With nominations now closed, the fields are set in all 12 Niagara municipalities. The Aug. 21 deadline brought several late registrations, a few unexpected names and some notable absences, reflecting a healthy level of interest in public office. Over the coming weeks, this column will examine the candidates, leading contests and major issues shaping the election across the region. It will not be possible to profile everyone, but the goal is to provide useful context, highlight where candidates agree or differ, and explore areas where compromise may be possible. Readers will also gain insight into concerns beyond their own communities and identify issues they may wish to investigate further. With no regional council races taking place this term, the response to the possibility of amalgamation will rest with Niagara’s 12 mayors and the regional chair Premier Doug Ford is expected to appoint later this fall.
After examining eastern Niagara, St. Catharines and the central municipalities that make up the federal riding of Niagara South, including Welland, Pelham, Port Colborne and Thorold, the focus now turns west. Grimsby, Wainfleet, Lincoln and West Lincoln are next. This series will introduce the political landscape in each municipality and identify what to watch as the campaign moves through its various stages. Periodic updates from across the region will keep readers informed about new developments and give them a starting point for their own research.
GRIMSBY
2022
- Turnout – 38 per cent
- Mayor – Jeff Jordan – 81 per cent
- Candidates for councillor – 21
2026
- Candidates for mayor – four
- Candidates for councillor – 18 (eight to be elected)
Grimsby’s mayoral race will be more competitive than in 2022, when Jeff Jordan scored over 80 per cent of the vote in a lopsided victory. This time, Jordan, seeking re-election, will face Regional Councillor Michelle Seaborn, Ward Three Councillor Veronica Charrois, and newcomer Simon Duong. Jordan will seek a third term, building on his record of ensuring the GO Train expansion went ahead, the West Lincoln Hospital opened, and the Peach Centre was transformed. Charrois is using Facebook and Instagram to share her message of a family-friendly, community-focused agenda that does not put business interests ahead of everyday citizens’ concerns. A local farmer and experienced political hand, Michelle Seaborn will use Instagram to advertise her campaign themes. She has practised fiscal restraint as a politician, has a deep interest in preserving agricultural lands, and seeks to restrict municipal growth to what aligns with local heritage guidelines. Simon Duong, owner of the Peach Kings hockey club and of Teddy’s Sports Bar, and former chair of the Downtown Grimsby Improvement Area, has entrepreneurial success that follows an incredible personal story as a refugee who fled Vietnam by boat in 1980. This race could be a tight one and will bear close watching as the signs go up, candidates’ nights are held, and each one deals with issues that arise during the campaign.
On the council side, the four wards that make up Grimsby will each elect two representatives. Ward One will have two new representatives since neither incumbent registered. George Bodnar and Margaret Smeenk are newcomers, while Kevin Ritchie has previously served on council and would like to reclaim a seat. In Ward Two, Don Howe and Lianne Vardy are running for re-election and will face challenges from Ben Purkiss and David Scott. Ward Three has a huge slate of candidates, including one incumbent, Jennifer Korstanje, and several newcomers and former representatives. To see the rest of the list, visit Grimsby Elections. And Ward Four has just three candidates for the two spots, but the three are well known to Grimsby residents. Nick DiFlavio hopes to win re-election, while Reg Freake has moved from Ward 1 to Ward 4 following a personal move to the Grimsby-on-the-Lake area. Wayne Fertich, a former Town and Regional Councillor, seeks a comeback after losing his regional seat in 2022.
WAINFLEET
2022
- Turnout – 42 per cent
- Mayor – Brian Grant – 41 per cent
- Candidates for councillor – eight
2026
- Candidates for mayor – two
- Candidates for councillor – 10 (four to be elected)
In 2022, Brian Grant defeated Mayor Kevin Gibson by 12 votes to become head of council. Both candidates are back for a rematch after clearing the field. The high-stakes contest should prove to be worth watching. Grant already has lawn signs up with his family (his wife and 4 kids) helping out. Gibson, a retired RCMP officer, served a term on Regional Council before becoming mayor. The provincial government appointed him to the Niagara Regional Police Service Board in 2023, and he has remained active in the community. As for the council race, incumbents Terry Gilmore, John MacLellan, Sherri Van Vliet are running – while newcomers Dan Bath, Lee Bott, Joe Gonzalez, Jeannette Pieterse, Paul Wainwright, Rebecca Anderson and Scott William Wilson will work to unseat them. The fierce battle for the mayor’s seat may increase voter participation, but it would be wise to remind readers that Wainfleet relies exclusively on a vote-by-mail system. All 6,602 eligible voters will receive a double-envelope ballot kit in early October. Every voter must sign the included voter declaration form and return the package via Canada Post. Voters can also manually drop it off into the secure 24/7 mail drop box at the front doors of the Township of Wainfleet Administration Building. Missing or unsigned declaration forms will automatically spoil the ballot.
LINCOLN
2022
- Turnout – 27 per cent
- Mayor – Sandra Easton – Acclaimed
- Candidates for councillor – 15
2026
- Candidates for mayor – three
- Candidates for councillor – 10 (six to be elected)
Lincoln’s mayoral race has attracted three candidates after long-time Mayor Sandra Easton announced her retirement earlier this year. All the candidates have political experience. Greg Reimer and Adam Thomas Russell have served on the town council since 2018, while Cheryl Keddy-Scott has served as a school board trustee. Reimer has chaired the budget committee and filled in as Deputy Mayor during his tenure. Russell’s campaign focuses on responsible growth and expansion of a small community that will have to contend with inevitable stresses on infrastructure. When announcing her run for mayor, Keddy-Scott said, “As our community continues to grow, residents deserve a mayor who listens, leads, and delivers results. I am committed to transparent decision-making, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring the voices of our residents help shape the future of Lincoln.”
The council races in Lincoln feature ten candidates: four in Ward One, three in Ward Two, and three in Ward Three. The four candidates in Ward One, Canaan El-Hassan, Carlo Filice, Dianne Rintjema, and Justin Zegers, will be working within new boundaries after the restructuring of the electoral map and the loss of Ward Four. Rintjema seeks re-election, while the rest are newcomers, though Zegers ran in 2018. Other issues drawing attention in Ward One include growth and development, particularly around Beamsville, and the usual fare of fiscal accountability, infrastructure investment, and traffic congestion. In Ward Two, both incumbents, Tony G. Brunet and J.D. Pachereva, are running, and one challenger, Alain Mukama, hopes to unseat one of them. The redrawing of Ward Two’s boundaries means it now runs from Lake Ontario in the north straight down to the southwest corner of the municipality. Representatives will need to prove they can balance urban and rural interests. Both incumbents voted for the restructuring by-law. Mike Mikolic and Lynn Timmers will seek re-election in Ward Three, though Timmers represented the old Ward Four. Shawn Stryker, who offers a fresh option for a newly configured ward, will challenge them.
WEST LINCOLN
2022
- Turnout–44 per cent
- Mayor– Cheryl Ganann – 68 per cent
- Candidates for councillor – 12
2026
- Candidates for mayor–Acclaimed (Cheryl Ganann)
- Candidates for councillor–11: nine running in Wards 1& 2 and two acclaimed in Ward 3
With Mayor Cheryl Ganann acclaimed, voter intensity could decline. In the 2022 campaign, almost half the voters participated, a poor record, but sterling in comparison to many municipalities across Niagara. As one voter told me at a campaign kick-off I attended, people in Australia either vote or pay a fine. That may sound extreme, but Canadians have taken the privilege of voting for granted, and West Lincoln may see low turnout without a mayoral race. Regardless, those running for council will work hard for votes, at least in Wards One and Two, since the candidates in Ward Three, William Reilly and Greg Maychak, are unopposed and have been acclaimed.
In Ward One, Jason Trombetta hopes to hold his seat, but faces opposition from three others, including Danny Bilan, Paul Griffin, and Albert Witteveen. Griffin and Bilan are newcomers who will have to raise their profiles against their better-known opponents. They will both use candidate nights, community gathering points, and social media to build their case. Trombetta has a long record that citizens can research, and Witteveen seeks a return to council after years representing the township on regional council.
In Ward Two, Councillor Joann Chechalk has filed for re-election, while Councillor Shelly Bradaric has chosen to retire. Chechalk will face four opponents for one of the two seats, including Edward Dunn, Gord MacCharles, Marlene Bergsma, and Erin Schutten. Bergsma and MacCharles may have an advantage because they have larger footprints in the community. Bergsma, a strategic communications consultant, has also served on the West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. MacCharles, who moved to West Lincoln in 2020, ran in a 2024 local by-election and has been highly involved in local community life. Dunn and Schutten are newcomers and hope to bring fresh ideas about regional growth and protecting agricultural lands and practices.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
