Monday marks municipal election day in Ontario, giving residents across the province the opportunity to choose their local leaders.
According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), over 11.8 million Ontarians are eligible to vote.
Most polling places will be open from 10 a. m. to 8 p. m., and voters can check their municipality’s website for details on where to vote.
The AMO reports that around 6,663 candidates are competing for 2,800 positions, which include mayor, city councillor, and school board trustee.
In this article, CBC examines the mayoral elections in seven cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Oshawa, Mississauga, Hamilton and Cambridge.
Toronto
Toronto’s mayoral race has attracted numerous candidates but is primarily a contest between incumbent Olivia Chow, elected in 2023, and her main rival Brad Bradford, a city councillor serving his second term.
A recent Liaison Strategies poll indicated that both were nearly tied as they approached election day. Bradford led with 49 percent support compared to Chow’s 47 percent among those surveyed who had decided or leaned toward a candidate. The poll carries a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points at a confidence level of 95%.
The final debate on Thursday allowed both candidates one last opportunity to present their visions regarding affordability and various other topics.
You can find all of CBC’s coverage from Toronto here.
WATCH | Toronto’s final mayoral debate:
Chow vs. Bradford: Toronto’s final mayoral debate in 3 minutes
The leading contenders in Toronto’s mayoral race engaged in one last debate before Monday’s voting. They discussed issues related to cost of living, traffic concerns and public safety; CBC’s Dale Manucdoc provides an overview.
Ottawa
The race for mayor in Ottawa is tight too; incumbent Mark Sutcliffe holds a narrow lead over Jeff Leiper, who has served three terms as city councillor.
A survey by Quorus Consulting Group released last week showed Sutcliffe with 28 percent support against Leiper’s 24 percent. While there was no specific margin of error provided for this survey, similar polls typically have a margin of error around +/- 3.5 percent at a confidence level of 95%.
Other candidates lagged significantly behind; Neil Saravanamuttoo received seven percent support while Alex Lawson garnered four percent according to the same survey results.
For complete coverage from Ottawa, follow along here.
WATCH | Breaking down last Ottawa mayoral debate:
From taxes to transit, mayoral candidates faced off in CBC Ottawa debate
The CBC’s Arthur White-Crummey analyzes CBC Ottawa’s recent mayoral debate covering topics from tax issues to commitments about infrastructure and public safety.
Thunder Bay
In Thunder Bay, there are ten candidates on the ballot – but Mayor Ken Boshcoff isn’t one of them as he has opted not to run again.
Those looking to take his place include Trevor Giertuga, Maureen (Moe) Comuzzi, Volker Kromm, Peter Mark John Diedrich, Donald Baxter, Shane Judge, Aldo Ruberto, Peter Panetta, Wolfgang Schoor and Doug Vincent.
The new winner will need to tackle an annual infrastructure deficit estimated at $30.6 million for the city.
An informal survey by CBC Thunder Bay conducted late August revealed that homelessness and public safety were top concerns among locals. Roads and traffic also ranked high on residents’ lists of priorities.
You can check out all our election night updates from Thunder Bay on this page.WATCH | Candidate rejects strong mayor powers:
TITLE:A candidate speaks out against strong mayors
With less than two weeks until the municipal election kicks off one member running for Mayor made it clear that they want Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing retract city hall’s strong powers offered by provincial legislation.
Here is what Peter Diedrich expressed during his conference outside Thunder Bay City Hall.
While addressing homelessness issues each candidate presented their views along with other pressing matters currently facing citizens living within the community.
You can follow our extensive coverage surrounding elections happening throughout Toronto by clicking here!
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