Several Ottawa councillors and incumbent mayors across eastern Ontario are running unopposed in this fall’s municipal election, with the clock ticking for candidates to file their nomination papers. The deadline to register to run for the October 26 municipal elections in Ottawa and across Ontario is 2 p.m. on Aug. 21. In Ottawa, five councillors are currently running unopposed in this fall’s municipal election. A scan of municipalities across eastern Ontario shows there are currently no candidates registered to run for mayor in North Algona Wilberforce, while there are 21 municipalities with only one candidate registered to run for mayor or reeve. CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the election races in Ottawa and eastern Ontario. City of Ottawa There are seven candidates on the ballot for mayor of Ottawa ahead of Friday’s deadline to register as a candidate. Incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is seeking a second term, and is facing Zed Chebib, Suraj Harish, Alex Lawson, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo, and Peter Westaway. There are five incumbent councillors currently running unopposed: Cathy Curry in Kanata North, Laine Johnson in College, Riley Brockington in River ward, Isabelle Skalski in Osgoode and David Brown in Rideau-Jock. North Algona Wilberforce There are currently no candidates registered to run for mayor in North Algona Wilberforce, located 130 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. Incumbent Mayor James Brose is not seeking re-election as mayor. North Grenville Incumbent Nancy Peckford is the only candidate on the ballot for mayor in North Grenville in this fall’s municipal election. Only two candidates have registered to run for councillor, with four councillors being elected in North Grenville. There are no candidates registered to run for Upper Canada District School Board Trustee in North Grenville and only one candidate each for the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and CECCE trustee roles. Mississippi Mills Mississippi Mills Mayor Christa Lowry is running unopposed for mayor in the October election. Rickey Minnille is running unopposed for deputy mayor, and there’s only one candidate registered to run in each of the Almonte, Pakenham and Ramsay wards. Two councillors will be elected in Almonte and Ramsay ward, and one councillor will be selected in Pakenham. Carleton Place There is only one candidate registered to run for mayor and deputy mayor in Carleton Place. Incumbent mayor Toby Randell is the only candidate registered for mayor, and Andrew Tennant is the only candidate running for deputy mayor. In Carleton Place, there are no candidates running for the French Public School Board and French Catholic School Board. Prescott Incumbent Mayor Gauri Shankar is running unopposed for mayor in Prescott. Shankar was first elected mayor in 2022. Russell Russell Township Mayor Mike Tarnowski is running unopposed for mayor in the October municipal election. Tarnowski was appointed mayor in 2024. Petawawa Incumbent Mayor Gary Serviss is running unopposed in Petawawa with less than five days left for candidates to register. The Nation Incumbent Mayor Francis Brière is the only candidate on the ballot running for mayor in The Nation. There is only one candidate registered to run for councillor in each of the six wards. Beckwith Township Richard Kidd is the only candidate for Reeve in Beckwith Township. There is only one candidate for Deputy Reeve as of Monday morning. There are no candidates for the French Public and Catholic school boards in Beckwith Township. Bonnechere Valley Township There is only one candidate running for mayor in the Township of Bonnechere Valley Township. Incumbent Jennifer Murphy is seeking re-election. Laurentian Valley Incumbent Steve Bennett is the only candidate on the ballot for mayor in the Township of Laurentian Valley. Keith Watt is the only registered candidate running for reeve. Laurentian Hills Incumbent Annie Giardini is the only candidate on the ballot for mayor in the Town of Laurentian Hills. Madawaska Valley There is only one candidate running for mayor of the Township of Madawaska Valley. Mary Blank is the only candidate for mayor. Current Mayor David Shulist is running for councillor. There are only three candidates registered to run in the Township of Madawaska, and four candidates will be elected. Whitewater Region Incumbent Neil Nicholson is the only candidate registered to run for mayor of the Township of Whitewater Region. South Dundas Incumbent Jason Broad is the only candidate registered to run for mayor in the municipality of South Dundas. North Stormont Incumbent François Landry is the only candidate registered to run for mayor in North Stormont. There is only one candidate registered to run for deputy mayor and three candidates running for the three councillor positions. South Glengarry There is only one candidate registered to run for mayor of South Glengarry and one candidate running for deputy mayor, according to the township’s website. Current Deputy Mayor Martin Lang is running for mayor. South Stormont Andrew Guindon is the only candidate registered to run for mayor of the Township of South Stormont. There is only one candidate registered for deputy mayor. North Elmsley There is only one candidate running for reeve in the Township of Drummond-North Elmsley. Paul Kehoe is the only registered candidate as of Monday. Township of Montague Karen (Francis) Jennings is the only candidate registered to run for reeve in the Township of Montague. There is only one candidate registered for deputy reeve. Westport Joe Aragona is the only candidate registered to run for mayor in Westport, according to the village’s website. Augusta Township Jeffrey Francis Shaver is the only candidate for mayor on the ballot in Augusta Township. There is only one candidate for deputy mayor.
