1 in 3 Ontarians approve of the job Doug Ford is doing months away from election, poll finds
Premier Doug Ford’s approval rating has dropped to the lowest level of his entire tenure with a provincial election now less than five months away, a new poll suggests.
The Angus Reid Institute poll of 1,081 adults in Ontario found that only 30 per cent approve of the job Ford is doing as premier, compared to 67 per cent who disapprove.
The premier’s approval rating is down about six points from October when 36 per cent of respondents supported the job he was doing.
Ford tended to poll better among older Ontarians aged 55 and up, where he had a 52 per cent approval rating.
But his approval rating plunged to just 26 per cent among those aged 18 to 34 and 38 per cent among those aged 35 to 54.
Even among individuals who voted for the federal Conservative party in the most recent election Ford’s popularity was only lukewarm with a narrow majority of those people approving of the job he is doing (51 per cent).
Ford’s handling of the pandemic was also similarly polarizing with nearly seven out of 10 respondents believing that he has done either a bad job (31 per cent) or a very bad job (37 per cent).
About six per cent of respondents said that Ford was doing a very good job handling COVID-19 and 23 per cent said he was doing a good job.
“Ontario delayed the reopening of schools by two weeks after the winter break, continuing a pattern of closures that are wearing on the province’s parents. Children in Ontario have spent more time in online school throughout the pandemic than other students across the country, as parents express a desire for a more balanced approach leaning towards keeping schools open for in-class learning. Meanwhile, business owners and workers are upset with renewed restrictions on indoor dining, gyms, theatres and large events, and health-care workers are dealing with surging hospitalizations once again,” Angus Reid said in a release accompanying the poll results.
“All of this likely influences the negative assessment Ontarians offer Ford on his handling of the pandemic.”
The Angus Reid poll found that nearly two-thirds of respondents (65 per cent) think that Ford’s government has done a good job with the vaccine rollout but 73 per cent of those polled said that the premier has done either a poor or very poor job of making rapid antigen tests available.
The Ontario results, which come in the wake of the abrupt resignation of Minister of Long-Term Care Rod Phillips, are part of a wider Angus Reid poll quizzing residents coast to coast on the performance of their premier’s and their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ford had the third lowest approval rating in the poll but was ahead of Alberta’s Jason Kenney (26 per cent) and Manitoba’s Heather Stefanson (21 per cent).
Speaking with CP24 earlier on Monday, Ford said he “doesn’t look at the polls” but believes that a return to Liberal rule would be “an absolute disaster for this province.”
“We spent the last close to four years fixing all the problems that we faced when we went into office,” he said. “It is very simple who do you trust with your money? Do you trust the PC government that has shown that we got ourselves out of the hole we inherit or do you want to go backwards again?”
The Angus Reid survey was conducted using an online panel between Jan. 7 and 12. It is considered accurate to within two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.