TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford plans to call a snap election next Wednesday and send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, The Canadian Press has learned. Two senior government sources say Ford recently made the decision for the rare winter election after waffling for months.

Premier Doug Ford says Ontario residents will be heading to the polls next month. Speaking in Brampton today (Jan. 24), the premier confirmed the rumours saying that Feb. 27 will be the date of the election.

Doug Ford could trigger an Ontario election as early as next week, two sources close to the government confirmed to CBC News. Both sources said they expect the election to be called in the first week of February,

A new Leger poll, exclusive to the National Post, put Ford’s Progressive Conservatives 24 points ahead of the Liberals. The results indicate 46 per cent of poll respondents expressed support for the reigning Tories versus 22 per cent for Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals, 19 per cent for the NDP, just 7 per cent for the Green Party and 6 per cent other.

Speaking at a Markham fundraiser that was closed to the media, Premier Doug Ford did not mince words about a vote he is expected to trigger as early as next week.

Premier Doug Ford is planning to call a provincial election next Wednesday, which would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, a senior Progressive Conservative source has confirmed to CBC News.The planned election call would follow months of speculation that Ford wanted to face voters before the fixed 2026 date.