Ontario election speculation ramps up: Get the latest here

The premier was in Mississauga for a “fireside discussion” at the Mississauga Board of Trade. During his speech, he largely focused on the U.S. tariff threat and continued to call for a “Team Canada approach” to combat Donald Trump’s plan.

However, he also brought up a list of projects the province is supporting in Mississauga, including the Hazel McCallion LRT line and the expansion of Trillium’s hospital in the city’s centre.

He didn’t stop to speak with reporters after the event.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Thursday that “something smells wrong” to her about the province’s plans to turn the old Ontario Place site into a mega-spa and that the public still deserves answers.

Stiles sought an integrity commissioner investigation into Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma in the wake of a scathing auditor general report on the spa deal with the Austrian company, Therme.

Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake declined to investigate, saying in his decision: “I find that there are insufficient grounds for me to believe that Therme’s interest was improperly advanced by Minister Surma.”

Regardless, it sounds like Stiles wants to make Ontario Place an election issue.

“The people of Ontario deserve answers about this multi-billion dollar shady deal,” she said in a news release. “Families from Windsor to Wawa are paying $400 per household for a Toronto luxury destination that’s hours away and out of reach. That’s not putting Ontario first.”

Bonnie Crombie was back in Mississauga on Thursday, but will soon depart her old stomping ground for a cross-province tour.

Crombie is branding it the “More for You” tour and it lays out the three promises that will be core to her campaign:

• Getting every Ontarian access to a family doctor within four years.
• Cutting income taxes, small business taxes and removing the HST from home heating.
• Cutting development charges in an effort to spur the construction of more affordable homes.

With rumours of an early Ontario election circulating at Queen's Park, all of the major parties are racing to nominate a full slate of 124 candidates to contest every riding in the province.

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives began nominating candidates last September, but the pace of those nominations has quickened over the past few months, with the party now having nominated 74 people. The Liberal Party says it has nominated, or is in the process of nominating, 50 candidates. The Green Party says it has nominated 45 candidates and the New Democrats say they have 31 candidates in place.

Queen’s Park reporter Shawn Jeffords has more on the nomination scramble here.

No, Ontario Premier Doug Ford hasn’t officially said he’s calling a snap election, but there are plenty of signs that it’s coming.

CBC Toronto will bring you the latest election speculation and analysis here. Check back throughout the day as we learn more.