Asked on Wednesday whether he had ever told Ford he would proceed with the expansion, Carney gave a one-word answer.

"No."

Scarborough Southwest has been vacant since February when Doly Begum, who held the riding provincially for the NDP, resigned to successfully run for the federal Liberals there.

Ontario’s lobbying registry drew a mix of familiar corporate heavyweights, politically connected consultants and more unexpected entrants over the past week, as organizations positioned themselves on files ranging from housing and health care to energy, artificial intelligence and even whale protection.

An internal email from Bradford's campaign to key supporters, obtained by QP Briefing, was sent out this Wednesday, saying that Alexander's candidacy risks repeating the vote split that allowed Chow to win in 2023.

Multiple sources familiar with the campaign confirmed to QP Briefing that the Don Valley West MPP has decided to run and has already raised a significant amount of money ahead of Friday's deadline to officially register.