Days before the election, Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford appears to have a significant lead over political rival George Smitherman in the race for the city's top job, a new EKOS poll suggests.

Asked which candidate they plan on voting for as mayor, 43.9 per cent of respondents said they would support Ford, while 35.6 per cent said they would vote for Smitherman.

Joe Pantalone has 15 per cent support.

The poll results were based on decided and leaning voters. The survey also found that 15.9 per cent of respondents were undecided or ineligible to vote.

Others polls have found the race tighter. Recent surveys conducted by Ipsos Reid and Leger Marketing found Ford and Smitherman in a statistical tie.

The poll also found that Smitherman leads Ford with support from the university educated (45 per cent to 28.1 per cent). But Ford enjoys a lead with those who obtained high school or college education.

Ford, who caused some controversy earlier in the campaign when he said he thought the city's infrastructure might not be able to support a huge influx of immigrants in the next decade, is actually leading among those born outside of Canada.

Nearly 52 per cent of immigrants said they would support Ford, compared with 30.1 per cent who support Smitherman. The two candidates were basically tied in support from those born in Canada.

Ford also has a wide advantage with the baby-boom and senior-voter segments, groups that are more likely to vote on election day, Oct. 25.

The random survey of 433 Toronto residents was conducted October 13-21 and carries a margin of error of +/-4.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.