Candidate shortages are lessening across Midwestern Ontario as the deadline for municipal election nominations approaches, while several mayoral races are becoming more competitive.
A review by CKNXNews Today. ca of the most recent publicly available candidate lists from 35 municipalities in Bruce, Grey, Huron, and Perth counties, along with northern Wellington, has found that at least 308 individuals have now registered to run for municipal office.
Nineteen municipalities still have at least one office or ward without enough candidates, a decrease from 26 when the region was assessed at the start of August.
The number of positions lacking a corresponding candidate has also dropped from 67 to about 44.
Meanwhile, competition for mayor and reeve roles is on the rise.
Owen Sound currently boasts the largest mayoral field in the region, with six candidates vying for the city’s top position.
Stratford has five contenders for mayor, while South Bruce Peninsula has four participants.
Three-way contests have also emerged in The Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, and South Huron.
Grey Highlands features one of the more interesting races, with incumbent Mayor Paul Mc Queen facing off against current Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen and Mark Brown.
In Hanover, two members of the existing council will compete against each other as Mayor Sue Paterson faces challenges from Deputy Mayor Warren Dickert.
Several municipalities that previously faced candidate shortages earlier in the nomination period have seen significant changes since then.
Howick had no candidate for reeve when reviewed earlier this month and had expressed concerns after no members of its current council filed initially. Now, however, there are candidates for both reeve and deputy reeve positions along with seven people running for three councillor spots.
Central Huron has also filled its last gap after Alison Lobb entered the West Ward race, which now includes three candidates competing for three positions.
South Huron now has at least one candidate lined up for every municipal role. South Bruce improved significantly from an earlier shortage during nominations to just having one Teeswater-Culross position without a corresponding candidate on its latest posted list.
Minto has also undergone a notable shift. Earlier this month saw no filings for deputy mayor despite a crowded councillor race. However, incumbent Deputy Mayor Jean Anderson and Marté Pronk have since stepped into the contest for that role.
Despite more nominations coming in, several municipalities continue to struggle with significant shortages.
Northern Bruce Peninsula remains one of the most extreme cases. Its latest posted list reveals one candidate for mayor but none listed for deputy mayor or any of its three councillor roles.
Georgian Bluffs shows candidates for both mayor and deputy mayor but lacks anyone listed for its five councillor seats.
Perth East features a two-way race for mayor but still has four council wards without candidates stepping up.
Saugeen Shores sees five individuals vying for two Southampton council spots while three are running for two Saugeen positions; however only one person is competing for two Port Elgin roles.
North Perth counts five hopefuls aiming at three Listowel seats while just one person has filed their candidacy in Elma Ward’s three positions.
The latest regional overview indicates that 19 out of 35 municipalities now have contested races either for mayors or reeves; all 35 have at least one individual standing as head-of-council.
The overall situation could still shift before nominations close Friday August 21st at 2 p. m., 2026.
Please note that due to varying times when municipalities update their public candidate lists, the regional total reflects information available as of August 11th.
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