From May 23 to 25, 2025, we surveyed Ontarians on their provincial and municipal governments.
Highlights of our survey include…
Direction of the Province: Only a third of residents (36%) believe Ontario is headed in the right direction with just 4% indicating it is going strongly in the right direction. In contrast, half of Ontarians (51%) believe it is on the wrong track.
- Men and older Ontarians are most positive, while women and young-middle aged residents are most negative. Regionally, those in the East have softer negative sentiments than those in the rest of the province.
Top Issues for Ontarians: The most important issue for Ontarians right now is housing prices/affordability, particularly among Ontarians aged 18-54, followed by healthcare which is more important to older Ontarians aged 55+.
- Men in Ontario showed particular concern for the provincial economy, while those aged 55+ are more concerned about USA tariffs, trade sanctions, and Trump.
Approval of Provincial Party Leaders: Nearly half of Ontarians (47%) approve of the way Doug Ford has performed in his job; a third showed approval of Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie and/or NDP leader Marit Stiles (33% each). While most say their opinions of the leaders are unchanged from six months ago, across the board, significantly more are likely to say their opinions have worsened.
- Premier Ford’s approval rating is comparable to BC Premier David Eby (51%) and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (44%). The proportion of Ontarians who say their opinion of Ford has worsened is on par with that of residents of BC who say the same of Eby (27% and 24%, respectively), less than that of Albertans who say the same of Smith (40%).
Doug Ford and Progressive Conservative Party Performance: Most residents feel Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party have done a good job preparing for USA tariffs/trade sections (53%) and/or managing relations with the Federal Government. Far fewer believe a good job is being done handling housing affordability (17% vs 68% bad job), poverty (16% vs 64% bad job), and/or homelessness (15% vs. 65% bad job).
- Access to family doctors is also of note with two-thirds (63%) giving the Premier and his government a poor rating , especially outside of the Hamilton/Niagara region.
Ontario Place Development: Half of Ontarians (47%) oppose the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre from Don Mills to Ontario Place on Toronto’s waterfront, with 27% holding strong opinions. Three in ten (30%) approve of the plan, while one-quarter (23%) are unsure. Comparatively, a higher proportion (38%) favourably view a plan that would see Ontario Place developed to include a mix of public parkland and private operated facilities such as a wellness centre and underground parking. Four in ten (43%) hold an unfavourable opinion (24% “very”) and 20% are unsure.
- Men and young-middle-aged adults are more in favour o both plans, while older adults are less in favour and women are more likely to admit that they’re unsure.
Mayor Chow’s Performance: Torontonians are somewhat on the fence about Mayor Chow’s performance. Half (48%) approve of the way the mayor has performed in her job. However, only one-in-ten (10%) strongly approve of the job she is doing while four-in-ten (42%) disapprove of her performance; in fact, 17% strongly disapprove. The remaining one in ten are unsure.
Methodology
The results for this wave of research are based on online research conducted from May 23 to May 25, 2025, with a representative sample of 1,025 Canadian adults 18 years of age and older from Leger’s LEO panel. The data was statistically weighted according to 2021 Canadian Census figures.
A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey, but for comparison purposes, a probability sample of 1,025 would have a margin of error of +/- 3.1 %, 19 times out of 20.
