Ontario municipal elections: A look at 7 mayoral races as voters head to the polls
Ontario voters are heading to the polls for municipal elections, with high-profile mayoral races in cities like Toronto and Ottawa. In Toronto, incumbent Olivia Chow and challenger Brad Bradford are in a tight race focused on affordability and public safety.
Why it matters
Municipal elections directly impact local governance, infrastructure, and public services for millions of residents in Canada's most populous province.
More than 11.8 million Ontarians are eligible to vote, according to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Most polling stations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and residents can find information about where to cast their ballots on their municipality's website.
Across Ontario, about 6,663 candidates are vying for 2,800 positions, including mayor, city councillor and school board trustee, the association says .
Here, CBC looks at the mayoral contests in seven cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Oshawa, Mississauga, Hamilton and Cambridge.
City workers prepare signage outside Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Sept. 18 for Monday's municipal election. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
While dozens of candidates are vying to be Toronto's next mayor, it has largely been a two-way race between incumbent Olivia Chow, who was elected in 2023, and her main challenger, two-term city councillor Brad Bradford.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in