Doug Ford's endorsement of Olivia Chow for the Toronto mayorship has caused confusion, with his office initially suggesting support but then clarifying there was no official endorsement. The article argues that what candidates truly need is not Ford’s political backing—given his low approval ratings in Toronto—but rather financial support from the provincial government to address the city’s fiscal challenges. With only 19% of Torontonians approving of Ford's job performance, a mayor endorsed by him would face significant political drawbacks. However, effective governance will require securing substantial funding from Queen’s Park to avoid severe impacts on city services and capital spending.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Who’s Doug Ford backing in the race to be Toronto’s mayor?
asserted
Ford → back → race
Well, it’s complicated, it turns out.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
Last week, the premier issued what a lot of people took as a quasi-endorsement of Olivia Chow, telling reporters he and Chow have a “phenomenal relationship.”
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he → issue → relationship
He continued, “We’re going to continue supporting the mayor.
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We → continue → mayor
She’s doing an incredible job.
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She → do → job
A couple of days later, after much consternation, Ford’s office tried to call the whole thing off, releasing a statement saying, “We would like to clarify that Premier Ford did not endorse Olivia Chow and will not endorse any candidate.
asserted
Ford → try → candidate
In the span of a few days, the premier said people should read between the lines and then said there was nothing there to read at all.
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people → say → lines
The did-he-or-didn’t-he drama kind of misses the point, though.
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drama → miss → point
Because here’s the truth about Ford’s role in this mayoral election: none of the candidates really need his endorsement.
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none → ’ → endorsement
What they need is his money.
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need → need → What
A subsample from a poll conducted by Liaison Strategies on Aug. 23 and 24 found just 19 per cent of Toronto residents approve of the job Ford is doing.
asserted
Ford → conduct → job
The province-wide poll of 1,500 voters has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
asserted
poll → have → 20
The margin of error for a subsample like this would be higher, but not high enough to make this a remotely good number for the premier.
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this → make → premier
The raccoon who knocked over my green bin last week might have a higher approval rating.
uncertain
who → knock → rating
Heck, the guys who always try to cut the line for the ramp to the Gardiner at Jarvis Street might poll better.
uncertain
who → try → Street
You could see the political downside of a Ford endorsement in action last week, as Brad Bradford, Chow’s leading opponent according to polls, took the quasi-endorsement as an opportunity to slam the mayor for not fighting hard enough against overreach from Queen’s Park.
uncertain
Bradford → see → Park
But the premier’s popularity aside, whoever wins the mayoral race in Ontario will have no choice but to work with Ford.
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wins → win → Ford
And a big part of working with him will be getting him to write some big cheques.
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him → work → cheques
City hall needs them.
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hall → need → them
Because while city hall’s fiscal situation has certainly improved from where it was in 2023 when Chow was elected, the city’s not out of the woods yet.
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city → improve → woods
Toronto’s 2026 budget, passed in February, included an ominous warning about the coming years, noting “significant financial challenges.”
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budget → pass → challenges
“Without federal and provincial funding support, there will be profound, material and sustained impacts on city services and capital spending,” the document says.
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document → say → services
The numbers suggest that the operating budgets for both 2027 and 2028 will need about $481 million in provincial and federal support.
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budgets → suggest → support
If they don’t get that nearly half-billion dollars from Queen’s Park and Ottawa, all candidates will be challenged to deliver on promises to keep property tax increases low, as both Chow, Bradford and mayoral candidate Chris Alexander have pledged.
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Chow → get → increases
Raising $481 million would require an additional annual residential property tax increase of nearly 10 per cent.
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Raising → raise → cent
And when the winner of the election sits down to crunch the numbers, there’s a good chance the financial pain could be worse.
uncertain
pain → sit → numbers
The city’s most recent budget variance report showed Toronto tracking toward a nearly $100-million deficit this year, largely driven by underwhelming transit fare revenue, an increase in labour costs driven by provincial policy changes related to firefighter sick leave, and a big spike in fuel costs.
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Toronto → show → costs
Since municipalities are not allowed to run an operating deficit, the new mayor could find themselves needing to find even more cash to cover the shortfall.
uncertain
themselves → allow → shortfall
The root of the problem is that the much-hyped “new deal” between Ford and Chow came with an asterisk.
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deal → hype → asterisk
While Ford’s move to take control of the Gardiner and the Don Valley Parkway offered permanent relief to the city’s capital budget, freeing up money to build and repair infrastructure, the support offered on the operating side — to pay for ongoing services — was capped at just three years, starting in 2024.
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support → take → 2024
Time is running out.
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Time → run → ?
Job One for the person in the mayor’s office after Oct. 26 will be securing an extension of the deal to at least put more time on the clock.
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Job → secure → clock
But either way, there’s no avoiding that the city will need to ask Ford to open the province’s wallet again too.
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city → ’ → wallet
That’s the fiscal reality.
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That → ’ → ?
When it comes to the kind of support these candidates need from the premier, it’s not about what’s between the lines.
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what → come → lines
It’s about the city’s bottom line.
asserted
It → ’ → line
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