Survey says: PCs on top, NDP and Grits neck-and-neck

Plus: Convoy call-out, fundraising comeback, Speaker's warrant for LU, Hillier in hot water, what Ford Nation is watching, fresh faces for 2022, big staff moves, and Ontario cracks open (again)

ABOVE THE FOLD

POLL WATCH — Provincial polling in January has been a doozy — and two more have been added to the mix, suggesting the PCs will clinch a victory, but runner-up is still anyone’s game.

Back-to-back surveys from Leger and Counsel Public Affairs suggest the Ford government can win a second mandate this spring. Thirty-seven per cent of decided voters told Leger they would cast their ballot for the PCs — putting them closer to majority territory than they’ve been in earlier polls. New Democrats and Liberals jockeyed for second place, with 25 and 26 per cent support, respectively — a statistical tie, as that’s within the poll’s margin of error.

Fringe parties also got a bump, with three per cent saying they would vote for the New Blues — helmed by ex-PCs JIM and BELINDA KARAHALIOS — while two per cent backed RANDY HILLIER’s as-yet unregistered Ontario First Party.

That tracks with Counsel’s survey, which suggests roughly 35 per cent support for the PCs, 30 per cent for the ND…