Election night in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) delivered some upsets, with several incumbent mayors losing their bids for re-election.
Former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who became Hamilton’s mayor in 2022 after her party’s provincial defeat, was in a distant third place at 14 per cent with 177 of 207 polls reporting as of 11:24 p.m.
Horwath trailed city councillor Rob Cooper who had 32 per cent of the vote and Canadian Institute of Steel Production CEO Keanin Loomis, who had 41 per cent of the vote.
Loomis claimed victory in a speech shortly before 11 p.m., saying he was “at a loss for words.”
“Tonight is about more than winning an election, it’s about hope, it’s about change, and it’s about believing again in what this city can be,” Loomis said.
It’s a reversal from 2022 when Horwath beat Loomis by just under 1,700 votes. Loomis noted that loss, saying he listened to what residents had to say before coming back to win in 2026, calling it a “true Hamilton story.”
Canada’s longest-serving mayor has lost his job after 15 consecutive terms.
Milton’s Gord Krantz was first elected as mayor in 1980, after previously serving as a councillor from 1965 until 1980.
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But with all polls reporting Monday night, Krantz trailed Coun. George Minakakis by a 20-point margin.
Krantz isn’t the only long-time mayor poised to lose his seat.
In Oakville, five-term incumbent mayor Rob Burton finished in third place, having received only 20 per cent of the vote. Long-time councillor Jeff Knoll, who has served since 2000, has 36 per cent of the vote and is the mayor-elect, according to unofficial results.
The night started, though, with incumbent Mississauga mayor Carolyn Parrish losing her re-election bid after about two years in office.
Rookie city councillor Alvin Tedjo soared past her and former mayor Bonnie Crombie to win the election, receiving roughly 74,000 votes with all polls reporting as of 11:24 p.m.
“This wasn’t a normal election. We haven’t had a normal two-and-a-half years. These are tough times that we’re living in,” Parrish said in her concession speech.
Some veteran mayors returning
While some incumbents in the GTHA have lost re-election, others are returning with relatively sizeable outcomes of more than half of the vote.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow won re-election with about 54 per cent of the vote, besting councillor Brad Bradford who received roughly 41 per cent.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also saw victory Monday night, being re-elected to his third term in office with about 54 per cent of the vote.
But some GTHA mayors saw even larger margins of victory on election night, with former Ontario Liberal leader and Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca winning 81.5 per cent of the vote with 71 of 71 polls reporting.
Richmond Hill Mayor David West is also heading back to city hall after getting 83 per cent of the vote with all polls reporting.
Markham city council will also see Mayor Frank Scarpitti back at the helm for another term, after taking 72 per cent of the vote.
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