Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles will not be appearing on the campaign trail for Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow as the city's election enters its closing week. Her absence matters because Chow is locked in a close fight with rival Brad Bradford, where every door knock and phone banking shift can count. Support from a well-known party figure is often deployed in the final days of a race to energize volunteers and pull out voters. Stiles being unavailable strips one of those options from Chow's campaign at the exact moment it would carry the most weight. The timing also invites questions about coordination between City Hall and the NDP, whatever the reason behind it. Without that extra boost, Chow's camp has to lean harder on its own organizers while defending an incumbent's record against a challenger with momentum. With a slim margin possible either way, the last week will come down to whose ground game holds up.