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It’s going to be a tight mayoral race in Mississauga with three candidates, including the current and former mayors, now neck and neck among decided and leaning voters, a new poll suggests.
Former mayor Bonnie Crombie has 30 per cent support among decided and leaning voters, while current mayor Carloyn Parrish is at 29 per cent and city Coun. Alvin Tedjo is at 26 per cent, according to a poll from national public opinion research firm Liaison Strategies.
David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said the poll results indicate a competitive race ahead for Mississauga.
Support for Tedjo has increased by more than double since August in what was already a tight mayoral race, said a news release by the firm.
“In August, he was at 12 per cent, well behind two candidates tied at 35 per cent. He is now at 26 per cent, just four points behind Crombie and three behind Parrish,” Valentin said.
Coun. Dipika Damerla has 11 per cent of support, while four per cent said they would vote for a different candidate other than the top four.
WATCH | Highlights from Mississauga’s first mayoral debate of the election:
The Mississauga mayoral debate in 3 minutes
Mississauga’s four leading mayoral candidates went head to head in the first mayoral debate ahead of October’s municipal election. Check out the highlights.
Liaison polled a random sample of 1,000 Mississauga residents from Oct. 2 to 4 using interactive voice recording. People were reached on landlines and cellphones.
The research firm said it weighted data to match targets based on the 2021 census and that the poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
“This election is going to be close and we are taking absolutely nothing for granted,” said Crombie in an emailed statement. “Residents are worried about what things cost … my focus is on practical, responsible solutions that will make life more affordable.”
CBC has reached out to Parrish, Tedjo and Damerla for comment on the latest numbers.
Undecided voters remain the same, despite poll shifts
Despite the shift in voter support, the pool of undecided voters remains the same as August at 26 per cent, said Valentin.
Parrish’s approval ratings have also remained unchanged since the last poll with 38 per cent in support of her performance and 42 per cent against, he said.
But Valentin said support for Parrish doesn’t necessarily mean residents have given their vote of confidence on how things are going in Mississauga.
Only 28 per cent of respondents said the city was going in the right direction, while 48 per cent said Mississauga was going in the wrong direction.
With election day coming up on Oct. 26, concerns around affordability as a major issue in the city has grown from 19 per cent in August’s poll to 25 per cent in October.
Fifteen per cent of respondents voted that both housing and taxes were two other issues in Mississauga.