With the emergence of the $8 billion land swap scandal in Ontario's "Green Belt," a recent poll of eligible voters showed the lowest levels of support for Ford's government since the last provincial elections in June 2022.

The poll results, which included approximately 2,000 voters in Ontario, published by Abacus Data Inc. on Tuesday, found that the likelihood of respondents voting for the Progressive Conservatives is 2 percent lower than it was two weeks ago, decreasing to 27 percent.

While the Conservatives still lead over the Liberals, led by interim leader John Fraser, who received 22 percent, and the New Democrats led by Marit Stiles at 21 percent, the party has dropped by seven percent - from 41 percent - since Abacus's last poll on July 25.

The Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party saw an increase in support of three points and two points, respectively.

This new data was released on the same day that Premier Doug Ford stated his government would reassess hundreds of applications to develop protected land following two damning reports on the Green Belt that outlined a highly flawed process favoring some developers and lacking transparency.

David Colet, CEO of the polling company, said in a press release, "The Green Belt scandal has likely harmed support for the Progressive Conservatives, noting that this is the lowest level of support we have measured for the Conservatives in Ontario since the last provincial elections."

To reach these results, Abacus surveyed just over 2,000 eligible voters in Ontario from August 29 to September 4, 2023, in an effort to measure the impact of the Green Belt scandal on support for the Conservatives in Ontario and the Ford government. The company noted that most of the poll was completed before the resignation of Housing Minister Steve Clark on Labor Day Monday.

When asked about which party they would vote for if the provincial elections were held today, respondents from the heart of Toronto reached a three-way tie, within the margin of error of the poll.

The Liberals slightly led at 31 percent, while the Conservatives received 30 percent and the New Democrats got 28 percent.

In the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, the Conservatives led in the Durham and York regions, while the Liberals garnered the most support in Halton and Milton.

In Peel, the Conservatives and Liberals are tied among men, with Ford's government leading by 12 points, while tying with the New Democratic Party and the Liberals among women.