Torontonians are set to vote in the 2026 municipal election on Monday. But while most of the focus has been on the mayor’s seat, there are more than a few ward races that could dramatically change the look of city hall. Here are a few ridings to watch: Ward 19 – Beaches-East York One of four wards without an incumbent running for re-election, in this case that’s because Brad Bradford has vacated his council seat to seek the mayorship. Four frontrunners have emerged in this east-end riding, including former MP and cabinet minister Nate Erskine-Smith, CTV News journalist Natalie Johnson, city worker James Dann, and community organizer Jennie Worden. Prior to running for mayor, Bradford held this riding for two consecutive terms from 2018. Ward 14 – Toronto-Danforth Longtime city councillor Paula Fletcher changed her mind about re-election just two days after announcing she was seeking another term. That last-minute decision has blown this ward race wide open. Those who have emerged as apparent race leaders include former councillor Mary Fragedakis, who represented Ward 29 Toronto-Danforth before it was dissolved in 2018, and Diane Saxe, who is not seeking re-election in University-Rosedale. TDSB trustee Sarah Ehrhardt (who Fletcher has endorsed) and lawyer and social media personality Caryma Sa’d are also vying for the vacant council seat. Ward 11 – University-Rosedale Former councillor Mike Layton is looking to reclaim his spot at city hall after four years away from municipal politics. The son of late federal NDP leader Jack Layton and stepson of Olivia Chow, Mike Layton previously served as the ward’s councillor for 12 years until 2022. Days after Layton announced his intention to run in University-Rosedale, Saxe announced she was scrapping her plan to seek re-election in that ward. Ward 4 – Parkdale-High Park After 20 years as Parkdale-High Park’s voice at city hall, Gord Perks announced in April that he would not run in this election—just a day before candidate nominations opened up. Ten candidates are on the ballot for the west-end ward, including Toronto crisis worker Diana Chan McNally and TDSB Trustee Debbie King. Ward 5 – York South-Weston Toronto’s longest-serving councillor, Frances Nunziata, held onto her council seat by just 94 votes in the 2022 municipal election—and the second-place finisher, Chiara Padovani, is running again. Elected to council in 1998, 76-year-old Nunziata previously served as the mayor of York, before Toronto amalgamated. Meanwhile, Padovani, a human rights activist and social worker, says she has continued serving the residents of York South-Weston through a community hub she opened in her former campaign office. Ward 23 – Scarborough North Incumbent Jamaal Myers is eyeing his second term at city council but faces some serious competition from two former MPs. Shaun Chen stepped down as a Liberal member of Parliament in August to deal with, what he described as, “significant health issues” that stemmed from a car crash. He announced he would run for a council seat four days later. Like Chen, Han Dong previously represented the Liberals in Ottawa and is also looking to unseat Myers. Ward 13 – Toronto Centre Chris Moise is running as the incumbent, however, unlike the last election, he has not received the endorsement of former ward councillor and current MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam. Wong-Tam is instead backing Curran Stikuts, who previously worked as the director of advocacy and strategic communications at The 519, a Toronto-based LGBTQ2S+ community centre. Daniel Tate, the executive director of the group IntegrityTO, is also making noise in the ward. In March, the city’s integrity commissioner found that Moise violated the Code of Conduct when he implied that Tate was a white supremacist. Ward 3 – Etobicoke-Lakeshore Incumbent Amber Morley will look to protect her seat from former Conservative MP Ted Opitz. The youngest councillor at city hall, Morley beat longtime Etobicoke-Lakeshore representative Mark Grimes in 2022, who held the seat for nearly 20 years. She became the city’s first Black female deputy mayor in 2023. Morley has faced criticism from some constituents over her support for a future homeless shelter and bike lanes in the ward, something Opitz, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, will look to exploit. Ward 20 – Scarborough Southwest Parthi Kandavel is the incumbent, but is under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police for allegedly asking for bribes to advance two housing developments in his ward. A city hall source told CTV News in August that Kandavel allegedly asked for money to move a highrise project on Kennedy Road forward. In the other matter, a developer’s representative told CTV News that Kandavel had asked for a “considerable” amount of money for another development to proceed. For a full list of all the candidates running for city council this election, click here. Voters head to polls on Oct. 26.
