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Voters in Hamilton, Niagara head to the polls today. Here's what you need to know

Voters in Hamilton, Niagara head to the polls today. Here's what you need to know

CBC27-02-2025

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Voters in the Hamilton and Niagara areas, along with the rest of Ontario, head to the polls today.
PC leader Doug Ford triggered an early provincial election on Jan. 28, framing the decision as a strategy in a potential trade war with the United States.
Since then, candidates across the province have sought to define the election, and promised Ontarians solutions to a variety of challenges, from a doctors shortage to the housing crisis to the impact of the tariffs on jobs.
Voters told CBC Hamilton they cared about issues such as health care, college cuts, rent control, domestic violence and protecting farmland.
This region is one to watch, experts say, as several local races appear close. On Wednesday, the PC, Liberal and NDP leaders were all in the area — which suggests they think it's competitive, Brock University politics professor Stefan Dolgert said.
Polling stations open until 9 p.m.
Polling stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. If you're in line at 9 p.m., you will still be able to vote.
Elections Ontario has plenty of information on how to find your polling station and what ID you need to bring. You do not need your voter information card to cast a ballot.
About 44 per cent of eligible voters came out for the 2022 election — a historic low. Advance poll results show about six per cent of voters voted early this year.
CBC News will have the results from all 124 ridings soon after the polls close. CBC Hamilton will update this story throughout the day.
After polls close, CBC coverage of results for the Hamilton, Niagara, Brantford, Burlington and Haldimand ridings can be found here and will be updated throughout the evening.
Riding profiles
Want to know who is running in your riding? CBC Hamilton has a profile for each local riding:

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LILLEY: Carney's multi-layered defence announcement is good news
LILLEY: Carney's multi-layered defence announcement is good news

Toronto Sun

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  • Toronto Sun

LILLEY: Carney's multi-layered defence announcement is good news

Government finally heeding decades of calls to boost military spending. Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox Prime Minister Mark Carney greets Canadian troops of the 4th Canadian Division as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on June 9, 2025 in Toronto. Carney has pledged to meet NATO's 2% spending pledge this fiscal year. Photo by Cole Burston / GETTY IMAGES The announcement that the Carney Liberal government in Ottawa would increase defence spending was multi-layered. There was a domestic message about taking national security seriously, a message to Canadian industry that investment is coming and a message to Donald Trump that Canada is getting serious once again. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account While Carney said this message was for Canadians, Trump and the need for a trade deal was clearly a motivating factor. 'Canada will achieve NATO's 2% target this year, half a decade ahead of schedule,' the prime minister said during a speech at the University of Toronto. Canada has long promised to spend 2% of GDP on defence as part of being a member of NATO but hasn't hit that mark since 1990. That was under the Mulroney government at the end of the Cold War and after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the USSR, interest in defence spending faded away like Soviet communism. We got lazy, we became complacent, we relied too heavily on the Americans, and we believed no one would want to harm us, that is if they could reach us. 'The long-held view that Canada's geographic location will protect us is becoming increasingly archaic. Threats which felt far away and remote are now immediate and acute. And as our climate changes and the polar ice recedes Canada's arctic is becoming more accessible and more vulnerable,' Carney said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So, to that end, Carney announced that defence spending in Canada will rise from just shy of $40 billion in the current 2025-26 fiscal year to $62 billion. Some of that will happen by moving existing government spending to the defence budget, so there isn't really an increase. For example, the Canadian Coast Guard is currently part of Fisheries and Oceans to the Department of National Defence along with its current $4.5-billion budget. The Coast Guard will then also have additional duties 'to better secure our sovereignty and expand maritime surveillance.' There will also be a push to boost Canada's defence industrial capacity with contracts in areas like light armoured vehicles, ammunitions and more going to Canadian companies. On this front, Carney described the spending as increasing defence spending while also supporting good paying jobs in Canadian industries. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We will ensure that every dollar is invested wisely, including by prioritizing made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains,' Carney said. There are real questions about whether DND can spend this much money and do it wisely. The Canadian Armed Forces are currently short almost 15,000 active-duty members. Recruitment has been a problem for the past several years, but so has retention as members leave in droves. A pay boost that will be part of this increase in defence spending should help with recruitment. Having up-to-date equipment instead of antiquated or broken equipment should help. In his remarks Monday, Carney noted that only one of our four submarines is seaworthy. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How can a country like Canada operate a navy with just one working sub? To really increase recruitment the military doesn't necessarily need to spend more money, but they do need a culture change. 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Carney easing into the job, and Canadians' low expectations suggest they're just fine with that
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Opinion It's the honeymoon that is defying all the odds. Six weeks or so after the federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to do a remarkable job of growing support for his government. National public opinion polls show Carney's Liberal government gaining modestly in popularity even though, other than striking a new cabinet, jousting with U.S. President Donald Trump and gathering with Canada's premiers to talk about strategic infrastructure, he hasn't done that much. In some cases, he's done nothing at all. CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Mark Carney has not done much since being elected, and yet his support continues to grow. The new prime minister, for example, has turned aside demands from inside and outside the House of Commons to table a budget before Parliament breaks for the summer at the end of this month. 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In the same Nanos poll, Poilievre's approval rating is hovering at about 28 per cent, a 12-point drop from the election. The fact that Poilievre lost his seat in the election but refused to resign as leader has, no doubt, contributed to his declining support. It all adds up to a somewhat surprising scenario: Carney has not really done anything since getting elected, and yet his support is continuing to grow. Abacus Data found that in early June, the Carney government had a 53-per-cent approval rating, up an astounding 30 points from the beginning of the year when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was still in charge. As well, Abacus found 38 per cent of Canadians believe the country is headed in the right direction, the highest level of optimism in government in three years. What, you may ask, is the basis for our growing optimism? Inflation has moderated and interest rates have gone down slightly, but not because of anything the Carney government has done. 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700 people evacuated by military as northern Ontario wildfire threatens First Nation
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700 people evacuated by military as northern Ontario wildfire threatens First Nation

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