Ontario, aren't we having an election?

What if they held an election and no one noticed?

That is what seems to be happening in Ontario right now.  With only days before the election there still is little notice in the papers about what is happening.  Not in the online newspapers anyway.

It seems to me that in previous elections there were many more stories, where the leaders are, excerpts from their stump speeches and commentary on those speeches.  There would be coverage of the local candidates, what groups they met with, what they had to say.  This time around I’m just not seeing it.

Things pop up on the radar and just as quickly disappear.

The Ford brothers in Toronto, expected to be a big story by a number of people have been very quiet.  The Hillier story about his tax problems has been put away.  What about the power stations the Liberals are moving or the wind turbine lawsuit?  Or the accusations of NDP financing issues and the Ontario Cornerstone Leadership Corporation?  Gone.

In an election where Tim Hudak went from a cake walk to a horse race, where the third party NDP could end up being the king maker, you would think this would be the biggest deal the press has seen in years.  There is even an outside chance that the NDP could end up heading the government.

When I went through my daily ritual of checking News Aggregators and local papers today I saw that the Liberals had introduced a new ad.  Wow.  Hudak raged about the “last minute” jobs plan of McGuinty and the only thing that anyone asks Horwath about is who gets the first dance?

We have three parties in the running, two of which are nose and nose in the race.  Each of these parties has a platform which has plusses and minuses in it.  All three parties have warts.  Is there nothing newsworthy here?

At least all three leaders are brushing aside the “C” word.  All three claim to be in it to win it but it would be nice if someone would step up and if the press would take notice.

It has just been a weird campaign.

It seems the “liberal” press is still backing McGuinty, the “conservative” press is apparently split between backing McGuinty and the Toronto Sun not backing Hudak but not coming out for anyone else.

The pollsters have the Liberals and PCs in a dead heat at about 34% and translating this to a one seat majority for the Liberals based on their Toronto-centric backing.  The NDP is third with 29.9% for 21 seats.  Interestingly the poll suggests there are 18 seats where the lead is 5% or less between the First and Second place candidates.

But then again, polls are often wrong.

Since this election has been pretty much a snoozefest, I’m going out on a limb and making a few predictions.

• Percentage voter turnout will drop
• Actual votes cast will drop
• The number of people who don’t vote will alter the results from what the pollsters say
• There will be a minority government in Ontario
• The NDP will not join in a coalition but will opt for bill by bill support
• None of the parties will want a quick election due to economic uncertainty in the world 

At this point, I hope that everyone who reads this will vote and will encourage their friends and acquaintances to get out and vote.  Don’t let me and people like me decide your future for you.  Decide who best represents you either locally or Provincially and support them. People the world over are trying to get what we take for granted.

Be a voter and show Ontario you care.