Richmond Hill’s 2026 municipal election field will be locked in this afternoon, with several candidates joining races in just the final days of nominations.
By City Desk
Anyone hoping to run for Richmond Hill council or a school board trustee position has only a few hours left.
Candidate nominations for Ontario’s 2026 municipal elections close today, Friday, August 21, at 2 p.m. In Richmond Hill, nominations for offices administered by the city must be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk. Nominations received after the provincial deadline cannot be accepted.
And Richmond Hill’s ballot is still changing.
As of early Friday morning, the City’s unofficial list showed 31 candidates seeking positions on Richmond Hill council, including two candidates for mayor, three for the two Regional and Local Councillor seats, and 26 candidates spread across the city’s six wards.
Several names have appeared only in the closing days.
Scott Thompson registered for Ward 2 on Thursday, August 20, while Vera Murano entered the already crowded Ward 5 race the same day. Alex Jafari also registered in Ward 5 on Wednesday, August 19.
The races currently look very different across Richmond Hill.
Ward 5 has the largest field, with eight registered candidates, while Ward 3 currently has just two. Five candidates are listed in both Wards 2 and 4, three each in Wards 1 and 6.
The mayoral race currently has two registered candidates, incumbent Mayor David West and Holo Devnani. Three candidates, Godwin Chan, Marco Coletta and Joe DiPaola, are competing for Richmond Hill’s two Regional and Local Councillor positions.
Those numbers could still change before 2 p.m.
Even after the deadline passes, today’s list will not immediately become official. Richmond Hill notes that the candidate list remains unofficial until the City Clerk certifies the nominations. Under Ontario election rules, clerks have until 4 p.m. Monday, August 24 to certify or reject nominations.
Once that process is complete, Richmond Hill voters will finally know exactly who will be on the ballot on October 26.
Online voting in Richmond Hill begins October 20, with in-person voting available October 24, 25 and on Election Day, October 26.
I like this as a straight Election Hub news update, because it gives us something Toronto’s piece cannot: a snapshot of how the Richmond Hill races actually look on the morning of the deadline.