THUNDER BAY, Ont. - Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory is shrugging off suggestions that his controversial proposal to extend government funding to private, faith-based schools is dragging down his party with voters.
Tory says he doesn't know many hockey games that were decided at the end of the second period, and that he's confident he can appeal to Ontario voters before they go to the polls Oct. 10.
Most recent polls have the incumbent Liberals at just over 40 per cent support, with the Conservatives in the low 30s _ a sign the Liberals are gaining momentum heading into the last 10 days of the campaign.
Pundits are suggesting that Tory's plan to fund faith-based schools, which has encountered resistance from voters and even within his own party, may be sinking his chances at forming the next government.
Tory made the comments from a closed mill in Thunder Bay, Ont., where he unveiled his party's strategy for tackling northern Ontario concerns.
Among the pledges, Tory promised to move 10 per cent of government office space in Toronto to northern Ontario and hard-hit rural communities, and to pour $300 million into rural and northern roads and bridges over four years.
