Candidate tracker: Full PC slate, Oppo recruiting by the dozens

Plus: Ford confuses Sikhs and Muslims, buck-a-ride, Singh gives Horwath a popularity boost on the campaign trail, no regrets over Miller ouster

ABOVE THE FOLD

CANDIDATE COUNT — On the eve of campaign kick-off, the PCs are boasting a full slate of candidates to run in all 124 of the province’s ridings — while their opposition rivals still need to recruit dozens more.

The deadline: Candidates have to be locked in by next Thursday May 12, per Elections Ontario.

Why it matters: Timing is everything. While political parties have been in (unofficial) campaign mode for months, much of the electorate has been — anecdotally speaking — tuned out, not least because of the ongoing Covid situation, affordability woes, and tumultuous headlines from Ukraine.

A leg-up: That’s changing as June 2 looms larger. The longer a candidate has been pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, the more familiar and informed local voters will be, giving those long-nominated contenders an edge.

Here are the party standings, as of last night:

— The majority-enjoying PCs — who boasted the most incumbents but are down a significant chunk of high-profile re…