With exactly one year until Ontario heads to the polls, political observers say the cloud of uncertainty surrounding pandemic life will have a profound impact on the province's next election.
On June 2, 2022, Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives will be vying for re-election.
That prospect that has been cast into serious doubt by their handling of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the chaotic vaccine rollout.
Ford's approval ratings have seen a sharp drop in recent months as the province combats the third wave of the virus.
Western University political science professor Cristine de Clercy says voters' natural inclination to re-elect a first-term government may not apply in this case because of the pandemic.
Peter Graefe, a political science professor at McMaster University, says he doesn't think the damage done to Ford's approvals during the third wave is ``baked in'' yet, but he must avoid mistakes made earlier in his term if he hopes to win.
A recent Abacus Data poll found 46 per cent of respondents had a negative view of the premier, up from 37 per cent in March.