Municipal Elections Bring Major Shakeups Across Ontario Communities
While numerous incumbent mayors lost their seats in municipal elections across Ontario, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic secured a fourth term.
Municipal elections across Ontario on Monday delivered a sweeping shakeup, unseating several long-serving mayors and veteran incumbents, while a handful of leaders successfully defended their posts. The turbulent election night reflected growing voter desires for change amid key local concerns such as housing affordability, homelessness, infrastructure, and rapid population growth.
In Kitchener, Mayor Berry Vrbanovic stood out as an exception to the widespread turnover, securing a fourth term in office. Vrbanovic earned 55 percent of the vote in an election cycle characterized by low voter turnout, with 22 percent participation and 44,519 ballots cast across the city.
While Kitchener maintained the status quo, neighboring Waterloo experienced a change in leadership. Shannon Weber defeated incumbent Mayor Dorothy McCabe, capturing 52 percent of the vote. McCabe finished with 30 percent support. Voter turnout in Waterloo reached 31 percent, with 29,171 ballots cast.
Further political shifts unfolded across the region and the wider province. In Cambridge, Scott Hamilton won the mayoral race in a landslide, defeating incumbent Jan Liggett. Meanwhile, major upsets occurred elsewhere in Ontario, notably in Milton, where 89-year-old Gord Krantz saw his historic 46-year mayoral run ended by challenger George Minakakis.
Other prominent incumbent mayors across the province also fell to challengers. Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath finished a distant third behind winner Keanin Loomis and runner-up Rob Cooper, while Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens lost his bid for a fourth term to city councillor Fred Francis. Additional mayoral defeats occurred in Sarnia, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, and Oakville.
Despite the widespread defeats of several veteran mayors, some incumbents managed to hold onto power. In Ottawa, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe secured a second term after defeating 13 challengers, while London Mayor Josh Morgan successfully won re-election. In Burlington, incumbent Marianne Meed Ward also defended her mayoral seat successfully.
Altogether, voters across Waterloo Region elected 58 municipal officials, including seven mayors, eight regional councillors, and 43 local councillors, alongside 22 school board trustees. The newly elected officials will direct local policy and community decisions over the next four-year term.