TORONTO — The nomination period for mayoral, council and school trustee candidates in this fall’s Ontario municipal elections began Friday, with several major issues taking centre stage in the province’s largest cities.
With the elections set for Oct. 26, candidates now have until Aug. 21 to file nomination papers with their municipal clerk. To run for a position, candidates must fill out a form, pay a nomination fee and provide a list of at least 25 endorsement signatures, with some exceptions.
Candidates across the province can expect heated campaigns focused on topics such as affordable housing, public transit and infrastructure.
In recent weeks, Toronto has seen fierce debate over proposed transit lines in the east end, the province's push to take over city land to expand the Billy Bishop airport and measures to address crime and high rent prices. The cost-of-living crisis recently prompted council to approve a pilot project for city-run grocery stores, an idea that has received mixed reviews.
Traffic and transit congestion is a perennial issue in Toronto that's expected to worsen as major employers increase in-office days and the city prepares to host six matches of the FIFA World Cup tournament in June and July.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has not confirmed if she'll be running for re-election despite being asked multiple times leading up to the opening of the nomination period.
Coun. Brad Bradford, who lost to Chow in Toronto's 2023 mayoral byelection, registered his candidacy for mayor on Friday.
Meanwhile in Ottawa, key issues for voters include the city's beleaguered light rail transit line and the development of areas such as ByWard Market and Lansdowne.
Eligible Ontarians can vote in a municipality if they live there, own or rent property there or if they are the spouse of someone who owns or rents property in the municipality other than the one where they live.
Individuals, corporations and trade unions can also register to be third-party advertisers in the municipal elections as of Friday, with a deadline of Oct. 23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.
Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press
