Preparations for the upcoming municipal election are kicking into high gear. Starting on Friday, people who want to run for mayor, for regional, township or city council or for a school board trustee position can formally file their paperwork to become a candidate. Regional Clerk and Director of Council Administrative Services Tim Brubacher recommended anyone interested in running for office contact the clerk in their specific municipality directly for full details on what’s required to run. But there are a few consistencies across the board in Waterloo Region. “You’re going to need to be able to prove that you’re a Canadian citizen and that you have a qualifying address in the municipality,” Brubacher said. Potential candidates also need 25 signatures from eligible voters in the municipality, though Brubacher recommended having a few extra to be safe. There’s also a fee that can be reimbursed later. “Anybody who runs, as long as you file your financial statements at the end of the day, after the election is ended, then you can get your money back, but there’s $100 for councillor and then $200 for the head of council,” Brubacher explained. Candidates can only run for one position in one municipality, although they can withdraw their candidacy for one position and register for another during the nomination period. The biggest change in Waterloo Region this election is that the province has introduced legislation to make the top political position, regional chair, an appointed role instead of an elected one. However, that bill has yet not become law, so people can register to run for regional chair when nominations open on Friday. Brubacher said he’ll warn anyone who wants to register as a candidate for regional chair about the impending legislation. “It’s an immediate process, as soon as that legislation passes those nominations are no longer valid,” Brubacher said. Anyone who registered would have their name withdrawn and would have to provide their financial statements to receive back the nomination fee. Across the province, the nomination period opens on Friday, May 1, 2026 and ends Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2 p.m. More information on becoming a candidate can be found at Elections - Region of Waterloo Voters will go to the polls on Monday, October 26. What’s on voters’ minds? Retired University of Waterloo political science professor Peter Woolstencroft said there’s a sense of frustration in the community right now over the challenges people are facing in their everyday lives. “Taxes have gone up enormously, we all feel it,” Woolstencroft said. He wondered if the frustration would translate into a desire for change at the ballot box. “So how upset are people that they’re going to throw out all the people who are there? If I were an incumbent, I’d be worried about that,” Woolstencroft said. Homelessness will likely be a topic many candidates will address, similar to the last election, Woolstencroft predicted. He said the region’s recently identified water capacity problem will also be top of mind. “It’s going to be a lot of talk about water, which I’ve never heard of as a campaign issue in Waterloo.” Still, Woolstencroft noted the water situation is an evolving one and can change quickly, and there are still six months before people will actually mark their ballots.
