The Province of Ontario will be holding an election on Thursday, February 27, 2025. 

Social Planning Toronto is proud to provide the voting public with nonpartisan resources, including issue-specific campaigns and advocacy, voter engagement resources, advocacy platforms and campaigns, and platform analysis and election tracking. 

We will also be hosting our own community engagement events, which you can learn more about on our 2025 Elections Event Calendar. 

Contents:

• Voting Basics
• Events hosted by SPT
• Events hosted independently of SPT
• Issue-Specific Campaigns and Advocacy
• SPT's Issue-Specific Fact Sheets
• Platform Analysis and Tracking
• Resources for Nonprofits and Organizers
• More Campaigns and Other Ways to Get Involved

Voting Basics

Elections Ontario is the official election resource, and contains information on how, when, and where to vote.

Make sure to register to vote by February 17, and review the list of acceptable ID. (You can still vote if you aren't registered, but you will need a piece of ID with both your name and home address).

See the list of registered political parties. 

If you do not have a permanent address, visit the list of administrative resources from Elections Ontario. Community worker Diana Chan McNally put together a resource on how to vote when you're unhoused. 

Settlement.org has resources for newcomers to Ontario. Please not that in order to vote, you most be a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario; refugee claimants and temporary and permanent residents cannot vote.

Here is an election guide for people living in Toronto Community Housing.

Events Hosted by SPT

Currently, SPT has planned three virtual community engagement events around the upcoming election. All the events are free, but registration is required.

See our full event calendar. 

Wed, Feb. 19: Advocating for Change in the 2025 Provincial Election (12 - 1:30 pm)

Thurs, Feb. 20: Provincial Election Community Forum 2025 (7 - 8:30 pm)

Mon, Feb. 24: Ringing the Alarm: How will Ontario’s Employment Services Transformation Impact Toronto? (12 - 1:30 pm)

Stay up to date by following our full events calendar.

Events Hosted Independently of SPT

All events have occurred.

Issue-Specific Campaigns and Advocacy

Get involved! Many organizations have created campaigns around key issues that will be impacted by the upcoming election. These campaigns have been organized independently of Social Planning Toronto. For more information, please contact the organizations directly.

POVERTY REDUCTION & INCOME INSECURITY

• Ontario for All
  
• Ontario Nonprofit Network
• Raise the Rates 
• Income Security Advocacy Centre
• Feed Ontario

HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

• Ontario Coalition for the Rights of Homeless People
• Ontario's Big City Mayors
• Ontario ACORN
• Fair Rent Ontario 
• No Demovictions

CHILDCARE

• Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare

DECENT WORK

• Justice for Workers
• Workers’ Action Centre

EDUCATION

• Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
• Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

• Ontario Nature
• Seniors for Climate Action Now
• Wilderness Committee

HEALTHCARE

• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Ontario Medical Association
  
• Registered Nurses of Ontario
• Care Watch

RIGHTS & JUSTICE

• Canadian Civil Liberties Association

SPT's Issue-Specific Fact Sheets

We've produced fact sheets highlighting three crucial issues. How we vote on Feb. 27 will determine whether all Ontarians have:

• safe, affordable, and accessible homes,
• better social supports, fair wages, and high-quality public and nonprofit employment services, and
• a safe, healthy province.

Platform Analysis and Tracking

The Toronto Star is tracking campaign promises made by the four major parties; you can sort through the information by issue or party. 

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario also has a provincial election campaign commitment tracker, with an emphasis on issues that relate to AMO's election advocacy. 

Feed Ontario has created a platform tracker to highlight how the four major parties have committed to poverty.

Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) and The Green Line have developed platform analyses on political party promises. 

Watch the final Ontario Leaders' Debate (Feb 17) to watch four major party leaders debate key provincial issues.

Resources for Nonprofits and Organizers

The Ontario Nonprofit Network has compiled a list of resources for nonprofits engaging in election advocacy work. This includes a guide on encouraging non-partisan voter engagement and a list of ONN's election priorities. 

Ontario for All has a database of non-partisan provincial election tools. 

Engage Democracy has tools to help you engage effectively with your community during an election. 

More Campaigns and Other Ways to Get Involved

The Association of Municipalities Ontario has created a campaign called Vote Like Your Quality of Life Depends on It! to ensure that voters know what provincial support municipalities need to deliver the quality of life they expect. See the communications toolkit for more. 

Oasis and Community Living Ontario have created a book of e-mail and letter-writing templatesthat residents and agencies can use to contact political candidates and ask them their plan to support those with developmental disabilities on the Developmental Services waitlist. 

North York Community House has organized a Get Out the Vote Campaign where volunteers of all ages can help their neighbours make an informed decision in the election. 

The Ontario Federation of Labour has launched Women Vote, a campaign to get out the vote. Service Employees International Union, which represents 60,000 frontline healthcare workers in Ontario, has their own get out the vote campaign.