Former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie, left, and current mayor Carolyn Parrish are the leading candidates in the city’s 2026 mayoral race.
The stage is set for the upcoming mayoral contest in Mississauga, with over a dozen contenders gearing up to campaign until voters make their choice on Oct. 26.
After Friday’s 2 p. m. deadline to register for the 2026 municipal election, there are now 14 names on the list of individuals hoping to take over the mayor’s position in Canada’s seventh-largest city for the next council term.
The two most prominent candidates – sitting mayor Carolyn Parrish and her former counterpart Bonnie Crombie – are joined by city councillors Alvin Tedjo (Ward 2) and Dipika Damerla (Ward 7), along with ten other candidates who bring varying levels of experience in political campaigning.
A recent poll from Liaison Strategies showed both Parrish and Crombie at 35 percent among those decided or leaning voters, while other candidates lagged behind. The former mayor and her campaign team stated on Friday that it’s “a clear two-way race.”
Crombie, who stepped down as Mississauga’s mayor in 2024 after a decade to lead the Ontario Liberals and challenge the premier, expressed her desire to regain the seat because she believes better times lie ahead for the city.
“Everywhere I go, I hear the same concerns,” Crombie said in a news release on Friday. “Life has become too expensive. People are worried about safety. Traffic and congestion are taking too much time away from families. And residents want to know that City Hall is focused on getting things done.
“I’m running because I believe Mississauga can do better,” she continued. “We can make life more affordable, build safer neighbourhoods and get our city moving again.”
Parrish told INsauga. com during an interview on Friday afternoon that she doesn’t trust the results of the Liaison Strategies poll, stating “I don’t believe that at all.”
The incumbent thinks she’s performing better than just being tied with her predecessor and doesn’t see it as merely a two-candidate competition.
“It’s very presumptuous” to suggest it’s a clear two-way race, said Parrish, adding “I think it’s an open race” where both Damerla and Tedjo shouldn’t be underestimated.
Parrish mentioned that both sitting councillors “have been working hard,” have supporters backing them up, and she doubts they’re faring as poorly as indicated by the poll. According to Liaison Strategies’ voter sampling, Damerla stands at 18 percent while Tedjo sits at 12 percent.
Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo.
Regarding her own campaign efforts, Parrish shared with INsauga. com that she feels “very confident; I’m getting a lot of support (in the community), fundraising is going well and I have a great team.”
She also emphasized that her achievements over the past two years since winning a byelection for mayor in June 2024 have built solid support across Mississauga which bodes well for her during this election period.
Crombie asserted that this campaign “is about the future” and affirmed she’ll keep listening to constituents while presenting practical solutions every day to earn their trust as well as support from Mississauga residents.
The two leading candidates have faced off before during a heated municipal election campaign prior to 2026 when Crombie won against Parrish (2,479 votes compared to Parrish’s 2,239 votes) in September 2011 for Ward 5 council seat.
Mississauga Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla.
The landscape of the upcoming Mayoral race shifted significantly when Crombie officially entered mid-July. This move ended months of speculation regarding whether she would seek re-election after serving from Hazel Mc Callion’s tenure starting in 2014 until stepping down in 2024.
What began as an engaging competition is now anticipated as one of Ontario’s most closely monitored races with voters readying themselves for polls opening on Oct. 26.
Crombie led Ontario Liberals through challenging times when they were decisively defeated by Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives during February’s provincial elections in early 2025. Later that year was when she first hinted about considering another run for Mayor of Mississauga by stating she’d keep options open regarding re-entering politics here again.
The additional ten candidates vying for Mayor of Mississauga include:
David Shaw – ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and 2022 municipal election for mayor. Registered to run May 1 Mike Matulewicz – ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection. Registered to run May 5 Amjad Jilani – registered to run July 14 Frank Fang – ran in both the 2024 mayors’ byelection and competed for the Ward 9 council seat in the 2022 municipal election. Registered to run July 15 Fadi Naami – registered to run July 20 Karam Ahmed – registered to run Aug. 20 Aamir Bhatti – registered to run Aug. 21 Gord Elliott – registered to run Aug. 21 Mohsin Khan – registered to run Aug. 18 Ana Luisa Vasquez De Espinal – registered to run Aug. 11
For further details about who’s running along with general information about this election process visit the city’s official election page online.
INsauga’s Editorial Standards and Policies Last 30 Days: 31 ,251 Votes All Time: 1 ,476 ,318 VotesDo you plan on going to the CNE this summer?
Mississauga Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla.
The landscape of the upcoming Mayoral race shifted significantly when Crombie officially entered mid-July. This move ended months of speculation regarding whether she would seek re-election after serving from Hazel Mc Callion’s tenure starting in 2014 until stepping down in 2024.
What began as an engaging competition is now anticipated as one of Ontario’s most closely monitored races with voters readying themselves for polls opening on Oct. 26.
Crombie led Ontario Liberals through challenging times when they were decisively defeated by Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives during February’s provincial elections in early 2025. Later that year was when she first hinted about considering another run for Mayor of Mississauga by stating she’d keep options open regarding re-entering politics here again.
The additional ten candidates vying for Mayor of Mississauga include:
David Shaw – ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and 2022 municipal election for mayor. Registered to run May 1 Mike Matulewicz – ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection. Registered to run May 5 Amjad Jilani – registered to run July 14 Frank Fang – ran in both the 2024 mayors’ byelection and competed for the Ward 9 council seat in the 2022 municipal election. Registered to run July 15 Fadi Naami – registered to run July 20 Karam Ahmed – registered to run Aug. 20 Aamir Bhatti – registered to run Aug. 21 Gord Elliott – registered to run Aug. 21 Mohsin Khan – registered to run Aug. 18 Ana Luisa Vasquez De Espinal – registered to run Aug. 11
For further details about who’s running along with general information about this election process visit the city’s official election page online.INsauga’s Editorial Standards and Policies Last 30 Days: 31 ,251 Votes All Time: 1 ,476 ,318 Votes
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