Local candidates express enthusiasm as polls open across Ontario

With online voting and advance polls available, a lot of candidates took advantage to vote early, but CHCH News was able to catch up with a few of the high-profile candidates as they went into the polling booth Monday.

The candidates were enthusiastic and upbeat as they went to vote, but certainly not overconfident.

With the leadership of a major Canadian city at stake, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath was convinced she’s still the right person for the job.

She hopes the voters agree as she runs for a second term.

WATCH MORE: Your Home, Your Vote: 2026 Municipal Elections Coverage at 9 p.m.

“I always respect what the voters decide, I’m happy that it’s a beautiful day out,” said Horwath. “I believe that I’ve done a lot of good work for the city and I’m hoping people can see that.”

She’s hoping for a good voter turnout in the face of competition from two leading contenders who could split the vote.

Another leading contender Keanin Loomis was trying to get out the vote early on Monday and city councillor Rob Cooper voted in advance polls hoping to unseat the mayor.

In neighbouring Burlington, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was running for her third term as mayor as she went to vote.

READ MORE: Voters across Ontario head to the polls for 2026 municipal elections

“I am feeling so positive and inspired by the thousands of people that I’ve had the opportunity to talk to through this campaign,” said Ward.

She says the campaign focused on issues like affordability and taxes.

One of Meed Ward’s mayoral opponents, Rory Nisan, voted early, but another contender was at the polling station on Monday.

“I think leadership is going to decide this campaign and how Burlington will move forward in the future as it relates to taxes, development, traffic congestion and our community safety,” said Burlington mayoral candidate Lisa Kearns.

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Kearns made international news during the election campaign.

When her campaign signs were defaced, she used it to promote online voting.

“We went global,” said Kearns. “We really did go global for the response, for the humour and for the positive politics that we stand for.”

That response to defaced election signs got CNN’s attention in the U.S. for Kearns and the Burlington campaign.

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