Big wins, shocking losses, and goodbye to a 46-year mayor: what to know about Ontario's 400+ elections
2026 municipal elections included lots of turnover, but also some large cities where almost nothing changed
There were more than 400 municipal elections in Ontario Monday, so naturally the results were all over the map.
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results → know → map
From an anti-incumbent wave that hit many politicians, including one of Canada's longest-serving mayors, to several big cities that brought back almost every incumbent, here are some of the key headlines and takeaways from last night.
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some → hit → night
Chow wins easily in Toronto
After polling had suggested a "statistical dead heat," Toronto's incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow defeated challenger Brad Bradford with relative ease.
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Chow → win → ease
Political strategist Blue Knox, who served as former mayor John Tory's director of communications, said the Chow campaign struck a nerve with Torontonians by going after Bradford's pledge to create a public utility company to handle the city's water and wastewater.
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campaign → serve → water
Chow said it would mean the city losing control of an asset and opening the door to privatization.
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city → say → privatization
"Canadians like for their public institutions to stay public," Knox said.
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Knox → like → ?
Chow will oversee a progressive, new-look council with several of her key allies elected, putting her in a strong position to pursue her agenda.
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several → oversee → agenda
- Analysis
Olivia Chow romps to victory as head of progressive new Toronto council
Who are Toronto's new city councillors?
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councillors → romp → council
Mississauga's first male mayor since 1978
Polling at only 12 per cent as recently as August, Alvin Tedjo climbed from those depths to the Mississauga mayor's chair, defeating incumbent Carolyn Parrish and former mayor Bonnie Crombie.
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Tedjo → poll → Parrish
Tedjo is just the fourth person to hold the job in nearly half a century, marking a significant generational shift in a city long led by political veterans.
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Tedjo → hold → veterans
He's also the first man to hold the job since 1978.
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He → hold → 1978
Horwath out in Hamilton
Since amalgamation in 2000, Hamilton's incumbent mayors have lost their seats more often than they keep them, and that held true on Monday.
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that → lose → Monday
Andrea Horwath, the former Ontario New Democratic Party leader and former Hamilton Centre MPP, was unable to secure a second term.
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Horwath → secure → term
The new mayor is Keanin Loomis, former president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction and former head of Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce, who will be joined by eight new councillors in a strong vote for change in the city.
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who → join → city
Hamilton mayor-elect Keanin Loomis says he's ready to bring a new approach to city hall
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he → say → hall
Hamilton Votes 2026
Find Hamilton's full 2026 municipal election results here
Milton's 46-year mayor ousted
At least two dozen incumbent mayors lost their seats Monday, including nine who had served their cities for more than a decade.
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who → find → decade
Gordon Krantz, Canada's longest-serving mayor of a major municipality, had been in charge of Milton council since 1980.
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Krantz → serve → 1980
He lost handily to councillor George Minakakis.
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He → lose → Minakakis
And in Sarnia, the area's Chamber of Commerce CEO Carrie McEachran defeated mayor Mike Bradley, who had held the chair since 1988.
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who → defeat → 1988
Other long-time mayors who lost include Oakville's Rob Burton (20 years) and Niagara Falls' Jim Diodati (16 years).
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who → lose → Burton
Carrie McEachran wins Sarnia mayoral race, ousting incumbent of nearly 4 decades
- Niagara Votes 2026
Shocker in Niagara Falls, incumbent mayors ousted in 2 other Niagara municipalities
Some larger cities stay the course
The winds of change did not sweep away everyone in Ontario.
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winds → win → Ontario
Ottawa, Brampton, London and Kitchener were among the communities that kept their mayors and most of their councils.
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that → keep → councils
Zack Taylor, an associate professor of political science at Western University in London, said limited information about candidates can make it harder for challengers to gain traction.
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challengers → say → traction
Taylor described the London campaign as relatively quiet compared with some previous election cycles.
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Taylor → describe → cycles
“It could just be that [London Mayor] Josh Morgan benefited from incumbency and also not really having any kind of scandals occur,” Taylor said.
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Taylor → benefit → scandals
London voters stick with familiar faces, but the reasons may go beyond the status quo
- Ottawa Votes 2026
4 key takeaways from Ottawa's city election
Mark Sutcliffe gives a victory speech after being re-elected as mayor of Ottawa on Monday.
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Sutcliffe → stick → Monday
A good night for women
Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and North Bay each elected their first female mayors, Ottawa's council has more women than men for the first time since the 2001 amalgamation, and the community of Merrickville-Wolford elected an all-female council.
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community → elect → council
At her victory party, Niagara Falls mayor-elect Lori Lococo downplayed the accomplishment.
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Lococo → downplay → accomplishment
"I always hope that people vote for people based on their experience and skills, not because of their gender," she said.
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she → hope → gender
Women made up 32 per cent of the candidates province-wide.
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Women → make → candidates
- NORTHEAST VOTES 2026
Maggie Horsfield elected mayor in North Bay
- Hamilton Votes 2026
'I’m not going to let them silence me:' women political candidates push back against growing hate
Taxes, homelessness were key issues
Taxes were a running theme across many municipalities.
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Taxes → elect → municipalities
Tedjo in Mississauga promised a two-year tax freeze; Loomis in Hamilton promised to get taxes "under control"; and Windsor's new mayor Fred Francis promised to hold the line on taxes.
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mayor → promise → taxes
Thunder Bay councillor-elect Julie-Ann Colquhoun said she wants to "help build a community where people feel safe … and people experiencing homelessness are supported with an understanding of the complexities they face."
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they → say → complexities
The Aporia
