Ontario Elects Liberal Majority

[LChoy]

I know CP is Calgary based, but is there anyone that's interested in the Ontario election tonight?

Liberal just won a majority government which was somewhat of a surprise, considering the election was suppose to be too close to call.

Ontario has elected a Liberal majority government, CTV News is projecting, with voters showing strong support for Kathleen Wynne after the scandal-plagued years of her predecessor.
As of 10:20 p.m. ET, the Liberals were leading in 57 ridings, the Progressive Conservatives were ahead in 28 and the NDP in 22. At dissolution, the Liberals held 48 seats, the PCs held 37 seats, while the NDP held 21 seats. One seat was vacant.


Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ctv-projects-liberals-win-majority-in-ontario-election-1.1864811#ixzz34U5JChq0

Should be very disappointing for Hudak (PC leader) where it could have been his election to lose, and he will be resigning from the leadership

[Caged Great]

Good.

[killer_carlson]

Good.

I think you forgot the green font.

[dissentowner]

Well when Hudak said he would fire 100,000 people he pretty much handed it to the Liberals.

[FlamesAddiction]

I actually voted for the first time in my life today. The station was literally about 50m from my front door, so it was too convenient not to vote. I voted for the Green Party.

They actually did reasonably well in this election. Up from 3% to %5.

[LChoy]

Well when Hudak said he would fire 100,000 people he pretty much handed it to the Liberals.

Yeah, I never understood the strategy behind that...

[burn_this_city]

I thought it would be closer. Dumb move to say you're going to lay off 100k yet make 1M jobs. The liberals were fortunate, they were ripe for the picking.

[Free Ben Hur!]

Awesome, another tax and spend majority government in Canada's largest province. This'll work out well.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Awesome, another tax and spend majority government in Canada's largest province. This'll work out well.

You forgot "borrow" and also "borrow borrow borrow".

[Caged Great]

I think you forgot the green font.

I really disliked Hudek, so I am glad they got trounced.

[Matty81]

Would not have predicted that there would be Liberal majorities in Quebec, Ontario and BC over the last year - it looked like they had no chance of majorities in all three elections at various points in the campaigns and BC and Ontario are fairly big surprises. The BC Liberals are more of a centrist coalition but that brand name seems to be really crushing it in provincial politics in the bigger provinces right now.

[Parallex]

Well when Hudak said he would fire 100,000 people he pretty much handed it to the Liberals.

Yeah seriously... "vote for me and I'll create 100,000 more unemployed people"... not the best campaign slogan (particularly for voters that might be one of those 100,000).

[Caged Great]

Yeah seriously... "vote for me and I'll create 100,000 more unemployed people"... not the best campaign slogan (particularly for voters that might be one of those 100,000).

And that's the main reason why I disliked him. You don't cheer/vote for stupidity ever.

That's one of the dumbest ideas I've seen in a campaign.

[OffsideSpecialist]

Yeah seriously... "vote for me and I'll create 100,000 more unemployed people"... not the best campaign slogan (particularly for voters that might be one of those 100,000).
well it was the "Million Jobs Plan" but I think he was far too abrasive. I look forward to seeing them with a new leader next time if I am still in Ontario.


I also think it was foolish to have absolutely nothing to talk about with regards to his platform besides that plan.

As much as the Liberals suck, I'm not sure the other options would have been better.

[calculoso]

Unbelievable. Billions of dollars wasted, and they get promoted from Minority to Majority.

Electricity rates up anywhere from 30-50% over the last 5 years. Daytime electricity rates currently 13.5c...

Taxes waaayyyy up all the time.

Can't wait for the next 4 years. :bag:

[Ark2]

Yeah seriously... "vote for me and I'll create 100,000 more unemployed people"... not the best campaign slogan (particularly for voters that might be one of those 100,000).

The 100,000 cuts were going to be done through attrition. People weren't going to get laid off, but the Liberals and NDP spun it to their advantage. When you look at the enormous deficit that Ontario holds, the fact that people voted to continue spending blindly rather than take any austerity measures is truly disgraceful. A sad day for Ontario.

[calculoso]

Results speak volumes... seats again does not match popular vote.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ontario-election-2014/results

Vote:
LIB 38%
PC 31%
NDP 24%
GRN 5%

Seats:
LIB 58 (54%)
PC 27 (25%)
NDP 22 (20%)
GRN 0

[Ark2]

Good.

I'm glad you Albertans are happy with this, because you'll be bailing us out through equalization payments for the next decade :bag:

[Machiavelli]

There were a lot of attack ads against Hudak.... a lot.

[GirlySports]

Hudek was an idiot.

The Tories counted one person holding a job for eight years as eight jobs when they made the million jobs promise.

[OffsideSpecialist]

I was just going to mention Mach, I can't remember a time that so many unions have attacked one leader as much as they did with Hudak. I also remember hearing they were passed about Horwath shifting to the right too much (haha)

[The Goon]

From a leadership standpoint, Ontarians seemed to have nothing but bad choices.

Some of my Conservative friends there (and my Mom, jeez) are ranting about the Liberals on Facebook.

On the plus side, it's kind of cool to see an openly gay woman get elected Premier of Canada's most populous province.

[Matty81]

Results speak volumes... seats again does not match popular vote.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ontario-election-2014/results

Vote:
LIB 38%
PC 31%
NDP 24%
GRN 5%

Seats:
LIB 58 (48.8%)
PC 27 (25%)
NDP 22 (20%)
GRN 0

Happens at every GD level in Canada - to me this is the major reason we have such low voter turnout in Canada. If you support any other than the big 3 parties you almost have no reason to vote and we end up with majority governments with borderline dictatorial power for 4 years everywhere for parties getting 30 odd percent of the vote. The other 6X% of the electorate get no say at all.

There was a vote in BC for proportional representation a few years back... opponents managed to make it one of the most confusing ballot questions I`ve ever seen... I wish there would just be a clear vote on it. Which electoral system, first past the post or proportional representation.

[starseed]

I dont spend a lot of time listening to the radio or watching TV, but even I felt bombarded by the endless union ads. They won the election for Wynne. That and Hudak is fairly stupid.

First Lezzer Premier!

[CaptainCrunch]

From a leadership standpoint, Ontarians seemed to have nothing but bad choices.

Some of my Conservative friends there (and my Mom, jeez) are ranting about the Liberals on Facebook.

On the plus side, it's kind of cool to see an openly gay woman get elected Premier of Canada's most populous province.

Who cares about the openly gay, it would be nice if they could find an openly gay woman with some integrity.

Instead they gave a bumbling, incompetent, dishonest politician the keys to the vault.

I hope Ontario voters like it when that 150 to 200 bucks a paycheck comes off their bottom line to fund a pension that the public servants don't have to pay into but get money from.

I hope they enjoy it when Moody down grades their provincial credit rating and they instantly add 400 million onto their annual deficit.

Or when the energy prices completely sky rocket and businesses start leaving the province because its to expensive to set up shop there.

Or they can muse magically as Wynne shuts down the investigations into Orange, Mars, and the Powerplant scandals.

All Ontario did tonight was rise up as a group and say we don't pay attention to elections, its the party that lies the best, attacks the best and mobilizes the unions in exchange for pay increases that's going to win the day.

Hudak wasn't going to fire 100,000 public sector workers, that was going to be taken care of through attrition, as it stands the civil servant is a bloated spoiled gravy train mess in that province.

One thing is right though, in two years when Wynne has to take the hatchet to everything, something that she effectively hid during her campaign the people of Ontario are going to cry blood.

Te province of Ontario is broke thanks to Wynne and Dalton before her, and its going to get far worse under that corrupt government.

And there's nothing that can be done now, when Ontario starts asking for federal bailouts.

Way to go.

But at least she's a lesbian woman in power, I guess that trumps everything else.

[Flames89]

Hudak was just clueless with his campaign. As mentioned above, advertising you will lay off 100,000 people and talking about the need to reduce the number of teachers was assinine. People don't take well to threats to their little Jimmy's future.
If he went out with a "reduce the size of government", "trim the fat", and "Ontario's debt levels are crippling" points, he could have performed much better. The PCs needed to be more moderate, instead of shifting further to the right.

[FlamesAddiction]

Awesome, another tax and spend majority government in Canada's largest province. This'll work out well.

I don't think it matters who is in government for that to happen though. I have seen a lot of Conservative governments across this country waste money as well.

[calculoso]

In this case, the generic "shifting to the right" rhetoric didn't apply. Spending is so incredibly out of control that any shift right is actually shifting more to the center

[Tinordi]

Spending is not that out of control. Prove otherwise. They have a deficit. They're borrowing at record low interest rates. If/when things pick up they trim it. Basic public finance cycle.

[calculoso]

That's why the taxes, already higher than needed, keep going up and up and up, with promises of even more spending to come, right? It's not that bad? Ha!

[nfotiu]

Results speak volumes... seats again does not match popular vote.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ontario-election-2014/results

Vote:
LIB 38%
PC 31%
NDP 24%
GRN 5%

Seats:
LIB 58 (48.8%)
PC 27 (25%)
NDP 22 (20%)
GRN 0

Shouldn't that be 55% (not 48.8)

The Canadian system really needs a run-off system for each seat. You'd think they could figure out a computerized system that let you pick a first, second, and third choice, and then proceeded to drop the lowest ranked candidate one by one until a majority is reached.

[Ark2]

On the plus side, it's kind of cool to see an openly gay woman get elected Premier of Canada's most populous province.

Who cares that she is openly gay? There are far less dangerous ways to pat yourself on the back for being progressive than to vote for someone this incompetent and corrupt.

Consider this: during the election, the OPPA (Ontario Provincial Police Association) ran attack ads against the PC's, urging voters not to support Time Hudak. Meanwhile, the OPP is currently investigating the provincial Liberal party for deleting emails in an attempt to cover-up the gas plant scandal. Not only that, but the OPP has documents that they will be releasing to the public that pertains to the investigation that will be released NEXT week. The hold up in releasing these documents, evidently, is due to "administrative" delays.

That sounds like something that happens in a third world country, not Canada. And yet, the voters not only re-elect this government, but reward them with a stronger mandate. I have never been more ashamed of Ontario than I am now. Disgusting.

[PeteMoss]

Hudek blew it with his message. You can't say you are going to cut 100,000 jobs and then expect people to look into the details to understand it. Its obviously going to get spun in a way that makes it look like you are going to fire teachers and medical staff.

This election does continue the GTA vs the rest of the province divide:

GTA results: Liberal 39, NDP 4, PC 1
Non-GTA: PC 26, Liberal 20, NDP 17

Liberals dominate Toronto and until someone can make a dent there they will keep winning in Ontario.

[habernac]

Unbelievable. Billions of dollars wasted, and they get promoted from Minority to Majority.

Electricity rates up anywhere from 30-50% over the last 5 years. Daytime electricity rates currently 13.5c...

Taxes waaayyyy up all the time.

Can't wait for the next 4 years. :bag:

when did you move, calc?

[FlamesAddiction]

Spending is not that out of control. Prove otherwise. They have a deficit. They're borrowing at record low interest rates. If/when things pick up they trim it. Basic public finance cycle.

Ronald Reagan would be proud.

[Cheese]

Its amazing how Albertan's who have voted the PCs into majority for most of the last 40+ years can talk crap about the fact that Ontario re-elected a Liberal government.
Lets face it Hudak, and I know the guy, blew it, just like his predecessor blew it with his religious stance/remarks. Ontario is a centrist voting block and Hudak took a right wing stance that just didn't sit well with the population.
The fact that the Liberal's got reelected is no more surprising then the PCs continually getting majority's in Alberta when most of those governments have been as corrupt, or more, and reckless with spending as any other government.
At least Ontario does vote out governments when called for and elect a different party.

I'm betting Wynne does an excellent job.

/edit
Although another record low voter turnout was expected, the number of people who exercised their democratic right was actually up. Unofficial results suggest 51.7 per cent of us cast ballots in the province, up 3.5 per cent from 2011′s record low of 48.2 per cent.

[Resolute 14]

Its amazing how Albertan's who have voted the PCs into majority for most of the last 40+ years can talk crap about the fact that Ontario re-elected a Liberal government.

Your ad hominem attack would have worked out better if several of the people attacking the election of the Ontario Liberals didn't happen to be in Ontario.

[calculoso]

Shouldn't that be 55% (not 48.8)

Stupid math and typos... thanks!

[calculoso]

when did you move, calc?

Summer 2010. Business merged with another and they decided not to compete with Oil&Gas salaries, choosing higher cost of living (etc) at lower pay instead

[calculoso]

At least Ontario does vote out governments when called for and elect a different party.

I'm betting Wynne does an excellent job.


... an excellent job at wasting money?

I think that an article I read yesterday said it best..
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2014/06/11/21735636.html

"The number of people who say they can't vote for PC Leader Tim Hudak because he was part of Mike Harris's cabinet is directly proportional to the number of people who say they aren't blaming Kathleen Wynne for the scandals involving her predecessor Dalton McGuinty, because she's a different person."

"In any other country, spending $1 billion to scrap power plants to save a couple of seats would have voters rioting in the streets. Here, we just yawn."

"...our debt is approaching $300 billion."

Yes I know it is from the Toronto Sun or the Canoe chain... but content wise it made some good points and some other typically bad exaggerated points. As with anything that is read, take the good with the bad.

[Fire]

Interest on Ontario's Debt accounts for 8.4% of their total expenses and it's growing fast. It's getting to the point where they might not ever recover. 20% of the work force is in the public sector. That seems extremely high.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its amazing how Albertan's who have voted the PCs into majority for most of the last 40+ years can talk crap about the fact that Ontario re-elected a Liberal government.
Lets face it Hudak, and I know the guy, blew it, just like his predecessor blew it with his religious stance/remarks. Ontario is a centrist voting block and Hudak took a right wing stance that just didn't sit well with the population.
The fact that the Liberal's got reelected is no more surprising then the PCs continually getting majority's in Alberta when most of those governments have been as corrupt, or more, and reckless with spending as any other government.
At least Ontario does vote out governments when called for and elect a different party.

I'm betting Wynne does an excellent job.

/edit
Although another record low voter turnout was expected, the number of people who exercised their democratic right was actually up. Unofficial results suggest 51.7 per cent of us cast ballots in the province, up 3.5 per cent from 2011′s record low of 48.2 per cent.

Its going to be interesting if Wynne implements that pension scheme, the one that public servants don't have to pay into but will get money out of that will take 100 to 150 per paycheck away from the people in the private sector.

Combine that with the ludicris energy costs, and the tax increases that she's going to have to implement and we're going to see people fleeing that province.

Its going to be interesting to see how far that union support goes, Wynne lied to the Ontario voters and the unions about what she's going to do to get the budget back in line, she's going to have to gas the civil servants, put massive wage reductions and freezes into effect on the civil servant. At least Hudak was honest about it.

Moody's is going to downgrade Ontario's credit rating which is going to add something like $3 billion a year to Ontario's budget.

I laughed at someone that said that Ontario's spending is out of control, they're debt to revenue ratio is about 240%, that's the worst in this country by a long shot. 10% of their revenue goes towards interest payments and that's going to bump now by quite a bit.

On top of that Moody's basically stated that they will certainly reduce the Ontario rating because they looked at Wynne's budget as basically stupid, and Wynne is now going to charge ahead with it unopposed.

Wynne hasn't done a good job to this point, that's not going to change, she's created a little version of Greece in this country, and after 11 years in government Ontario is going to have to soak in that.

I will be the first to state that I was going to vote Wildrose in the last election but changed my mind because of some of the Wildrose Gaffe's, I got sucked into the fear campaign. But the PC fear campaign was nothing compared to the terror bombing and dishonesty of the Ontario Liberal's during this campaign. But we fell for it here stupidly, and they fell for it there stupidly.

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/06/06/ontario-election-deficit/

[troutman]

I will be the first to state that I was going to vote Wildrose in the last election but changed my mind because of some of the Wildrose Gaffe's, I got sucked into the fear campaign. But the PC fear campaign was nothing compared to the terror bombing and dishonesty of the Ontario Liberal's during this campaign. But we fell for it here stupidly, and they fell for it there stupidly.



Cut the crap. People that have different values than you are not any stupider or smarter than anyone else.

[CaptainCrunch]

Interest on Ontario's Debt accounts for 8.4% of their total expenses and it's growing fast. It's getting to the point where they might not ever recover. 20% of the work force is in the public sector. That seems extremely high.

Actually it was 9.2 and its expected to hit 11 after the budget

They're in a greece like death spiral, I would expect Wynne to go to the feds hat in hand in the next two years for a bailout.

A lot of the manufacturing is going to die there because of the utilities costs and other expenses.

[CaptainCrunch]

Cut the crap. People that have different values than you are not any stupider or smarter than anyone else.

I was wrong in stating it the way I did and I apologize to anyone on this board that I offended.

[FlamesAddiction]

Actually it was 9.2 and its expected to hit 11 after the budget

They're in a greece like death spiral, I would expect Wynne to go to the feds hat in hand in the next two years for a bailout.

A lot of the manufacturing is going to die there because of the utilities costs and other expenses.

The utilities costs are a big issue here, that is true. I am not convinced that the Conservatives would have fixed it.. I have heard that many companies avoid Ontario because of it though, which is really too bad. The 13.5 cents per kwh for peak summer hours is accurate (off peak is 7.5 cents and mid is 11.2 cents) according to my latest Veridian bill.

Out of curiousity, what does it cost in Alberta? I heard that some places in the U.S., it is as low as 3 cents.

[CaptainCrunch]

The utilities costs are a big issue here, that is true. I am not convinced that the Conservatives would have fixed it.. I have heard that many companies avoid Ontario because of it though, which is really too bad. The 13.5 cents per kwh for peak summer hours is accurate (off peak is 7.5 cents and mid is 11.2 cents) according to my latest Veridian bill.

Out of curiousity, what does it cost in Alberta? I heard that some places in the U.S., it is as low as 3 cents.

I don't know if its fixable, from talking to my sister out there, a big chunk of her bill is a separate line item called Debt servicing or something like that.

Ontario power generation is very expensive right now, and the biggest cost is with their inefficient wind farms that cost a fortune but don't actually generate much power. On top of that Wynne created separate ministries for energy creation and consumption that added several hundred redundant civil servants.

[Jacks]

Hudak made a classic mistake, he made the election about himself. Rather than the spotlight being on the Liberals horrific record people were focused on his plan. He should have just stuck to script about cleaning up the economy and let the Liberals be the centre of attention. Kim Campbell was right, an election is no time to discuss real issues.

[Tinordi]

Ontario power generation is very expensive right now, and the biggest cost is with their inefficient wind farms that cost a fortune but don't actually generate much power. On top of that Wynne created separate ministries for energy creation and consumption that added several hundred redundant civil servants.

Patently false, do a modicum of research.

[Cheese]

Patently false, do a modicum of research.

start here:
http://ieso-public.sharepoint.com/

https://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rnrgynfmtn/nrgyrprt/nrgytlk/tlkwntr2013/lctrcty-eng.html

google for the rest

Also...I'm not sure where the complaining about utility/electric costs stems, but my home bill certainly has not increased significantly over the last ten years, certainly not more than the average Albertan who might be in for some sticker shock of their own pretty soon. I certainly have taken on the responsibility to be more energy "effective", as has most of my neighbors.
In regards to business models, it is certainly part of my terrain to visit sites who have significant issues in regards to their "energy management" and in 95% of cases it is their problem that costs are high. No capital has been put towards effective reductions in usage patterns, they have people in positions of power that have no idea about Energy Efficiency or where to start in that regard, or simply no knowledge of the load hogs that sit in their facility. Many facilities are still tied to 3rd party vendors that promised the moon when it came to rising costs and stuck their franchises with MUCH higher costs then sticking with fluctuating utility rates. Most of those guys have lost their jobs.
In regards to Wynne creating separate energy ministries...Im not sure where that comes from? We have the Ministry of Energy who oversees the Ontario Power Authority who oversees the IESO. The OPA is actually being reduced in power with the IESO taking over many of its key initiatives.

[stampsx2]

I want out of equilization payments to other provinces. It's time every province become accountable for its decisions. If ontario wants a tax and spend premier that will end up in debt then they should sort it out themselves.

[PeteMoss]

I don't know if its fixable, from talking to my sister out there, a big chunk of her bill is a separate line item called Debt servicing or something like that.

Ontario power generation is very expensive right now, and the biggest cost is with their inefficient wind farms that cost a fortune but don't actually generate much power. On top of that Wynne created separate ministries for energy creation and consumption that added several hundred redundant civil servants.

There is a debt retirement charge to pay down Ontario Hydro debt... but its like $3/month on my bill... not a big chunk (5% of it max)

[jayswin]

Not going to respond to Resolute14's post, eh cheese? It's alright, this always happens; You take a shot at Alberta, get called out, don't respond. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[PeteMoss]

I want out of equilization payments to other provinces. It's time every province become accountable for its decisions. If ontario wants a tax and spend premier that will end up in debt then they should sort it out themselves.

Hey.. there's talk of the Ontario Ring of Fire mining area being Ontario's oil sands, maybe Ontario will be able to make money in spite of the government like Alberta soon.

[MarchHare]

I want out of equilization payments to other provinces. It's time every province become accountable for its decisions. If ontario wants a tax and spend premier that will end up in debt then they should sort it out themselves.

Equalization doesn't work that way.

[2ArmBands]

I want out of equilization payments to other provinces. It's time every province become accountable for its decisions. If ontario wants a tax and spend premier that will end up in debt then they should sort it out themselves.

I believe 2009 or 2010 was the first time Ontario ever received equalization payments. Alberta received equalization payments in the 50s and 60s. So should Alberta just be taking part in equalization when it's convenient for them? Think about it.

Have provinces always seem to think that they are simply handing money over to have not provinces. There is actually a lot more to it. All tax payers pay into EQ

[SebC]

People that have different values than you are not any stupider or smarter than anyone else.Not true. Studies have consistently shown that liberals and atheists have higher IQs than conservatives and the religious.

[cal_guy]

Its going to be interesting if Wynne implements that pension scheme, the one that public servants don't have to pay into but will get money out of that will take 100 to 150 per paycheck away from the people in the private sector.


Those who will never contribute to the ORPP(people who have a "acceptable" pension plan or work in a federally regulated industry) won't receive anything.

[Cheese]

Your ad hominem attack would have worked out better if several of the people attacking the election of the Ontario Liberals didn't happen to be in Ontario.
Lol.. ALBERTA message board, honest mistake. Conservatives everywhere.

[Brannigans Law]

Fine by me. Another union busting politician is sent packing. He wanted to bring in Wisconsin style anti-union laws. Good riddance.

[FlamesAddiction]

I believe 2009 or 2010 was the first time Ontario ever received equalization payments. Alberta received equalization payments in the 50s and 60s. So should Alberta just be taking part in equalization when it's convenient for them? Think about it.

Have provinces always seem to think that they are simply handing money over to have not provinces. There is actually a lot more to it. All tax payers pay into EQ


I recall even Ralph Klein back when he was still premiere of Alberta stated that the federal government invested in Alberta and the oil industry before Alberta was an economic powerhouse and that they should expect a return on that. And at the time, it was Ontario that was putting up the capital for it.

I'm not saying that Albertans do not have a history of being hard working and industrious, because they certainly do; but sitting on huge oil deposits was a lottery moment.

Ontario, especially the GTA; has so many infrastructure and social challenges right now due to historical mismanagement, that they really need to spend right now to get things in line. They can't continue to ignore it.

[Resolute 14]

Lol.. ALBERTA message board, honest mistake. Conservatives everywhere.

Lol.. attempted cop out.

[Daradon]

Obviously Ontario is betting that Wynne as a leader will be better than her predecessor. And they may be right. But obviously a bunch of people were banking on the voters being more angry at the party than the leader.

Whether or not it will be much different is certainly anyone's guess. But I would agree with those that said there wasn't much of an alternative anyway. So why not put a little faith in a new leader?

Sure looks like the same thing that is happening here. I have a feeling we'll see the exact same thing. A new PC leader will gain back much of the support lost because of Redford.

Lastly, it sure is interesting how pollsters seem to be getting it wrong more and more often lately. This election, the previous Albertan one. I seem to remember there was another one, maybe I'm wrong.

[Jacks]

Lastly, it sure is interesting how pollsters seem to be getting it wrong more and more often lately. This election, the previous Albertan one. I seem to remember there was another one, maybe I'm wrong.
I don't think that they are, polls are simply a snapshot in time. With instant information, 24 hour news cycles and social media opinions can change in days or hours. In the past it took time for information to trickle down to the masses. Polling is probably becoming obsolete but that doesn't mean that what they find is wrong at the time. Trying to draw conclusions on future voting patterns from a set of poll results is getting more and more of a crap shoot though.

[SebC]

Polling is probably becoming obsoletePolling will be obsolete when strategic voting no longer has value ... i.e. when we get the right kind of electoral reform. And even then, the campaigns will still want polls to see where they are standing in the lead-ups to elections.

[Tinordi]

Polling is not absolutely. Frank Graves at EKOS basically nailed the election.

Anyway, here's a great run down of the difference in campaign strategies to give you a flavour of how political campaigners design and deliver on electoral strategy.

http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/outfoxed-and-outboxed-tim-hudak-didnt-lose-the-election-kathleen-wynne-won-it

Don’t say that Tim Hudak blew the election.

That’s the laziest possible analysis. The kind of reaction relied upon by those who lack the diligence to unearth insights of a more penetrating sort. And frankly, it’s just not fair. It’s a disservice to the largely spotless effort Hudak presented on the election trail. It’s an even greater disservice to a Liberal campaign that displayed enormous skill and no small measure of perseverance.

The truth is that Wynne’s victory was a rare triumph of strategy. A carefully, shrewdly plotted effort by the Liberal team that harnessed every ounce of the new premier’s appeal, and managed to outfox and outbox its opponents at every important juncture. Consider the following moves — many of which attracted the cluck-cluck of sidelined pundits at the time of implementation but which now figure large in the Liberal win.

[Daradon]

I think maybe certain methods of polling and more importantly statistics are becoming obsolete (or less effective) and others are taking the forefront. So maybe we're getting a changing of the guard in that area.

There was that guy in the States who got all but one area right in the last presidential election.

[kirant]

There was that guy in the States who got all but one area wrong in the last presidential election.
You may be referring to Nate Silver. He went 50 for 50 in the Presidential race (but wasn't confident about claiming Florida as Democrat and claimed it was 50/50 odds) and 31 for 33 in Senate voting (overestimated Republican voting).

[Rathji]

I think maybe certain methods of polling and more importantly statistics are becoming obsolete (or less effective) and others are taking the forefront. So maybe we're getting a changing of the guard in that area.

There was that guy in the States who got all but one area wrong in the last presidential election.

So he only got 1 right?

[vanisleflamesfan]

I want out of equilization payments to other provinces. It's time every province become accountable for its decisions. If ontario wants a tax and spend premier that will end up in debt then they should sort it out themselves.

Okay I think that just about covers it for all of the: "Albertans talk about Ontario" cliches.

I think we just need a "Let the b@st@rds freeze in the dark" and that should wrap things up.

[Daradon]

You may be referring to Nate Silver. He went 50 for 50 in the Presidential race (but wasn't confident about claiming Florida as Democrat and claimed it was 50/50 odds) and 31 for 33 in Senate voting (overestimated Republican voting).

Yup! Thanks man. I can see his face, couldn't remember his name. Too lazy to look it up.

So he only got 1 right?

Whoops! Haha.

[LanceUppercut]

"Let the b@st@rds freeze in the dark"

Off topic a bit, but I think this one has run it's day. I think most of Alberta would be more then happy to sell our oil to anyone who wants to buy it. West, South or East.