Toronto voters view mayoral candidate Rob Ford as the best qualified to handle the city's finances, according to a new poll that shows taxes and transportation are pivotal issues in the upcoming election.
A Nanos poll of 1,000 very likely voters released Tuesday found 39.5 per cent consider Ford "the best candidate" to manage tax dollars, compared with 24.4 per cent for George Smitherman and 12.3 per cent for Joe Pantalone.
What's more, Ford's supporters are far less likely to support raising taxes in exchange for better service, with only 14.8 per cent willing to pay more.
Meanwhile, 40.3 per cent of Smitherman's backers and 49.2 per cent of Pantalone's said they would pay more to improve city services.
"It just shows you how deeply divided voters are in this election, and perhaps it explains why we had record numbers of people come out for the advance poll," CTV Toronto's Alicia Markson reported Tuesday.
Campaign manager Doug Ford says his brother's record speaks for itself. "Who do you trust with your pocketbook – Rob Ford, who has been consistent for 10 years, saving tax dollars, or George Smitherman, who has been consistent in wasting tax dollars and increasing taxes?" he said.
Smitherman seemed taken aback by the results. "I'm a bit surprised by the numbers he's getting with respect to trust, especially since his budget plan numbers don't add up," he said.
The poll commissioned by CTV, CP24 and The Globe and Mail found concerns over taxes and transportation weighing heavily on voters' minds, especially as the Oct. 25 election draws near.
With less than a week left in the campaign, voters are picking sides: only 18.5 per cent of those very likely to vote say they're still undecided, down from 25 per cent last month.
Among the undecided, 28.6 per cent plan to decide on election day, while 13 per cent say they'll wait until they step in the voting booth.
More than a quarter of voters named public transit the top issue facing the city, ahead of high taxes and the municipal budget.
Respondents were asked to divide transportation dollars between roads, subway, bike lanes, sidewalks and LRT or streetcars.
The subway system came out on top, with voters granting it 31.1 cents of every dollar. Roads received 30.2 cents, streetcars and LRT got 16.6 cents, sidewalks got 11.9 cents and bike lanes only 10 cents.
The first part of the survey was released Sunday and showed Ford and Smitherman vying for the lead with about 40 per cent of votes, the Etobicoke councillor pulling slightly ahead of his rival.
But the numbers also reveal the Smitherman campaign is building momentum, nearly doubling its support since the last poll in September, largely due to former candidates Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson dropping out.
Support for both Ford and Smitherman is relatively secure, with at least two thirds of their backers saying their decision is "firm." But fewer than half of Pantalone's supporters said the same, suggesting they could switch to another camp.
The shift would likely benefit Smitherman, given the overlap between his supporters and Pantalone's, the poll shows.
The race "is a statistical dead heat," according to the report.
Results are being rolled out in three parts. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
