Doug Ford leads PCs to majority government

Doug Ford will soon occupy the premier’s office at Queen’s Park.

His Progressive Conservatives won Thursday’s election with a decisive 76 ridings, well above the 63 seats needed for a majority government.

“A new day has dawned in Ontario – a day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth,” he told the crowd at his campaign headquarters.

His election promises included income tax cuts, scrapping the updated sex-ed curriculum and opposing a carbon tax.

Ford also rolled out several pledges designed with populist appeal in mind, from cutting gas prices by 10 cents a litre to introducing buck-a-beer and cutting hydro bills.

Andrea Horwath’s NDP will form the Official Opposition.

It’s a turnaround for the party, which has been stuck in third place since Bob Rae’s New Democratic government was defeated in 1995.

Meanwhile, it was a stunning collapse for the Liberal party which held on to just seven seats.

The party lost official status after leading the province for the past 15 years.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who narrowly hung on to her seat, resigned as Liberal leader.

It was an historic night for the Green Party whose leader Mike Schreiner won the party’s first-ever seat in the province in Guelph.

Voter turnout clocked in at 58 per cent — up from about 51 per cent in the last election in 2014.