to a new poll, but a large pool of voters still wants change and hasn’t decided who should deliver it.
A new Canada Pulse Insights poll for Rogers CityNews puts Chow at 51 per cent among decided voters, 17 points ahead of Bradford at 34 per cent. Former Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander sits at nine per cent, while six per cent would choose another candidate.
Twenty per cent of all respondents remain undecided.
Among all voters, including those who have not picked a candidate, Chow has 38 per cent support, followed by Bradford at 25 per cent and Alexander at seven per cent.
The findings come as Toronto voters remain divided over whether the city needs a change in leadership.
Fifty-five per cent of respondents said it is time for a new mayor, while 45 per cent said Chow deserves to be re-elected. The poll also found 54 per cent believe Toronto is headed in the wrong direction, compared with 46 per cent who say the city is moving in the right direction.
Among voters who say it is time for a change, Bradford receives 44 per cent support. Alexander has seven per cent, while seven per cent of change-minded voters say they would still vote for Chow.
But 27 per cent of voters who want a new mayor, equivalent to 15 per cent of all respondents, have not yet chosen a candidate. Another eight per cent said they would not vote for any of the candidates listed.
The undecided voters who want change also look a little different. They’re more likely to be between 35 and 64 and live downtown, and less likely to say they’re certain they’ll vote.
The poll also found significant differences in perceptions of the city’s direction. Seventy-one per cent of Chow supporters said Toronto is headed in the right direction, compared with 21 per cent of Bradford supporters and 36 per cent of undecided voters.
Toronto’s municipal election is Oct. 26, with advance voting scheduled for Oct. 6 to 11.
The Canada Pulse Insights survey was conducted online through Sago among 510 Toronto adults from Sept. 14 to 24 and weighted to 2021 Census benchmarks for age and gender.
The poll has a reported margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points for a probability-based sample of this size, 19 times out of 20.
