The City of St. Thomas is hosting a free information session on Monday, April 27, 2026, for residents interested in running for city council or mayor in this year’s municipal election.
The event will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Carnegie Room at the St. Thomas Public Library. The session will feature a presentation from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, followed by a question and answer period with current and former local elected officials.
This session comes ahead of the official nomination period, which opens May 1, 2026. The upcoming October 26, 2026, municipal election will see an open race for mayor for the first time since 2018. Current Mayor Joe Preston, who has served two terms and previously spent 11 years as a Member of Parliament, announced in February 2026 that he will not seek re-election.
St. Thomas City Council is made up of eight councillors and one mayor, with all members elected citywide. Prospective candidates must be Canadian citizens aged 18 or older and qualify as a resident or non-resident elector. Because St. Thomas has more than 4,000 electors, those running for office are required to obtain 25 endorsement signatures and pay a filing fee of $100 for a council seat or $200 for the head of council position.
For those looking for additional resources, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario is offering free online workshops as part of its Healthy Democracy Leadership Series, which is designed to help first-time candidates prepare for a campaign.
The election occurs during a period of rapid growth for the city, driven by major industrial developments such as the PowerCo battery plant, which is currently under construction. In the 2022 municipal election, voter turnout in St. Thomas reached 30.6 percent, falling slightly below the provincial average of 32.9 percent recorded during that same election cycle.
