It's Time To Vote In The 2022 Municipal Election & Here's What To Watch For Across Ontario
October 24 is voting day in municipal elections across Ontario and the polls will be open in most major cities across the province from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This election will bring change to communities right across the province and there are some big storylines to follow in Toronto, the GTA and elsewhere.
Here's what you need to know.
Toronto
Despite a record tally of over 30 candidates running to be Toronto's next mayor, many expect this to be an easy win for John Tory as he seeks a third term. His main contender is Gil Penalosa, whose campaign's big focus is to improve park space across the city. His biggest pitch was to turn Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport into green space in some 10 years, but he walked back those plans just a few days ago.
On the council side of things, seven of 25 city councillors are not seeking re-election, so expect things to look notably different after a whole host of new names are voted in today.
For anyone voting in Toronto today, here is everything you need to know before you head out to the polls.
Brampton
It's been a tense race for mayor in Brampton, where Patrick Brown is seeking a second term. The former Ontario PC Party leader has been dealing with a divided council, all the while facing allegations of financial irregularities connected to his campaign.
Brampton is also dealing with a rash of election worker resignations just hours before the election, according to reports. In a tweet, the city said despite the issues it is "well prepared."
Vaughan
In another GTA city, we find yet another former provincial party leader fighting for his political future. Former Ontario Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca is running for mayor in Vaughan after his spring-time loss to Doug Ford, where the party failed to regain official party status.
Del Duca is running against six other candidates, including five-term city councillor, Sandra Yeung Racco.
Hamilton
Like her liberal counterpart, former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath is also trying to revive her political career after losing to Ford. She is running for mayor in her hometown of Hamilton after four failed attempts to become Premier of Ontario. Horwath is returning to where her career first began, having served as a city councillor in Hamilton for three terms, starting in 1997.
Horwarth is facing eight other candidates while Hamilton's Fred Eisenberger is not seeking re-election.
Ottawa
Another mayor not seeking re-election is Ottawa's Jim Watson. His decision has triggered a tight, three-way race that could be the closest one to watch.
Two-term city councillor Catherine McKenney is up against Bob Chiarelli, former mayor of Ottawa and a former provincial cabinet minister, and Mark Sutcliffe, an Ottawa-area business owner, and former journalist.
Voter Turnout
Voter turnout already has been, and is likely to remain, the big story of the 2022 municipal election. Advanced voter turnout in Toronto was down 6.75% from the 2018 election and nearly 30% lower than numbers from 2014. Voter turnout overall in 2018 saw just 41% of eligible Torontonians cast their ballot. The numbers were similar for the provincial election earlier this year when a tally of 43% represented the lowest voter turnout in Ontario history.
