Rob Ford has surged ahead of the pack with a commanding lead over his rivals in the Toronto mayoralty race.

The latest Nanos poll, commissioned by CP24, CTV and the Globe and Mail, puts Ford in the lead with 45.8 per cent of decided voters –- 24 points ahead of his biggest rival George Smitherman.

"We're just being very, very humble," Ford said upon hearing the results. "I'm working very hard."

Smitherman, who served as deputy premier before stepping down from provincial politics earlier this year, has 21.3 per cent of support from decided voters.

Toronto's deputy mayor Joe Pantalone made significant strides since the last CP24 poll in June. He now has 16.8 per cent of support from decided voters. Rocco Rossi (9.7%) and Sarah Thomson (6.4 per cent) round up the pack of front-runners.

Despite the findings, 25 per cent of those polled said they still haven't decided who they are voting for on election day.

Smitherman told a news conference Monday morning there's still time for him to gain support for his platform.

"These results lend a lot of reason for concern," he said. 

"We have to work to make sure people understand the values we celebrate will be at risk with Rob Ford. I will spend the next five weeks focusing on theat."

Smitherman called Ford's strategy "a reckless one" and reassured voters that he would clean up city hall while making sure Toronto remains an "inclusive" community.

Competency

Voters were also clear on who they believe is the most competent candidate running for mayor.

Once again, respondents showed the most confidence in Rob Ford with 29.6 per cent support.

However, it should be noted that 30.2 per cent of voters said they are unsure of who the most competent candidate is.

Here's how the other candidates fared:

  • George Smitherman 16.1 per cent
  • Joe Pantalone 11.9 per cent
  • Rocco Rossi 8.3 per cent
  • Sarah Thomson 4 per cent

The CP24 poll asked respondents to disclose which political party they usually align themselves with during provincial and federal elections.

The results seem to contradict the outcome of the mayor's poll as 29.5 per cent of respondents said they usually vote for the Liberal Party – the same party Smitherman has served since 1999.

About 21.9 per cent of voters said they usually vote Conservative. Ford is generally seen as the most conservative candidate of all the front runners.

However, of those polled, 29.1 per cent of respondents said they don't have a strong allegiance to a political party.

The NDP and the Green Party received much less support from voters at 9.4 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively.

Important issues

Torontonians were also asked which municipal issue they think is most important.

Most respondents (19.3 per cent) said transportation is the issue they find most pressing.

Taxes (17.4 per cent), the city's budget and deficit (15.7 per cent), Toronto's job market and economy (8.9 per cent) were next on the list as the most important issues facing the city.

The mayor's race is also a matter of concern for the city, said 4.4 per cent of respondents.

Respondents were split on whether they trusted City Hall with their local interests.

When respondents were asked if they believe city hall cares about their neighbourhood, 33.6 per cent of voters said yes. Nearly 23 per cent of respondents said they somewhat agreed with that statement.

Meanwhile, about 30 per cent said they don't believe city hall cares about their neighourhood while 3.4 per cent said they were unsure.

The poll also asked voters to touch on the issue of immigration.

Ford made headlines last month when he said during a CP24 debate that Toronto should take care of the people who live here first before welcoming new immigrants into the city.

Respondents were asked if they agreed with the following statement: "Toronto would benefit from welcoming more new Canadians to the city."

Voters said:

  • Agree 44.7 per cent
  • Somewhat agree 18.7 per cent
  • Somewhat disagree 5.8 per cent
  • Disagree 26.2 per cent
  • Unsure 4.6 per cent.

Despite the fact that most people who were polled disagreed with Ford's views on immigration, the survey results show it had little effect on the candidate's popularity.

"I look at the others who are running and I don't think they are accountable or truthful," said one Ford supporter in an interview from the Danforth. "They just want to win for personally motivated reasons.

"(Ford) has been consistent. He's a straight shooter," the man continued. "He's not perfect, he's got his blemishes like we all do but he says it the way it is."

A total of 1,021 people were polled through random telephone interviews between Sept. 14 and 16. The margin of accuracy for a random sample of 1,021 likely voters is 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.