Olivia Chow enters the final stretch of Toronto's mayoral race with a double-digit lead over her closest challenger, according to a new Liaison Strategies poll reported by Global News.
The survey, conducted at the start of the Labour Day long weekend, shows the incumbent mayor with the support of 50 per cent of decided and leaning voters. Former councillor Brad Bradford sits in second place at 39 per cent, while Chris Alexander trails in third at 11 per cent.
"The mayoral ballot is stable, but it has settled in a better place for Olivia Chow than for her challengers," David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said in a statement.
The regional picture is still the key to the race. Chow leads downtown 60 per cent to 30 per cent, in North York 53 per cent to 36 per cent, and in Scarborough 51 per cent to 38 per cent. Bradford's best region is Etobicoke, where he leads Chow 56 per cent to 33 per cent.
The numbers arrive on the eve of Chow's official campaign launch. She has publicly signalled for months that she intends to seek re-election, while Bradford declared his plan to launch a campaign nearly a year ago.
Voters split on city's direction
The poll also asked Torontonians how they feel about the state of the city, and the results were nearly even.
Forty-seven per cent of respondents said Toronto is heading in the right direction, while 48 per cent said it is on the wrong track. Five per cent were unsure.
On taxes, the survey found 34 per cent of residents want property taxes frozen or reduced, even if that means cutting services. Another 20 per cent said taxes should rise at less than the rate of inflation.
Chow has governed Canada's largest city since her by-election win in 2023, and the race comes as Toronto continues to grapple with pressures around housing, transit funding and the cost of running city services.
The regional breakdown suggests the contest remains competitive in parts of the west end. Bradford's lead in Etobicoke is the only part of the city where Chow trails, while the incumbent holds comfortable margins downtown, in North York and in Scarborough — areas that together account for a large share of the city's electorate.
Polls in the final weeks of a campaign can shift, but the Liaison findings point to a stable ballot with a clear front-runner as candidates make their closing pitches to voters ahead of election day.
