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Why some Ontario voters are turning to AI chatbots for 2026 municipal elections
Some Ontario voters turn to AI for election info
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Eric Apps had an inkling of who would get his vote in Toronto’s municipal election, but the lawyer wanted a second opinion before making his final decision.
In Parkdale-High Park, his usual safe choice in longtime councillor Gord Perks was taken away when the 63-year-old decided to retire. The race for the city’s west-end ward has ballooned to 10 candidates — none of whom Apps is familiar with.
He turned to a system he was familiar with: Claude, Anthropic's artificial intelligence chatbot. Apps asked the bot for the top five polling candidates in his ward and their policies on issues such as bike lanes, housing and property taxes.
"It laid them all out in a very easily digestible format," he said.
Apps is not the only one turning to AI for election information. During Quebec's provincial election earlier this month, an estimated 40 per cent of the province's voters turned to AI chatbots and received false and outdated information about the election, according to McGill University researchers. Many Quebec news outlets don't allow chatbots to access their websites, so their reports cannot be mined for users' queries.
Experts say this marks a troubling shift in the democratic process, where citizen engagement and human judgment is superseded by some algorithms that could be providing false information.
There were a few gaps in Apps' own search, he noted. The chatbot could not provide much information on candidates who weren’t as widely reported on by news outlets or who didn't have very active online presences. He acknowledged that some of the gaps could be related to the parameters of his questions.
“The blind spots are probably in the eyes of the beholders,” Apps said. “If you have your point of view going into it, then it probably is going to be giving back information that is not necessarily going to focus on opening your eyes.”
Alissa Centivany, an associate professor of Information and media studies at Western University, said artificial intelligence bots have replaced traditional search engines, such as Google, and reliable media platforms, such as news organizations' websites.
For some voters, chatbots have become their main method of seeking information.
For AI researchers like Centivany, it remains unclear what an AI chatbot’s "technical process" is as it scrapes the internet for information. Centivany notes that the quality of information AI chatbots can compile is often lower than she would hope for, especially in the context of political elections.
One concerning element, she said, is that the mishmash of information it gathers can include user-generated content from social media sites like Reddit. Centivany said researchers are starting to see evidence of how a bot will compile information based on what they think a user will want to hear, based on past queries, as opposed to objective facts.
“A lot of it is opinion, a lot of it is untrue, a lot of it is inflammatory,” she said. “And it’s being used as a source of information.”
As he asked Claude more questions about candidates in his ward, Apps said he was also keenly aware of its limitations, especially with the influx of content on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.
"You have to take your AI engine with a grain of salt," he said. "It gave me the basic information and then it puts it back to the viewer."
The accessibility of the AI platforms made political participation easier, Apps said. While he considers himself somewhat politically aware, he said the chatbot acted as an information "refresher."
"You ask it a question and it gives you an answer," he said. "It's not giving you glossy videos with clickbait-ish headlines."
Anthropic said Claude uses web search to find up-to-date information and shows its sourcing so users can "judge their credibility for themselves."
"Claude is trained to note when claims are disputed, when sources conflict, or when a source may be inaccurate or have an agenda," the company said in a statement to The Canadian Press.
Earlier this month, Anthropic announced new updates to its usage policies, which included a "refocusing" of their elections section and political content restrictions.
"We’ve further sharpened our section on elections, focusing it specifically on disallowing the use of Claude to deceive voters or disrupt elections (for instance, by spreading false information about candidates or how to vote, impersonating candidates or election officials, or trying to suppress turnout)," the company's news release read.
Alex Marland, a professor of Canadian politics and the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia University, said it makes sense that voters would turn to an accessible tool such as AI for information about candidates in elections.
Typically, people might vote for the political party they most align with, but candidates in Ontario municipal elections are not affiliated with a party.
“What ends up happening is you have to invest a lot more time to try to understand, 'What are my choices and what do these people stand for?'" Marland said.
It’s a positive sign that voters want to get engaged in municipal politics, Marland said, since Ontario’s last municipal election had record-low voter turnout. According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the average voter turnout in the 2022 was almost 33 per cent, compared to roughly 38 per cent in 2018.
But it’s up to users to be vigilant in fact-checking the information they’re receiving, Marland added.
“This is a piece of information that is going in with other pieces of information."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2026.
By Sadeen Mohsen | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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This Ontario village with little shops and rolling hills is like a cozy Hallmark scene
It's the perfect spot for a late-autumn outing. 🍂
Cozy small towns with quaint shops and charming streets don't just exist on screen. This Ontario village looks like it was plucked from an autumn Hallmark film, and it's only a road trip away from Toronto.
Tucked amid rolling hills and vibrant leaves, the destination is a magical place to explore in late fall.
Creemore is a picture-perfect village tucked into the scenic Niagara Escarpment, about 2 hours from Toronto.
According to the website, it is known as "the little village with the big heart," and the historic Main Street will whisk you away to a "simpler time."
You can stroll through the town, popping into cozy bookshops and local boutiques along the way.
Since autumn is all about spiced lattes and sweet treats, you'll want to stop by these charming cafes dotted throughout the area.
You can grab a baked good and seasonal drink from The Creemore Bakery, Bank Café or Good Grief Coffee Roasters.
Or enjoy a crisp local beer from the Creemore Springs Brewery.
There's more to Creemore than its quaint shops and charming main street.
The village is also home to some attractions, including North America's Smallest Jail, a tiny building dating back to the 1800s with just three cells.
If you're hoping to do some last-minute leaf-peeping, Creemore is close to several scenic fall hiking spots.
Devil's Glen Provincial Park is a must-visit, with forested trails and a boardwalk offering beautiful views of the valley below.
Nottawasaga Lookout is another beautiful place to take in the views, with sweeping vistas of the Niagara Escarpment framed by vibrant shades of red, orange and gold.
You can also explore the Bruce Trail, which passes through sections of the Niagara Escarpment and offers more opportunities to admire the autumn scenery.
Creemore is located just a short drive from Collingwood, another charming town with a lively main street, shops, and eateries. You can also pop over to Blue Mountain Village while in the area, a charming pedestrian village with outdoor attractions and more.
With its beautiful scenery and Hallmark-worthy charm, Creemore is an idyllic destination for a last-minute autumn getaway.
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BC SPCA urges election candidates to commit to pet-friendly housing laws
SPCA urges candidates to ease pet-housing rules
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - BC SPCA (Mandatory Credit)
As British Columbia chooses a new provincial government on Saturday, the SPCA has launched its own campaign urging voters to call on election candidates to commit to changing laws so that families with pets will have equal access to housing.
The plea comes after Erin Hayman's family spent months hunting for a place to live with their pets when they lost their home in the Bald Range wildfire, which destroyed about 150 structures in the district of Summerland, B.C. in August.
A statement from the BC SPCA says Hayman's family was determined to keep their whole family together, including their two dogs and four cats, after flames destroyed their home this summer, but housing limitations made it "impossible."
Hayman's four cats, Peaches, Miso, Gauntlett and Calamari, have been staying at the SPCA's emergency boarding program since the fire, and they found temporary housing that accepted their dogs.
But a statement from the SPCA says it has taken the family about three months to find pet-friendly, long-term housing that will allow them to reunite with their cats in November.
Hayman says it has been "incredibly difficult" for his daughters, as they are dealing with the pain of losing everything in the fire, and fearing at one point that they might have to give their cats away.
Sarah Herring with the BC SPCA says they are seeing too many families being forced to surrender or rehome pets they love because they can't find pet-friendly housing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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7 destinations pas chères pour les Québécois selon l'expert en aubaine des Vols d'Alexi
Prends des notes, tu as un voyage à organiser! ✈️
Voyager peut être très dispendieux. Hôtels, restaurants, activités touristiques, transports, des vacances outremer peuvent certainement demander un certain budget et même parfois te faire grincer des dents devant ton portefeuille qui se vide à une vitesse fulgurante.
Pour t'aider à économiser un brin et te permettre alors de profiter au max de tes congés, l'expert en aubaines, Alexi Roy, l'homme derrière Les Vols d'Alexi, une entreprise qui te permet de recevoir des alertes de vols à bas prix, s'est entretenu avec Narcity afin de te donner ses destinations préférées qui sont souvent à petits prix pour la population québécoise.
Que ce soit en raison des nombreuses offres de vols pas chers à partir de Montréal, du coût de la vie, ou du taux de change, ces sept endroits valent assurément le détour! Prends des notes et sors ta valise et tes lunettes de soleil, car tu as un voyage à préparer!
À noter que les aubaines mentionnées pour chaque pays sélectionné par le voyageur peuvent avoir été publiées il y a plusieurs jours. Il se pourrait donc que les prix ne soient plus valides. Par contre, cela te permet d'avoir une idée des différents tarifs possibles pour ces destinations.
Le Portugal
Le Portugal est l'une des destinations préférées des touristes qui s'envolent vers l'Europe. Sur le bord de l'océan Atlantique et de la Méditerranée, ce pays envoûte par ses plages magnifiques, sa riche culture et, bien sûr, sa scène culinaire savoureuse.
« Tap Air, c'est le transporteur qui permet d'avoir les prix les plus bas vers l'Europe. Vu que la maison-mère est à Lisbonne, ça fait que cette destination est beaucoup moins chère », indique Alexi.
L'expert des bonnes aubaines a d'ailleurs trouvé des vols aller-retour, de septembre 2023 à février 2024, vers Lisbonne pour 541 $, soit 51 % de rabais par rapport au prix habituel.
Arrivé.e là-bas sache que les prix au Portugal, pour le logement, le transport, la nourriture et les activités, sont peu élevés si on les compare à d'autres pays européens. Le coût de la vie serait, selon la plateforme Numbeo, 45 % moins cher qu'au Canada.
Monnaie courante : Euro
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 18 avril 2023
San Francisco
Tout récemment, Alexi a déniché des vols aller-retour directs vers San Francisco pour moins de 500 $ : « Ce qui est intéressant avec une destination comme celle-là, c'est que tu es à l'autre bout carrément des États-Unis alors l'espèce de ratio dollars/distance est vraiment vraiment bon et ce sont des vols directs ».
Alexi précise que ce n'est pas une destination plus dispendieuse qu'une autre dans l'état de la Californie. Le fana des voyages recommande de visiter les attractions touristiques telles que le fameux Golden Gate Bridge, mais aussi de partir à l'aventure un peu à l'extérieur de la ville pour explorer la nature impressionnante.
Monnaie courante : Dollar américain
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 4 mai 2023
Guadeloupe
« Le coût de la vie est super acceptable là-bas. Je dirais que tout ce qui est Guadeloupe et Martinique, […] ce sont vraiment des coup de coeur. »
Le spécialiste des recherches de vols peu dispendieux a d'ailleurs trouvé, à maintes reprises, plusieurs vols vers cette île paradisiaque à peu de frais et de multiple abonné.es en ont profité. Reste donc à l'affût si des vacances au soleil te font de l'oeil.
Monnaie courante : Euro
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 30 avril 2023
Colombie
« La Colombie a eu une réputation un peu plus mouvementée il y a environ 10 ans, mais maintenant c'est très appréciée. […] C'est vraiment pas cher! Le billet d'avion c'est pratiquement la dépense la plus élevée durant tout le voyage, ce n'est vraiment pas dispendieux la Colombie », lance-t-il.
Concernant les villes à visiter, Alexi recommande particulièrement Medellín, Bogota et Carthagène. Tu peux actuellement trouver des vols pour la Colombie pour 619 $ aller-retour, pour des séjours entre mai 2023 et janvier 2024. Les vols sont 46 % moins chers que les prix habituels.
Monnaie courante : Pesos colombiens
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 8 mai 2023
Calgary
Depuis l'arrivée des compagnies aériennes à bas prix au Canada, on peut penser à Flair Airlines et Lynx Air, l'Ouest canadien s'est complètement ouvert aux Québécois.es : « C'est vraiment Calgary et Vancouver qui sont très bas (les vols). Oui, encore là, c'est au Canada, donc ça reste très abordable. […] Ce sont vraiment des destinations gagnantes. […] Calgary, souvent le monde qui va aller là-bas, c'est pour faire des road trips sur les super routes à travers les montagnes. Dans ce coin-là, tu peux aller à Banff, tu peux te promener. »
Alexi trouve souvent des vols directs pour moins de 150 $ aller-retour. À un tel prix, ça vaut la peine d'explorer ce beau coin de pays.
Monnaie courante : Dollar canadien
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 14 avril 2023
Orlando
« Tu peux partir de Plattsburgh au lieu de Montréal pour te rendre en Floride. C'est un truc que beaucoup de Québécois ne savent pas. Si tu fais une heure de route à partir du centre-ville de Montréal, tu fais juste dépasser la frontière, […] et tu peux sauver beaucoup pour des vols internes aux États-Unis », conseille Alexi.
En effet, sur sa fiche d'aubaines tirée de sa plateforme, on peut voir qu'un aller-retour en partance de Plattsburgh vers Sanford en Floride peut facilement coûter environ 150 $, soit 69 % moins cher que les vols aller-retour habituels.
Monnaie courante : Dollar américain
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 26 avril 2023
L'Irlande
Le globe-trotteur propose de concorder les aubaines avec des fêtes populaires pour encore plus de plaisir et participer à la culture du pays. Tu pourrais par exemple prendre part au Carnaval de Rio au Brésil ou à la Saint-Patrick en Irlande.
Il a d'ailleurs déniché des vols aller-retour entre Montréal et Dublin, avec une escale à Lisbonne, pour 590 $ pour des dates en décembre 2023 et février 2024. Sur place, tu pourras prendre la route et découvrir les vallées vertes de ce beau pays d'Europe et tous ses trésors.
Monnaie courante : Euro
Pour voir l'aubaine datant du 24 avril 2023