Puff, puff pass (or fail)

And turnout tanks

ABOVE THE FOLD

With Premier DOUG FORD front and centre in the capital this morning and back-to-back byelections — including a nail-biter in Milton — slated for Thursday, this constituency week break is already shaping up to be anything but quiet.

Here’s what you need to know:

IN BYELECTION LAND — Turnout numbers for last week’s advanced polls in Milton and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex are in — and they’re rather depressing.

As is typical for byelections (and even the 2022 general), advanced turnout was decidedly in the toilet. By Elections Ontario’s early count, 4,976 voters have already cast their ballot in LKM — which is just 5.5 per cent of all eligible voters. Milton saw slightly more folks turn up early: 6,511, or 6.6 per cent of those on the rolls.

That’s roughly half the number of folks who showed up to vote early in the 2022 election, when 9,820 (or 10.9 per cent) voted in LKM and 11,520 (or 12.6 per cent) voted in Milton.

Why it matters: In Milton especially, it’s been a tight race…