Ottawa is once again at the centre of Ontario's political chatter after Premier Doug Ford lashed out at a new poll that ranks him as the least popular premier in Canada — calling the results flat-out "fake."
What the poll found
The latest Angus Reid Institute survey delivered a rough verdict for the premier. Between March and June, Ford's approval rating dropped a full 10 points, leaving him with just 21 per cent support among Ontario voters. That decline put him at the bottom of the pack when stacked against his fellow premiers across the country.
Ford, never one to take criticism quietly, brushed off the findings. He publicly dismissed the poll as "fake," rejecting the idea that his standing with voters has slipped so dramatically in just a few months.
Why Ottawa should care
For people living in Ottawa, this is more than political theatre. Decisions made at Queen's Park land directly on the capital — from health-care funding for hospitals like The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO, to transit money that shapes the future of the troubled LRT, to housing policy affecting renters and buyers across Kanata, Barrhaven and the ByWard Market.
A premier's approval rating can signal how much political capital he has to spend, and how willing his government may be to make bold moves — or play it safe — heading toward the next provincial election. Ottawa, which sends a mix of Progressive Conservative, Liberal and NDP MPPs to the legislature, often finds itself caught between provincial priorities and local needs.
A familiar pattern
This isn't the first time Ford has gone to war with pollsters and pundits. The premier has built much of his political brand on being an outsider who claims to speak for "the people" rather than the experts, and dismissing unflattering numbers fits that playbook.
Still, a 10-point drop is steep, and it comes at a moment when affordability, health care and infrastructure remain top of mind for Ontarians. In Ottawa, where residents have spent years frustrated by LRT breakdowns and rising costs of living, the question of whether the provincial government is delivering is far from academic.
What happens next
Polls are snapshots, not destiny, and a single survey won't change the direction of the government overnight. But sustained slides in approval can shape everything from cabinet decisions to election timing. For now, Ford appears content to wave the numbers away.
Whether Ottawa voters agree with the premier's "fake" label — or with the pollsters — will become a lot clearer the next time they head to the ballot box. Until then, expect the back-and-forth between Ford and his critics to keep simmering.
Source: Global News Ottawa.
