Everything you need to know about Hamilton’s 2026 municipal election

Residents of Hamilton will be able to cast their vote for the city’s next mayor on Oct. 26. The deadline for candidates to register for the municipal election is Aug. 21.

More key dates for the Hamilton election can be found on the city’s website.

Andrea Horwath has officially registered for re-election in this year’s race. Similar to 2022, she will be in the race with Keanin Loomis, who Horwath beat then by 1,663 votes.

The deadline to submit or withdraw nominations is Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.

Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name alongside a brief bio. This page will be updated regularly as the race develops, and individual ward candidate lists will follow the same format.

Hamilton’s mayoral race

• Sasha Austin introduced herself via Instagram on April 5 as a mayoral candidate. She says she is from the city’s North End and will focus on the issues of open drug use, homelessness, property taxes and more.
• Ejaz Butt is a longtime cab driver in the city and has run in previous municipal elections.
• Rob Cooper is the current Ward 8 councillor and has held the position since September 2025. Cooper comes from a 13-year career as a chartered professional accountant. He says his focus this election is on making Hamilton the “economic engine of Canada.”
• Paul Fromm is a known white supremacist and former high school teacher. Fromm has links to many far-right organizations that he has been a part of dating back to the 1970s. He was let go from his teaching job with the Peel District School Board in 1993. Fromm has run in several previous Hamilton elections.
• Scarlett Gillespie, also known as Jelena Vermilion, has become known as a sex workers’ rights advocate and artist. She is the executive director of Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton. Gillespie says her mayoral platform will focus on housing, tenant protections, climate justice, community-led safety initiatives, strengthening local arts and City Hall accountability, accessibility and transparency.
• Keanin Loomis was the runner up in the 2022 election, losing to Andrea Horwath by less than 2,000 votes. Loomis hopes this year will be different. The father of three and business leader says his focus is on fixing roads, value for taxes, growing the economy, housing and more.
• Pamela Mitchell is a 64-year-old Ancaster native and writer who has run for a council seat in Dundas and Ancaster.
• Kevin Walker, a life-long resident of Hamilton, says he comes to the race with First Nations roots. Walker’s focus is on tackling homelessness, the rising cost of living and job loss.
• Nathalie Xian Yi Yan says she is the founder of the Hamilton Traditional Chinese Medical Health Science Centre and has previously run in municipal elections.
  

Ward 1

Ward 1 is an urban ward also known as the Chedoke-Cootes area. It’s located in the west end of the city just below the Niagara Escarpment. Also located within this ward is McMaster University.

• Mark Powell
• Nathan Savelli
• Maureen Wilson has been the Ward 1 councillor since 2018.

Ward 2

Ward 2, known as the downtown area of the city, is a central, urban district located below the Niagara Escarpment. This ward sits between Queen Street South and Wellington Street North.

• Eisham Abdulkarim
• Daniel Greene
• Bill Houston
• Cameron Kroetsch has been the Ward 2 councillor since 2022.
• Brian Lewis
• Kelly Oucharek
• Tony Sciara
• Bernard Tompkins

Ward 3

Ward 3, known as Hamilton Centre, is an urban ward located in the lower city between Wellington Street and Ottawa Street North. Located in the north end of this ward is much of Hamilton’s industrial sector on the waterfront.

• Wade Campbell
• Christine Cayuga
• Christopher DeMelo
• Nrinder Nann has been the Ward 3 councillor since 2018.
• Andrew Selman
• Graham Schreiber
• Kristeen Sprague

Ward 4

Ward 4, located in East Hamilton, is an urban ward with a large portion of the city’s industrial sector.

• Todd Anderson
• Jason Farr
• Tammy Hwang has been the Ward 4 councillor since 2022.
• Tony Mamone

Ward 5

Ward 5 is located east of the Redhill Valley Parkway and stretches from the escarpment to the waterfront at Confederation Park.

• Matt Francis has been the Ward 5 councillor since 2022.

Ward 6

Ward 6, located on the East Mountain, is a primarily urban ward framed by the Upper Red Hill Valley Expressway, the hydro corridor, and Upper Gage and Sherman Avenues.

• Melissa Debicki
• Tom Jackson is the longest-serving councillor, holding the Ward 6 seat since 1988 when he was first elected.
• Peter Werhun

Ward 7

Ward 7, located on the Central Mountain, is an urban ward atop the Niagara Escarpment that houses Lime Ridge Mall, Sam Lawrence Park, and the Juravinski Health Research Centre.

• Heather Beale
• Mark Daly
• Gordon Leslie
• Esther Pauls has been the Ward 7 councillor since being elected in 2018.

Ward 8

Councillor Cooper has announced his bid for Hamilton mayor, opening up the seat for the following candidates. Ward 8, on the West/Central Mountain, is an urban ward home to Mohawk College and the Chedoke Rail Trail.

• Nenos Damerchie
• Dawn Danko
• Pat Piro
• Jacob Tenbrinke

Ward 9

Ward 9, located in Upper Stoney Creek, is a mix of urban and rural land home to Felker’s Falls and the Eramosa Karst.

• Brad Clark first served as the Ward 9 councillor from 2006 to 2014. He was re-elected in 2018 and has held the seat since.
• Abhijeet Gill
• Brad Stapleton
• Jonathan Stathakos
• Eileen Walker

Ward 10

Ward 10’s current councillor, Jeff Beattie, withdrew from the election in late July after announcing he’d be running for MPP with the Progressive Conservatives in the upcoming byelection in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek. This ward, located in lower Stoney Creek, is a primarily urban ward that stretches from Grays Road to the border of Winona and Grimsby.

• Cal DiFalco
• Olivia Fung
• Sam Gamble
• Akash Grewal
• Michael T. Loomans
• Ivan Luksic
• Tanjoban Nijjar
• Larry Paletta
• Vince Rigitano
• Nicole Trombetta

Ward 11

Ward 11, comprising the Glanbrook area, is a mostly rural ward home to Mount Hope, Binbrook, Lake Niapenco, and the Hamilton International Airport.

• Damon Mombourquette
• Aaron Post
• Mark Tadeson has been the Ward 11 councillor since being elected in 2022.

Ward 12

Ward 12, encompassing Ancaster and west Flamborough, is a large rural and urban ward home to Redeemer University and the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

• Fred Bennink
• Craig Cassar has been the Ward 12 councillor since being elected in 2022.

Ward 13

Alex Wilson was elected as the Ward 13 city councillor in 2022 but will not seek re-election. Ward 13, encompassing Dundas and rural Flamborough, is home to Cootes Paradise, Westfield Heritage Village, and the African Lion Safari.

• Gary Aikema
• Rick Kunc
• Loren Lieberman
• Spencer Naylor

Ward 14

Ward 14, located on the West Hamilton Mountain, is a residential and green-space-filled ward bordered by Garth Street, the 403, and the Niagara Escarpment.

• Kojo Damptey
• Mike Spadafora has been the Ward 14 councillor since being elected in 2022.

Ward 15

Ward 15, encompassing Flamborough and Waterdown, is a growing rural and urban ward home to Joe Sams Leisure Park and the Waterdown North Wetland Trail.

• Chase Alford
• Ted McMeekin has been the Ward 15 councillor since being elected in 2022.
• Colleen Stewart
• Zac Wrobel
• Jeff Yaeger

School board trustees – English public

• Ward 1: Blake Hambly, Shawn McMullin, Jonathan Noble
• Ward 2: Sabreina Dahab
• Ward 3: Frank Crowder
• Ward 4: Abby Zaitley
• Wards 5 and 10: Anthony Caputo, Logan Shields, Todd White
• Wards 6 and 9: Kathy Archer, Todd May
• Ward 7: Seth Floyd, Bill King
• Wards 8 and 14: Ben O’Reilly
• Wards 11 and 12: Melissa Baxter, Amanda Fehrman
• Ward 13: Chris Syle, Andrea Wappel
• Ward 15: Graeme Noble

Catholic school board trustees – English separate

• Wards 1, 2 and 15: Mark Valvasori
• Wards 3 and 4: Ralph Agostino
• Ward 5: Aldo D’Intino
• Ward 6: Ellen Agostino, Joanne Belanger, Anthony Mari
• Ward 7: Nick Agostino, Kevin Duffy, Luca Filice
• Wards 8 and 14: John Valvasori
• Wards 9 and 11: Tyler Iorio
• Ward 10: Mary Nardini
• Wards 12 and 13: Phil Homerski, Kevin McKenna, Paul Mercante

Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir

• Nathalie Dufour Seguin
  

Conseil scolaire Viamonde

• Sonia Macaluso
  

WATCH MORE: Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath officially registers for re-election