Olivia Chow as Toronto mayor would be an 'unmitigated disaster,' Doug Ford says

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said that if frontrunner Olivia Chow is elected Toronto’s new mayor, it will be an “unmitigated disaster” for the city.

The premier made the comments fairly unprompted while at an unrelated announcement in Burlington Wednesday afternoon.

At the time, he was asked by a reporter about former Toronto Mayor John Tory endorsing candidate Ana Bailao. After talking about how much he admired Tory, the premier moved on to talk about other mayoral candidates.

“You know, I’ll tell you, if you want my opinion, if Olivia Chow gets in, it’ll be an unmitigated disaster,” Ford said. “Businesses are going to be fleeing Toronto as far as I'm concerned.”

“She makes David Miller look like a fiscal conservative, and companies will start fleeing,” the premier added, speaking of the former mayor who ran from 2003 to 2010.

Ford confirmed on Tuesday he would be casting his ballot for former Toronto Police Chief and PC candidate Mark Saunders.

At the same time, he reiterated that he would be “staying out of the race.”

A day later, the premier appears to have changed his tune, effectively using his influence and time in front of the press to name candidates, and talk about how their platforms aren’t right for the city.

• Why does Doug Ford care who becomes mayor of Toronto?

On Wednesday, the premier repeated a number of Saunders’ campaign phrases on camera, including a statement that Toronto residents will have to pay more in taxes if Chow is elected.

“God forbid Olivia Chow gets elected, your taxes are going up at an unprecedented rate,” he said before explaining why he is voting for Saunders.

Chow’s has said she supports a “modest” property tax increase to support improving services, but that she will not provide an exact number before assessing the city’s needs and other revenue sources. She has said Ford and Saunders’ claims that she will raise taxes by 25 per cent are untrue.

In a statement, Chow said that Tory and Ford are just two votes and "don't get to decide the next mayor of our city."

"Life is not affordable for a lot of people and the status quo is not working. That is why my message of building a more affordable, caring and safe city is being welcomed by so many Torontonians. Together, let’s make that change happen on Monday."

The latest Forum Research poll released on Monday shows support for Chow sits around 31 per cent among decided and leaning voters. This is down three percentage points from last week, but still far ahead of all of the other candidates.

Saunders sits at about 15 per cent while Anthony Furey and Bailao are tied in third place with 13 per cent support.

Torontonians go to the polls on June 26.