The mood in staunchly conservative Eganville is likely to put a smile on Doug Ford’s face. The picturesque town of 1,300 people nestled in the Bonnechere Valley, 110 kilometres west of Ottawa, may not count for much in terms of raw votes, ranking 286th on Statistics Canada’s list of Ontario population centres.Yet it is no accident that Ford made a beeline for the electoral district on May 9, the day campaigning began. Progressive Conservative strategists are banking on rural ridings like Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke serving the coup de grace when the returns are counted in Thursday’s election, ultimately painting an evenly divided province in majority blue.“The overriding mood is anger,” said Gerald Tracey, publisher of the Eganville Leader. “Anger at hydro rates, anger at the sell-off of Hydro One, anger at government spending that is saddling our kids with crippling debt. There is no question in my mind: in rural Ontario, this government is finished. And around here, that means Progressive Conservative victory.”A rout of historic proportion now appears imminent, with the ruling Liberals, who have held power as long as the province’s youngest voters can remember, at risk of losing official party status.“A sobering reminder that elections always matter” is how Chatham Daily News columnist Peter Epp framed the scenario this week. “No majority government in Ontario has ever lost their party status following an election. And no majority government in this province has ever been reduced to one or two seats following a general election.”Read more: Victory has different meanings for Liberals and PCs as election day loomsHow much do political platforms influence the outcomes of elections?Opinion | Susan Delacourt: Why the Ontario election is for the people, but not the political scientistsPolls, if we dare trust them, suggest a near dead heat between Ford’s PCs and Andrea Horwath’s New De ...
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