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

Posted:August 27, 2026 | 6:03 PM
By: Mason Goodfellow

By:Mason Goodfellow

Updated: August 27, 2026 | 6:07 PM

Niagara-on-the-Lake town hall. (Photo courtesy of Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Niagara-on-the-Lake residents will go to the polls to cast their votes for the town’s next lord mayor and other municipal officials on Oct. 26, 2026.

More information on voting in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) and key dates can be found on the town’s website.

NOTL’s Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa has announced he will not be running for re-election. Instead, Zalepa is seeking the position of Niagara Regional Chair.

The deadline to submit or withdraw nominations was 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.

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s lord mayoral race

Vaughn Goettler comes to the race with experience as the CEO of Union Energy, now known as Reliance Home Comfort. Since his corporate career, Goettler and his wife have become philanthropists giving back to the NOTL community. His platform focuses on protecting heritage, responsible development, keeping costs low and more.
Andrea Kaiser has over 30 years of experience in business and community leadership roles. She has held the role as regional councillor for the town since 2022. Her platform focuses on protecting NOTL’s heritage, preserving green spaces, investing in community services and more.
Erwin Wiens has been a council member since 2018. The issues Wiens are focusing on in this race are rising costs, growth pressure and amalgamation threats.