Ontario Governance Faces Change as Elections and Funding Move Ahead

Friday, August 28, 2026

Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election Fields Take Shape

Ontario’s municipal nomination period has closed, turning the 2026 election from an open call for candidates into a defined set of contests ahead of the Oct. 26 vote.

Ottawa certified 181 candidates, with 10 seats decided by acclamation, while Perth has 18 candidates competing for its mayor, deputy mayor and five at-large council seats.

Across the province, however, many communities are seeing limited competition. Fifteen Eastern Ontario mayors were acclaimed, and mayors in Kenora, Ear Falls and Red Rock in the northwest also secured re-election without a ballot.

Some council and trustee positions have similarly attracted one or no candidates, particularly in smaller and rural communities.

Officials and researchers point to demanding workloads, modest compensation, daytime meetings, employer inflexibility and online abuse as possible barriers to serving.

The pattern is uneven: Thunder Bay continues to see strong council competition, while other municipalities offer voters fewer choices. Ottawa’s advance voting day is Oct. 16, and the election will take place province-wide on Oct. 26.

In Toronto’s Beaches-East York, former federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith has entered the 11-candidate Ward 19 council race, creating an especially busy election period as the community also prepares for an Aug. 31 federal by-election.

Toronto Election Updates

Special-ballot deadline passes

In Beaches-East York, voters who applied for a special ballot in the Aug. 31 federal by-election but have not yet mailed it can return it in person to their local Elections Canada office until polls close. They cannot later cast a ballot at their assigned polling station.

The municipal race will also bring a change in representation: incumbent Brad Bradford is running for mayor rather than seeking re-election in Ward 19. Nate Erskine-Smith has identified housing, the waterfront and city services as priorities in his council campaign.

Ottawa Election Updates

Rest of Ontario Election Updates

Perth’s at-large contest

Perth’s 18-candidate field includes four mayoral candidates—David Bird, Stephanie Drummond, Isabel Anne McRae and Ed McPherson—along with three candidates for deputy mayor and 11 candidates for five council seats.

Because Perth elects councillors at large, voters across the town will choose from the same 11-candidate list. The structure makes the council race distinct from ward-based contests, where voters select among candidates in a specific geographic area.

Eastern Ontario races narrow further

In North Grenville, six candidates are competing for four council seats beyond the mayor’s office, down from nine candidates in 2022. Russell Township has five candidates for four non-mayor seats.

In both municipalities, the mayoral contests have only one candidate: Nancy Peckford in North Grenville and Mike Tarnowski in Russell.

Province-wide figures are not yet complete. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is compiling the final tally; it counted 548 acclaimed council positions four years ago, compared with 477 in 2018.

Participation and local accountability

The 2022 election drew 6,325 candidates for 2,842 positions, but more than 550 roles were uncontested and filled by acclamation. Reports on this year’s fields connect limited participation to low pay in some communities, daytime meetings, workplace constraints and the demands of public office.

Provincial changes are also affecting the local-election landscape. Legislation allowed appointed chairs in eight regions and counties and gave those chairs “strong chair” powers. At the same time, some school trustees are seeking council positions as trustee roles are curtailed.

Poetry Corner

Poetry Corner

Ballot Box Boogie

In a town where the map meets the lake,

And the potholes have promises they’d like to make,

The signs pop up proudly—red, blue, green and bright,

Declaring, “Vote for me!” from morning till night.

A council hopeful practices speeches with flair,

While a neighbour asks, “Will you fix that chair?”

The mayoral dreamer rehearses a grin,

And the local debate is about to begin.

There are plans for a park and a bus that runs late,

A library roof and a freshly paved gate.

One wants more benches, one wants fewer fees,

One promises shade for the Canada geese.

The ballot box waits with a patient little smile,

As democracy strolls down the final mile.

So bring your big questions, your hopes and your pen—

Then dance with your choices and do it again!

Because politics isn’t just speeches and noise;

It’s streets, schools and sidewalks, and everyday joys.

In Ontario’s towns, from the small to the grand,

The future gets shaped by a check-marked hand.