The regional election roundup

By Dan Rolph

The nomination period for candidates in the upcoming municipal elections has passed, and the slate of names of voters will see on the ballot is set.

Here’s everything you need to know about the local races.

This information was current on Aug. 21 after the Exeter Examiner went to press.

The basics

Ontario’s upcoming municipal election will take place on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, when local councils will be chosen by voters in municipalities across the province. However, advance voting will open earlier depending on the municipality, with some communities opening their voting as early as Oct. 13.

Locally, residents will directly vote for councillors to represent the ward they reside in, while also voting for their favoured candidates for mayor and deputy mayor.

In Huron, Lambton and Middlesex counties, those elected as mayor and deputy mayor will go on to serve as county councillors as well.

This upcoming election is the first to be held since the provincial government introduced “Strong Mayor Powers” to many municipalities across Ontario. The powers give the head of council more sway in budgetary considerations, further authority over municipal staff and veto powers over bylaws. The province cited a push to streamline the process of approving new housing and infrastructure developments as a reason for the powers.

Though these powers haven’t been introduced in every community in Ontario, local municipalities including South Huron, Lambton Shores and Bluewater saw them implemented in 2025, putting a greater emphasis on the mayoral races in those areas in the upcoming election.

The next council term will begin Nov. 15, 2026.

Registration and voting

Voters in municipalities across Ontario can ensure they are registered to vote by visiting registertovoteon.ca or by calling 1-866-242-3025.

Voting is widely handled online throughout the region, though municipalities have previously organized in-person help kiosks in community spaces for those who need assistance navigating the online voting process.

In rural elections, it is common for some races to see only a single candidate enter the running. When this happens, that candidate is elected by acclimation, meaning they will win their election by default since they are running unopposed, negating the need for voting.

South Huron

The race in South Huron is set to be a highly contested one.

The campaign to be the next mayor is a three-way race with current Mayor George Finch seeking a third consecutive term. Former mayor Maureen Cole is back in the running after losing to Finch in 2022 and 2018, and current Ward 3 (Usborne) councillor Ted Oke is entering the mayoral race for the first time.

For the deputy mayor position, incumbent Jim Dietrich was the sole candidate to put his name forward, meaning he will be acclaimed and serve another four years on council.

In Ward 1 (Stephen), where two councillors will be elected, incumbent Marissa Vaughan is seeking re-election. Former Ward 1 councillor Dianne Faubert is running to represent the ward after losing during the 2022 election in a packed eight-candidate race. Emilly Girodat will also be on the ballot, and current Ward 2 councillor Wendy McLeod-Haggit is looking to shift locales and become a representative for Ward 1, moving away from the Exeter ward where she was appointed to replace former councillor Marc Denomme after his resignation in 2023.

In Ward 2 (Exeter), which will also elect two representatives, there are four candidates on the ballot. Current councillor Aaron Neeb is seeking re-election, while Daryl Demaray, Antonio Munion and Laura Goulding are looking to represent the community.

Ward 3 (Usborne) was without a candidate for most of the nomination period, but two candidates stepped forward in the final days looking to represent the ward. Paul Passmore is taking another shot at the position he previously ran for in 2018, and Darren Boyle has put his name forward to run in the ward. Faubert had initially signed up to run in Ward 3 but later shifted to Ward 1.

Lucan Biddulph

With Cathy Burghardt-Jesson announcing she won’t seek another term as head of council, the next council in Lucan Biddulph is already set to see some changes.

Current deputy mayor Dave Manders is looking to become the next person to serve as mayor of the municipality. Manders has served four terms on council, including two as deputy. Also seeking the mayoral seat is former mayor Paul Hodgins, who has most recently served as deputy mayor in North Middlesex.

Two candidates are seeking support to serve as deputy mayor. Current Ward 1 councillor Daniel Regan has put his name on the ballot as well as Adam Sachs.

In Ward 1, Bryan Frank Malito and Ken Hoggart have signed up to run in the ward that encompasses the southwestern reaches of the municipality.

Just one candidate, Allan Cunningham, is pursuing a seat as the Ward 2 councillor, meaning he will win that election by acclimation. Cunningham previously ran for mayor in 2022 when he was edged out by Burghardt-Jesson by 150 votes.

Lucan Biddulph’s Ward 3 is its most contested race. Alex Westman will be seeking re-election while Jim Law and Nolan Goldie are also on the ballot.

Bluewater

The mayoral race in Bluewater will once again place two familiar candidates on the ballot.

Incumbent Paul Klopp is seeking re-election to serve as the head of council, while former mayor and current Hay West councillor Tyler Hessel has put his name forward in that race. Hessel was first elected mayor in 2014 when he ran in a four-way race that also included Klopp. The two then went head-to-head in 2018, when Klopp won that election with 60 per cent of the vote. Klopp was unopposed in the 2022 election and won by acclamation.

Current Bayfield councillor Bill Whetstone will be stepping into a new role on the next council after being the sole candidate to put his name forward for the deputy mayor position. Whetstone was acclaimed twice as the Bayfield representative on council in both the 2018 and 2022 elections.

In Bayfield, Michael DeCorte and E.J. Bauer have put their names forward to represent the lakeshore community.

In Hay East, incumbent Joey Groot is seeking re-election, with Megan Goss also on the ballot.

Current Stanley East councillor Peter Walden is running for another term as the ward’s representative and will face a challenge from David Armstrong.

In Zurich, Winona Sangster is back on the ballot for re-election, with Jason Becker also putting his name forward.

Hensall will be a two-way race between incumbent Scott Harris and Joan Bradley.

Stanley West will also have two candidates on the ballot with incumbent Greg Lamport and Brian Kellow pursuing the position.

Hay West will be the only ward with an acclaimed councillor with Brian Heagle being the sole candidate.

Lambton Shores

Several races in Lambton Shores were without candidates for much of the nomination process, but the ballots have filled up in the final days of nominations.

Current mayor Doug Cook looked as if he’d be unopposed throughout the nomination process until current Ward 7 councillor Jeff Wilcox withdrew his bid for re-election in that ward and signed on to pursue becoming the next head of council.

Deputy Mayor Dan Sageman is pursuing another term in that position, while Marilyn Smith will seek to become the next deputy mayor. Sageman represented Ward 2 as a councillor before running to become deputy mayor in 2022. Smith previously ran in the 2022 election for mayor against Cook.

Three of the seven wards will also be filled by acclimation, including Dave Maguire (Ward 2), Shawn Dickey (Ward 3) and Dave Marsh (Ward 6).

Ward 1 will be a race between Chris Vanderydt, Sarah Nicholson and Randy McClinchey.

In Ward 4, David Pugh and David McLean are on the ballot.

Ward 5 also saw a final-day nomination, meaning incumbent Suzanne Shea will be running against Jim Hansen to represent the ward.

With current Ward 7 councillor Wilcox withdrawing his name from the ballot in the ward, Jeffrey Girling and Randy Shaw are set to make Ward 7 a two-way race.