Plante, Coderre tied in race to become Montreal's next mayor: poll
The two top contenders for mayor of Montreal are in a statistical tie with less than two weeks left before voters cast their ballots in the municipal election.
According to a Léger-Le Journal-Montreal Gazette poll released Thursday, Mayor Valerie Plante and Ensemble Montreal's Denis Coderre are in a dead heat for the city's top job. Both are tied at 36 per cent for voting intentions.
Meanwhile, Mouvement Montreal leader Balarama Holness has the support of 12 per cent of voters, according to the poll.
Six per cent of respondents said they'd vote for a different candidate than the top three picks and nine per cent said they were undecided.
HOUSING, ENVIRONMENT TOP ISSUES FOR VOTERS: POLL
Rental costs and home ownership was listed as the top campaign issue, according to people who responded to the survey. Twenty-three per cent of respondents said housing was the number one issue for them.
Behind housing was the environment, with voters raising issues of protection of green spaces and single-use plastics regulation as thier second-most important election issue, followed by the economic revival of the downtown and commercial arteries.
Other key issues for voters, according to the poll, include gun control and funding for Montreal police, municipal taxes, public service, and homelessness.
Language is also set to become a hot button topic as the biggest parties share polarizing views on the English-French debate in the city. Plante said she is seeking to promote French in the metropolis, while Holness is seeking bilingual status for Montreal. Meanwhile, Coderre dismissed the idea of a referendum on language, calling it “too divisive.”
The poll showed that incumbent Mayor Plante's main opponent, Coderre, has the most support among anglophone voters. Of the 90 anglophones surveyed, he had 38 per cent of their support, while Plante had 28 per cent, the poll showed. Holness came in third with 12 per cent of the anglophone vote.
"Without Holness, Denis Coderre would win because he would seek the vote of non-French speakers," Jean-Marc Léger, president of the Léger firm, was quoted as saying in the Journal de Montreal.
The poll resembles others released in recent weeks that put Plante and Coderre on the path for a real showdown in the Nov. 7 election -- one that has been made all the more interesting with Holness entering the ring and chipping away at support for Ensemble Montreal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.