It can be hard to pin down your ward candidates during the 2026 municipal election in Toronto, so here are tips to find out who’s running again and where to meet them.
Now, we’re well past the candidate registration and withdrawal period, so the City of Toronto’s certified list of candidates is accurate. Take a good look at your ward to see who’s running, and if they have a website, you can scroll through to get to know them virtually.
Out of 25 wards, only four City of Toronto councillors will not be running again in their respective wards.
- Coun. Gord Perks, Ward 4 High Park-Parkdale, is retiring after 20 years in the position.
- Coun. Dianne Saxe, Ward 11 University-Rosedale, is running in Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth instead.
- Coun. Paula Fletcher, Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth, is retiring after 23 years in the position.
- Coun. Brad Bradford, Ward 19 Beaches-East York, is running for mayor.
If you live in one of these four wards, your vote will help decide which candidate may stay in office term after term. According to Cambridge University Press, Canadian cities have some of the strongest incumbent advantages (name recognition, society’s lack of risk-taking with new councillors, among other reasons), so this is a chance to mix things up and bring in new blood.
Here’s how you can find your incumbent candidates and Torontonians running to be your new representative:
- First off, find their social media accounts!
- Most candidates will be posting when they’re at community events or doing tours around the ward.
- Stay in tune with community events that are happening because candidates will likely be there chatting up residents for their vote and listening to neighbourhood issues. Facebook neighbourhood groups are a great place to learn of local events.
- Look out for debates and town halls
- Here are some upcoming ward councillor debates:
- Ward 13 Toronto Centre candidate debate on Monday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Cooper Koo Family YMCA.
- Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park candidate debate on Monday, Sept. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Runnymede United Church.
- Ward 19 Beaches-East York candidate debate on Monday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 5 Massey Square.
- Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest candidate debate on Monday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre.
- Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park candidate debate on Tuesday, Sept. 29, starting at 7:30 p.m., held at Swansea Town Hall.
- Ward 13 Toronto Centre candidate debate on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 349 Ontario St. Currently, this event is sold out, but keep your eye out in case tickets open up again.
- Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt candidate debate on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Agincourt Mall, Room 525, entrance beside Burger King.
- Here are some upcoming ward councillor debates:
If you don’t have the time to meet your candidates face-to-face, check out The Green Line’s candidate fact-checker and stay tuned for our ward profiles to see your ward’s hot topics.
We’re also hosting a mayoral debate! Play a Monopoly-money budget game, watch top mayoral candidates debate and share your views with them face to face. See you on Oct. 22.
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