Polls closing in municipal elections across Manitoba
asserted
Polls → close → Manitoba
No shortage of races, but some areas have already elected leaders by acclamation
asserted
areas → elect → acclamation
Voters are awaiting results as polls have started to close in municipal elections across Manitoba.
asserted
polls → await → Manitoba
People who are in line to vote before polls officially close at 8 p.m. are still eligible to cast a ballot.
asserted
polls → vote → ballot
The last sitting mayor to suffer an election-night defeat in the city was George Sharpe, who came up short in a narrow loss to Independent MLA Stephen Juba in 1956.
asserted
who → sit → 1956
A recent public opinion survey suggested that although Gillingham had more support than any other candidate, his early and seemingly insurmountable lead was nearly halved about a week before election day.
uncertain
lead → suggest → day
A former city councillor, Gillingham won his first term as mayor in 2022.
asserted
Gillingham → win → 2022
He squeaked by on election night with 27.5 per cent of the popular vote, repelling a comeback bid by former mayor Glen Murray to win by only 4,391 votes.
asserted
He → squeak → votes
Gillingham, Winnipeg Sun CEO Kevin Klein and funeral director Mike Vogiatzakis, the front-runners in early polling, were the candidates eligible to participate in CBC Manitoba's Oct. 21 mayoral debate.
asserted
Gillingham → participate → debate
Scott Gillingham, centre, goes head-to-head with Kevin Klein, right, and Mike Vogiatzakis in a televised debate hosted by CBC Manitoba on Oct. 21.
asserted
Gillingham → go → Oct.
There are 54 council candidates and more than 90 school trustee candidates in Winnipeg, the city said.
asserted
city → be → Winnipeg
There will be at least five new people on Winnipeg's city council, after five veteran councillors did not seek re-election.
asserted
councillors → seek → election
Eyes are also on the councillor's seat in Transcona, where incumbent Russ Wyatt sought re-election while facing criminal charges, including sexual assault, which police say involve two men in separate incidents from 2023 and 2025.
asserted
police → seek → 2023
All Winnipeg races were contested this year; in 2022, two councillors won re-election by acclamation.
asserted
councillors → contest → acclamation
Voter turnout in the city has waxed and waned in Winnipeg's six elections since 2002.
asserted
turnout → wax → 2002
The 2022 election that saw Gillingham first elected mayor recorded a 37.5 per cent voter turnout — the lowest since 2006.
asserted
Gillingham → see → 2006
Voter turnout was much higher in 2014, when Brian Bowman was first elected mayor, with 50 per cent of electors casting ballots.
asserted
cent → elect → ballots
This year, a record number of Winnipeggers took advantage of advance voting to cast their ballot, the city said.
asserted
city → take → ballot
Elections outside of Winnipeg
Manitobans outside of Winnipeg also voted for new leaders and councils.
asserted
Manitobans → vote → leaders
Incumbent mayors in several Manitoba communities, including Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, Winkler, Niverville and Selkirk, were acclaimed after no challengers registered to run.
asserted
challengers → include → Prairie
Several places, such as the Municipality of Cartwright-Roblin and the Rural Municipality of Argyle, saw their entire slate of council candidates acclaimed.
asserted
slate → see → candidates
Two veteran politicians who served with each other on Brandon city council are battling to become mayor of Manitoba's second-largest city.
asserted
who → serve → city
Incumbent Jeff Fawcett was elected Brandon mayor four years ago, after serving on council for three terms.
asserted
Fawcett → elect → terms
Advance voting in the Wheat City also set a new record in 2026, with more than triple the number of advance votes cast in 2022, far exceeding any advance poll held in the city in the last 20 years, officials said previously.
asserted
officials → set → years
Up north, residents in Flin Flon voted for a new mayor after Mayor George Fontaine did not run again.
asserted
Fontaine → vote → mayor
In The Pas, three candidates are also battling for an open mayor's seat.
asserted
candidates → battle → seat
The northern town has been without a mayor since August, after Andre Murphy stepped down from the job.
asserted
Murphy → step → job
Incumbent Colleen Smook faced two challengers in Thompson's mayoral race.
asserted
Smook → face → race
Three Manitoba communities — Winnipeg Beach, Victoria Beach and Dunnottar — held elections earlier this year.
asserted
communities → hold → elections
Only one mayor — Penny McMorris, the incumbent in Victoria Beach — was acclaimed.
asserted
mayor → acclaim → Beach
The Aporia
