Ford takes a punch as writs loom

And Question Period is back (sort of)

Fresh polling suggests DOUG FORD is taking a hit from the expense drama. Meanwhile, the chessboard is coming together for a hat trick of summer byelections — though the PC war room is missing the presence of a key operative. And the Premiers debrief their sit-down with PM MARK CARNEY.

POLL WATCH — Ford and the PCs are wrapping a rough week of bad-news headlines over MPP expenses, and the latest polling from Liaison Strategies suggests it’s doing some real damage.

Upshot: Ford’s approval has sunk to 24 per cent, while the leaderless Liberals take a five-point lead.

By the numbers: The Grits have 38 per cent support among decided and leaning voters, with the Tories trailing beyond the 3.1-per-cent margin of error at 33 per cent. The NDP may be capitalizing on the spending scandal, ticking up two percentage points to 24 per cent, while the Greens are at 2 per cent. Among all voters, 13 per cent are undecided.

“Those numbers are landing in the middle of an expense scandal, and that matter…