After largely taking a back seat for the first two weeks of the campaign, housing was the hot topic at Friday's leaders' debate on northern issues in North Bay.
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced scrutiny over his government's unmet housing targets. Despite a promise to build 1.5 million homes, Ontario's housing starts had declined by 16 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, with only about 72,000 starts recorded.
The first half of the election campaign has — for many surprisingly — not focused on housing, but Ford was pressed by the other candidates on failing to meet those new build targets.