It is the day of the by-elections in two ridings in Ontario, and one of the races appears to be highly competitive.

Polls and observers indicate that the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals are close in Milton, west of Mississauga, while the Conservatives are largely expected to hold the southwestern Ontario riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.

Milton has been vacant since the resignation of Minister Parm Gill last February to join the federal Conservative Party.

The Liberal candidate is Galen Naidoo Harris, who has worked in the local federal electoral district office and is the son of a former regional representative for the area; the Progressive Conservative candidate also has Liberal roots.

Zee Hamid, a Milton council member for three terms, donated to the Liberals in 2022 and unsuccessfully sought the Liberal federal nomination in 2015.

Lambton-Kent has been held since 2011 by Monte McNaughton, who served in opposition for the Progressive Conservatives and was appointed minister in Premier Doug Ford's government; Progressive Conservative candidate Steve Bentonoul is poised to retain the party's seat.

The Liberal candidate there is Cathy Burgardt Jason, the mayor of Lucan Biddulph. Catherine Schiller is running for the NDP while Andrina Tilgner is running for the Greens.

In Milton, Eddie Strachan is the NDP candidate and Kyle Houghton is running for the Greens.

Ford has given a lot of attention to Milton during the by-election and in the period leading up to it, through advertisements on the GO Transit service and Highway 413, as well as having several ministers and other assembly members gather there.

While the Conservatives losing in Milton would not affect Ford's majority, the party already lost a seat in last year's by-election that was held by another minister in the government, and they do not want to repeat that.

For the Liberals, the by-elections represent the first real test for Bonnie Crombie, who was crowned leader in December. The former mayor of Mississauga then decided not to run for the Milton seat herself.