The local question deserves a local answer.
Ahead of Ontario’s municipal election, a reminder that national mood is no substitute for neighbourhood evidence.
October 2026 · 3 min readRead insight
The Northbound journal
Evidence.
In perspective.
Public opinion, changing markets and the questions behind the numbers. Explore our analysis and research guides.
Canada / Ontario / TorontoFollow the journal via RSS
Looking for election polling?Explore election polls and reports ↗
About this archive. Retrospectives cover events and data from January 2025 onward and were first published on 25 October 2026. Period labels describe the subject, not a historical publication date. The journal does not contain original Northbound polling.
18 articlesOrdered by period covered · Guides at the end
What people expect shapes what they do next.
Reading consumer expectations as a decision signal, with the limits left in view.
Q2 2026 · 3 min readRead insight
A lower headline can still leave a higher bill.
Why price levels and inflation rates belong in different questions.
January 2026 · 3 min readRead insight
Inflation cooled. The price level did not reset.
The 2025 annual review explains why slower inflation and persistent affordability pressure can coexist.
2025 year in review · 3 min readRead insight
Confidence is more than a view of the economy.
Household finances, employment expectations and spending plans can move in different directions.
Q4 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
A rate cut is an event. Confidence is a question.
The October 2025 decision and the importance of measuring responses rather than assuming them.
October 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
Less uncertainty does not automatically mean expansion.
Reading the gap between improving sentiment and cautious business plans.
Q3 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
The same rate decision, different household realities.
Why segmentation starts with exposure to a decision, not just age or income.
September 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
A smaller downside is not the same as a strong outlook.
The research lesson from a summer of cautious business expectations.
Q2 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
One national result. Many regional stories.
The 2025 federal vote illustrates why geography belongs beside the national headline.
April 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
Uncertainty belongs in the questionnaire.
When the outlook is changing quickly, asking what people do not know can be as useful as asking what they expect.
Q1 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
A changing baseline needs a consistent measure.
The case for keeping a tracker stable when the news moves quickly.
March 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
Turnout changes the denominator.
Ontario’s 2025 election and the difference between residents, electors and voters.
February 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
The average basket is not every household’s basket.
January 2025 provides a useful starting point for thinking about price experience.
January 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
A new year. A different borrowing-cost baseline.
Looking back at the January 2025 rate decision, and what it can and cannot tell us about sentiment.
January 2025 · 3 min readRead insight
Before the headline, read the method.
Six questions to ask before deciding what a poll can tell you.
Research guide · 4 min readRead insight
A bigger sample is not the whole answer.
Recruitment, coverage and weighting deserve attention alongside the interview count.
Research guide · 3 min readRead insight
Start with the decision. Then write the survey.
A practical brief for commissioning research that leads somewhere.
Research guide · 3 min readRead insight
No matching articles.
Try a broader search or reset the filters.
Every article includes its evidence type, source links and actual publication date.
Download article index ↓What do you need to know?
Start with the question. We’ll help shape the research.