Ontario's response to the escalating trade war with the United States will factor heavily in the first legislative sitting after Premier Doug Ford cruised to victory in the snap February election.

An organization tasked with managing Canada's nuclear waste found one site to store millions of bundles of radioactive used fuel for thousands of years hundreds of metres underground — and now it's looking for a second.

Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives chugged to a third majority government on Thursday, propelled by his visible crusade against economic uncertainty emanating from the U.S., though falling short of the increased majority he urged.

Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won't have long to sit back and bask in the glow of winning a third majority government, with an imminent tariff threat around the corner.

Ontario's political party leaders have criss-crossed the province, released their platforms and made their pitches over the past month — now it's decision day for voters.

Among the promises are a few previously unannounced measures including a $5-billion Protect Ontario Account to help respond to American tariffs, $705 million to expand STEM and skilled trades training capacity at post-secondary institutions, and $50 million to support modular housing technology.

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is leading in the polls and the three other party leaders largely kept their attacks focused on him. One of the most pointed moments of the debate came when Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner put Ford on the spot, directly addressing him about the rates for Ontario Disability Support Program payments.

The other major political parties say this is the worst time for Ontario to find itself in an election, with U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods set to take effect Tuesday.

Ford says he needs the strongest majority in Ontario history in order to effectively deal with the threatened 25 per cent tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, and has called a snap election for Feb. 27, nearly 1 1/2 years before the scheduled June 2026 vote.

Ontario voters are headed to the polls more than a year ahead of schedule.