Ontario municipal and school board elections approach

Upcoming municipal and school board elections in Ontario, scheduled for October 26, 2026, are seeing various levels of competition across several regions.

In the Grey-Bruce area, many trustee positions for the Bluewater District School Board and the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board are expected to be acclaimed. However, several races remain contested, including seats in Owen Sound, Northern and South Bruce Peninsula, Saugeen Shores and Arran Elderslie, and Meaford and the Blue Mountains.

In Norfolk County, voters face significant choices as several incumbents are not seeking re-election. Mayor Amy Martin and long-time councillor Mike Columbus will not be running again. The mayoral race features seven candidates, including Noel Haydt, Doug Brunton, Ken Hewitt, Keith Milner, David Finch, Adam Veri, and Ken Gilpin. Unlike the school board races in Grey-Bruce, there are no acclamations for council in Norfolk’s six wards, with Ward 5 seeing the highest number of nominations.