THUNDER BAY / KENORA – October 21, 2026 – Municipal and school board elections are scheduled for Monday, October 26, across Northwestern Ontario. In Kenora, Mayor Andrew Poirier has been acclaimed. No one filed against him. In Ear Falls, Mayor Kevin Kahoot has also been acclaimed. In Dryden, incumbent Mayor Jack Harrison is running again. He told CBC that over the past four years the city has built more than 140 housing units. Other communities have contested races for mayor and council. Thunder Bay’s online voting window is already open and closes at 8 p.m. on election day.
The full list of candidates for each municipality is on the respective municipal websites and on the CBC Thunder Bay election page. School board seats are also on the ballot in most communities. Voters need to be Canadian citizens, at least 18 on election day, and residents or eligible property owners in the municipality. Thunder Bay is providing a free transit pass on the voter information letter for travel to and from advance or election-day polls. Other communities have their own advance-poll schedules. The province has not issued a regional turnout figure because the votes have not been cast.
Kenora’s acclamation means the mayor’s race is finished. Poirier has held the office through the daylight-saving survey, the A&W fire response, and the ongoing municipal files. Ear Falls is a smaller community. Kahoot’s acclamation is the local record there. Dryden’s race is open. Harrison’s housing number is the one he has put on the record. Whether voters treat that as the main file or focus on other issues is not known until the ballots are counted. The rest of the northwest has a mix of acclaimed seats and contested ones. The election is in five days. The online window in Thunder Bay is the one that is already running. The rest of the region votes on the 26th.
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