Top 3 compelling races in upcoming municipal election

Chow and Bradford going head-to-head in Toronto as things begin to take shape across southern Ontario and the GTA

Published Jul 19, 2026  •  4 minute read

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow during an event. More than likely, it is a two-person race in the upcoming municipal election as Brad Bradford seems to have the best chance to upset Chow at the ballot box in October. Photo by (Peter Power/Postmedia News)

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Even though the municipal election isn’t until October, mayoral races are beginning to take shape across southern Ontario. 

We look at where the most interesting races are likely to occur. 

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TORONTO

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Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford seem to be the frontrunners in this apparent two-person race. Of the 24 candidates currently vying for the position, only Peter Handjis and Cory DeVille are returnees from the last election. Of the remaining candidates, none currently hold a position on council. 

Chow has several platforms she is running on to win the job for another four years.  

Platforms

On her personal website, Chow’s key initiatives include fighting rising costs, safer communities, empowering renters, building more affordable homes, fixing the TTC, supporting local businesses and jobs and fighting traffic congestion.  

According to his website, Bradford is running on crime, cost and congestion. 

Other issues

Issues sure to come up during the election are Bradford’s desire to change Sankofa Square to Toronto Square, while cleaning up the square and getting rid of the so-called drug zombies. Other issues include safe injection sites versus treatment sites, traffic congestion, safety on the TTC and property taxes.  

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Chow began her unexpected journey to the mayor’s seat when John Tory stepped down in February 2023, after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a former staffer. 

Chow entered the June by-election and won with 269,372 votes. Former deputy mayor Ana Bailão was runner-up with 235,175 votes and ex-Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders was third with 62,167 votes.  

Bradford finished eighth in the by-election with 9,254 votes. He did not run for mayor in 2022. 

HAMILTON

Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath. Horwath is looking for a second term as mayor. Most likely, her strongest challenges will come from Keanin Loomis and Rob Cooper. Loomis narrowly lost to Horwath in the 2022 municipal election. Photo by Elliot Ferguson/The Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network

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Andrea Horvath, Keanin Loomis and Rob Cooper.

Judging by the results in the 2022 municipal election, Horwath and Loomis appear to be on a collision course for the position of mayor in Hamilton. 
Horvath squeezed by Loomis, winning by 1,663 votes last time out. 

Platforms 

Horvath hasn’t spent any great length discussing what she is focusing on in the lead up the election, but her mayor’s page on the city of Hamilton website she has focused on the housing crisis, investing in critical infrastructure, growing the local economy, enhancing community safety, and making life more affordable. 

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On his website, Loomis is running for mayor to “deliver accountable leadership and help build a better Hamilton.” 

Loomis was a first-time candidate for mayor, and he came within just one percentage point of victory, saying he was fighting against “name recognition” against the former leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. He also noted that if the campaign had been extended for one more week, he would have won the election. 

When Loomis announced he was running for mayor in late February, the former president of Hamilton’s Chamber of Commerce went on the offensive. 

“Our city is in worse shape now than when I last ran,” he said at the time. “I believe in Hamilton and I can’t be a bystander to the mismanagement that we are seeing day in and day out. Hamilton deserves better. The need for real leadership at city hall is more acute than ever. This mayor has a record to run on, and it is not a good one and day in and day out she is demonstrating that she doesn’t have the competence to be doing this job.”

Similar to Loomis in the last election, Cooper is also new to the Steel City mayoral race as he joined city council last September, winning a by-election when Ward 8 councillor John-Paul Danko vacated the role. Cooper ran against 25 other candidates, setting the record for the most people running in one ward in Hamilton. He announced his candidacy back in March.

In a news release, Cooper said his platform will focus on “keeping taxes affordable, tackling violent crime, confronting the housing crisis, and repairing and rebuilding infrastructure,” as his top priorities. 

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Issues

Other key issues that are sure to come up in the election are accountability at city hall, repairing and rebuilding infrastructure, and violent crime.  

Ejaz Butt and Paul Fromm are the lone holdouts from the last election. Not including Horvath, Loomis or Cooper, there were five candidates as of July 17. 

MISSISSAUGA

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Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, right, and Councillor Carolyn Parrish. Parris is running for mayor in the October municipal election. Bonnie Crombie is looking to win back her old job as mayor.

Carolyn Parrish, Bonnie Crombie, Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.

Parrish is looking to win a second term as mayor. She earned the job in 2024 after Crombie left the city to become leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Parrish (43, 494 votes) beat Tedjo (35,005) and Damerta (27,119) in the June by-election to capture the chair vacated by Crombie. 

Crombie left the provincial Liberals in January and now wants her old job back. She filed her official papers on July 14. Tedjo and Damerla filed their paperwork much earlier in the process.  

The lone returnee from the 2022 election for mayor is David Shaw. George Tavares, who finished third in 2022, filed his paperwork for mayor but withdrew his candidacy on June 4.  

Key Issues 

Issues that are sure to come up in the election are affordability, crime, low taxes, repairing infrastructure, police services budget, traffic congestion and a vision for the future.  

The municipal elections are set for Oct. 26.

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