A second consecutive poll has affirmed John Tory’s position in Toronto’s mayoral race as he opens up an 11-point lead ahead of incumbent mayor Rob Ford, while Olivia Chow’s support continues to drop.
The telephone survey by Forum Research shows that Tory came in at 41 per cent, Ford at 30 per cent and Chow at 24 per cent.
The poll, which has a 3 per cent margin of error, was conducted Monday from a pool of 1,069 randomly chosen voters.
David Soknacki supporters appear to have shifted their allegiances to the Chow campaign. Soknacki announced Tuesday night that he had arranged for a staffer to withdraw his ballot from the mayoral race.
The poll points out that the size of Ford Nation shrank to 29 per cent from 33 per cent in August. Ford Nation’s magnitude is determined by asking voters if they would elect Rob Ford when there are no other candidates in the picture.
Respondents said they saw Tory as being best able to handle the budget and getting council working together.
Building transit, which has been a hot topic in mayoral debates, was identified as the most urgent issue by 37 per cent of the respondents. Seventeen per cent of people saw keeping taxes low as important while 11 per cent thought it paramount to rebuild Toronto’s image.
Other topics that were identified as significant, but to a lesser degree, include protecting existing services, caring for the vulnerable, cleaning up city hall and eliminating waste.
A Nanos Research poll that was released earlier this month concluded with similar numbers for the three leading candidates. Up until August however, Olivia Chow had been leading in Forum Research polls, held at least once a month, with Tory and Ford battling for second place.
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