Bradford West Gwillimbury election 2026: every candidate, and how to vote

Last updated: September 22, 2026. I will update this page if anything changes, and post the results after voting closes.

Bradford West Gwillimbury votes on Monday, October 26, 2026. There are 45 certified candidates: 6 for mayor, 3 for deputy mayor, 28 across the seven wards, and 8 for school board. Five of the nine council seats have no incumbent on the ballot.

Here is the whole ballot in one place, plus the part that surprises people every four years: there is no paper ballot in Bradford.

How you actually vote

The Town's own wording is clear: "All votes must be cast using either the internet or touch-tone telephone." There is no polling station with a paper ballot.

• You need the PIN that comes in the mail. The Town sends a voter information letter with a unique code, plus the website and phone number you use to vote. Without that letter you cannot vote until you sort it out with the Town.
• Voting opens Friday, October 16 at 10:00 a.m. and closes Monday, October 26 at 8:00 p.m. You can vote any time in that window, from home.
• No computer, or no letter? Go to a voter help centre. Staff can help you vote on a touch screen.

Voter help centres

Am I even on the list?

Check at bwgvotes.voterservices.ca, or in person at 100 Dissette St., Units 7 & 8, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You will need a photo of acceptable ID showing your Bradford West Gwillimbury address.

To vote you must be 18 or older and a Canadian citizen, and either live in Bradford West Gwillimbury, own or rent property here, or be the spouse of someone who does. Questions go to the Town at vote@townofbwg.com or 905-775-5366 ext. 8683.

Which ward am I in?

Bradford West Gwillimbury has seven wards, and the boundaries changed for the 2022 election, so this trips people up. The Town publishes a map for every ward plus an interactive map: ward maps on townofbwg.com. Your voter letter also tells you.

Every candidate on the ballot

Listed alphabetically by last name, not ranked. "Status" is factual only: whether someone currently sits on council, or has run before, based on the Town's published 2022 results.

Mayor — 6 candidates

Deputy mayor — 3 candidates

The current deputy mayor is running for mayor, so no incumbent is on this ballot.

Ward 1 — 8 candidates

The most crowded race in town.

Ward 2 — 3 candidates

Jonathan Scott, elected here in 2022 with 1,008 votes, is not on the 2026 ballot.

Ward 3 — 3 candidates

Ward 4 — 6 candidates

The sitting councillor is running for deputy mayor, so there is no incumbent here.

Ward 5 — 2 candidates

The sitting councillor is running for mayor, so there is no incumbent here.

Ward 6 — 4 candidates

The sitting councillor is running for mayor, so there is no incumbent here.

Ward 7 — 2 candidates

School board trustees — 8 candidates

Which trustee you vote for depends on your school support designation, not your ward.

Three candidates changed races during the nomination period: Nickolas Harper filed in Ward 6 and withdrew to run for mayor; Tristan Daniels filed in Ward 5, withdrew, and filed in Ward 6; Richard Renta filed in Ward 7 and withdrew on August 10. They are shown in their final race only.

Your vote counts for more than you think

In 2022, the winner in Ward 3 took the seat with 224 votes. Ward 5 was decided with 503. Ward 4 with 576.

These are not numbers that need a movement behind them. A few dozen neighbours deciding to vote, or not to vote, changes who represents your street for the next four years.

What this council actually decides about your housing costs

This is the part I can speak to. A town council does not set mortgage rules, interest rates or the stress test — those are federal and provincial. But the nine people elected on October 26 do control several things that show up directly in what it costs to own a home here.

• Development charges. These are fees on new construction that get built into the price of a new home. Bradford received up to $94.8 million in 2026 tied to reducing them. Council votes on the local charges. I broke that down in what the development charge cut actually means for a buyer.
• Basement apartments and second units. Council sets the local rules for legal second units. This matters more than most people realise: a legal second unit can add rental income that some lenders will count toward qualifying you for a mortgage.
• Water and wastewater capacity. Servicing capacity decides how many homes can actually be built, and when. It has been the real constraint on low-rise housing here.
• Zoning and what gets built where. Townhouses, apartments, subdivisions like Bond Head South, and whether housing arrives with schools and roads attached.
• The property tax rate. Set by council every year in the budget. It is part of your monthly cost of owning, and lenders count it when they qualify you.
• Local roads around the Bradford Bypass. The highway itself is a provincial project, not a municipal one — but interchanges, local road work and servicing decisions sit with the Town. Details in my Bradford Bypass tracker.

Questions worth asking any candidate

Instead of telling you who to vote for, here are the questions I would ask if housing costs are what you care about. They work on every candidate, in every ward.

• How will you vote on development charges, and what evidence will you use to decide?
• Do you support making legal basement apartments easier to build, and what specifically would you change?
• What is your plan for water and wastewater capacity, and what does it cost?
• Should new subdivisions be approved before the schools, roads and services are in place?
• How would you balance the tax rate against service levels?
• What is one thing you would change about how the Town handles growth?

Key dates

Where this information comes from

• Town of BWG: certified candidates
• Town of BWG: information for voters
• Town of BWG: election page and key dates
• Town of BWG: ward maps
• Town of BWG official 2022 municipal election results

Again: this is a non-partisan guide and no candidate is endorsed here. Candidate websites are linked exactly as the Town publishes them, and a link is not a recommendation. Personal phone numbers and email addresses are published by the Town but are not repeated here; use the Town's page for those. If you spot an error, tell me and I will correct it the same day.