TORONTO – The period for nominating candidates for mayor, council, and school trustees in this fall’s municipal elections in Ontario started on Friday, with a number of key issues becoming the focus in the province’s largest cities.
With the elections scheduled for Oct. 26, candidates have until Aug. 21 to submit their nomination papers to their municipal clerk. To qualify for a position, candidates need to complete a form, pay a nomination fee, and gather at least 25 endorsement signatures, although there are some exceptions.
Throughout the province, candidates should anticipate lively campaigns centered around subjects like affordable housing, public transit, and infrastructure improvements.
Recently in Toronto, there has been intense discussion regarding proposed transit lines in the east end, the provincial government’s attempt to take over city land to expand Billy Bishop airport, and strategies to tackle crime along with soaring rent prices. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, the council recently approved a pilot project for city-operated grocery stores; however, opinions on this initiative have been mixed.
Traffic and transit congestion is an ongoing problem in Toronto that is likely to worsen as major employers increase in-office workdays and with the city gearing up to host six matches of the FIFA World Cup tournament in June and July.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has not confirmed her plans for re-election despite being asked multiple times leading up to the nomination period’s start.
Coun. Brad Bradford, who lost to Chow in Toronto’s 2023 mayoral byelection, registered his candidacy for mayor on Friday.
In Ottawa, voters are focusing on critical issues such as the city’s troubled light rail transit line and developments happening around By Ward Market and Lansdowne.
Eligible Ontarians can vote in a municipality if they live there or own or rent property there or if they’re married to someone who owns or rents property within that municipality but lives elsewhere.
As of Friday, individuals, corporations, and trade unions can also sign up as third-party advertisers for the municipal elections with a deadline of Oct. 23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first May 1, 2026.
Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press
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