Adedokun Waliyu 
It appears Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a clear favourite for Toronto’s mayor in the upcoming byelection.
On Monday, a Mark Saunders campaign sign could be seen on the Premier’s front lawn.
Mark Saunders signA Mark Saunders byelection sign outside Premier Doug Ford’s home. Photo: CityNews.
In a statement from the Premier’s office, a spokesperson said Ford would “work with anyone, and that’s what he intends to do.”
Ford has stated publicly he had no intentions of meddling in the Toronto byelection but has hinted at the type of mayoral candidate he’d vote for — precisely one that wouldn’t defund the police force.
“We’re seeing stabbings in the subway, car thefts coming out of our gazoo, and just enough’s enough,” the Premier said in late March.
“We’ve got to put more money into policing. There are a couple of candidates that are running. They’re sitting councillors that voted to defund the police. The people that voted for defund the police don’t vote for them, simple as that. We can’t have anarchy in our cities.”
Ford clarified that Toronto’s next mayor should be a candidate who understands policing.
“We need someone that has experience dealing with crime,” Ford later said at a May press conference.
Enter Saunders, the city’s former police chief. His campaign has intensely focused on transit safety — a primary campaign promise. Saunders has said he would triple the number of TTC special constables and integrate the unit into the city’s police force.
At a recent mayoral debate hosted by CP24, city councillor Josh Matlow, another progressive, took aim at Saunders, seeking to paint him as the favoured choice of Ford.
A recent poll from Liaison Strategies shows Matlow and Saunders tied for second place at 14 per cent, with Chow in the lead at 26 per cent support.
