Full Breakdown
Ontario Municipal Elections: Mayoral Races Across Seven Cities
By Drooid · · How we work
Overview of the Election
Ontario’s municipal election day offers more than 11.8 million eligible voters the chance to choose local leaders for roughly 2,800 positions, including mayors, city councillors and school board trustees. About 6,663 candidates are on the ballot province-wide. Polling stations operate from mid-morning to late evening, and voters can locate their polling sites via municipal websites.
Major Mayoral Contests
- Toronto – Incumbent mayor Olivia Chow, elected in 2023, faces two-term councillor Brad Bradford. A Liaison Strategies poll placed Bradford at 49 % and Chow at 47 % among decided and leaning voters, within a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.
- Ottawa – Incumbent Mark Sutcliffe holds a single-digit lead over three-term councillor Jeff Leiper, with a Quorus Consulting Group survey showing 28 % support for Sutcliffe and 24 % for Leiper.
- Thunder Bay – With Mayor Ken Boshcoff not seeking re-election, ten candidates vie for the role, including Trevor Giertuga and Maureen “Moe” Comuzzi. The winner will inherit a $30.6 million annual infrastructure deficit.
- Oshawa – Nine candidates, including three sitting councillors, compete to replace Mayor Dan Carter, who is stepping down. Homelessness is a prominent issue, reflecting the city’s status as the Durham Region’s highest-homeless-population area.
- Mississauga – Former mayor Bonnie Crombie leads a four-way race with 35 % support, followed by councillor Alvin Tedjo at 31 %, incumbent Carolyn Parrish at 28 %, and councillor Dipika Damerla at 4 %, per a recent poll with a ±3.1 percentage-point margin of error.
- Hamilton – Incumbent Andrea Horwath seeks re-election against former Chamber of Commerce president Keanin Loomis and a slate of other challengers.
- Cambridge – Six candidates, including incumbent Jan Liggett and councillor Scott Hamilton, contest the mayoralty.
Voter Turnout and Key Issues
Mississauga set a new record for advance voting, with over 44 000 ballots cast during the early voting period—a 57 % increase over the previous cycle. Hamilton reported advance ballots exceeding the prior year’s total by roughly 4 000. Across the province, homelessness and public safety rank as top concerns for residents, while infrastructure deficits and traffic congestion remain high on municipal agendas.
Campaign Themes and Official Positions
Candidates across the cities emphasize affordability, public safety, and infrastructure renewal. In Thunder Bay, one candidate called for the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to revoke the city’s strong-mayor powers. In Oshawa, discussions focus on addressing the region’s homelessness challenge. Municipal officials have highlighted the importance of voter participation, noting historically low turnout rates in previous elections.
Outlook and Significance
The election will determine leadership for municipalities confronting fiscal shortfalls, housing pressures and growing infrastructure needs. Outcomes in major centres such as Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga could shape policy directions on affordability and public-service delivery for the province’s most populous urban areas.