Ontario's Political Landscape: Conservatives (40%, +3 Points) Have Close Edge On Governing Liberals (37%, Unchanged)

Toronto, ON - According to a new Ipsos Reid survey of 770 Ontarians, conducted on behalf of Global News and CFRB, the John Tory led Progressive Conservatives (40%, +3 points from a February Ipsos Reid survey) have gained a slight edge on the current ruling Dalton McGuinty led Liberal Party (37%, unchanged).

Howard Hampton and the NDP trail further back of the pack with 17% support (-1 point), and Frank de Jong and the Green Party continue to garner a modest percentage of total votes (5%, -2 points).

Thinking of how you feel right now, if a PROVINCIAL election were held tomorrow, which of the following parties' candidates would you, yourself, be most likely to support ?

• Support for the Progressive Conservatives is strongest among those in Eastern Ontario (48%).
• Support for the Liberal Party is strongest among those in Northern Ontario (42%).

Premier's Approval Rating Up To 57% (+4 Points From February)...

Dalton McGuinty's approval rating as Premier of Ontario crept up 4 points to 57% (8% "strongly approve"). Thirty-nine percent disapprove of his performance (20% "strongly disapprove"), and the remaining 4% "don't know".

• Approval for Premier McGuinty is highest in the Northern Ontario (62%) and the GTA (61%); while
• Disapproval is highest in Eastern Ontario (47%) and Central Ontario (41%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CanWest/Global and CFRB from May 23-25th, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 770 adult residents of Ontario were interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Ontario been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual population of Ontario according to the 2001 Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
(416) 324-2900
[email protected]

Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2005, Ipsos generated global revenues of e717.8 million ($853.8 million U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.