Owen Sound Mayor's Race Draws Five Contenders as Most Bruce-Grey Seats Still Open
Jodi King's filing makes five candidates running for Owen Sound mayor — a crowded field three weeks into the nomination period. Plus: who's running across Bruce-Grey.
Jodi King filed her nomination papers this week to run for mayor of Owen Sound, becoming the fifth candidate to register for the city’s top seat ahead of the October 26 municipal election.
She joins Ray Botten, Carol Merton, Richard Thomas and Andrii Zvorygin on a ballot that has filled out quickly. Nominations only opened May 1, and the period remains open until August 21 at 4:30 p.m., meaning more names could still be added before the final list of certified candidates is published on September 1.
By contrast, no one has yet registered to run for Deputy Mayor in Owen Sound, and only one candidate, Meghan Robertson, has filed for a council seat.
Owen Sound elects a Mayor, a Deputy Mayor and a slate of seven councillors. With no Deputy Mayor candidates and only one councillor registered three weeks into the nomination period, there is significant room on this ballot.
Most unofficial candidate lists across the rest of Grey and Bruce counties are sparse so far.
Grey County
Town of The Blue Mountains
Mayor: Marni Moreau
Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Councillor: Shawn McKinlay
Municipality of Meaford
Mayor: Shirley Keaveney
Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Councillor: Eric Ennis, Adam Vaughan
Township of Georgian Bluffs
Mayor: Susan (Sue) Carleton
Deputy Mayor: Grant Pringle
Councillor: No registered candidates.
Township of Chatsworth
Mayor: Terry McKay
Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Councillor: No registered candidates.
Town of Hanover
Mayor: Sue Paterson
Deputy Mayor: Selwyn Hicks
Councillor: No registered candidates.
Municipality of West Grey
Mayor: Kevin Eccles
Deputy Mayor: Thomas Hutchinson
Councillor: Scott Foerster, Jordan Hoxie, Deidter Stadnyk
Township of Southgate
Mayor: Brian Milne
Deputy Mayor: Barbara Dobreen
Councillor: Joan John
Municipality of Grey Highlands
Mayor: Dane Nielsen
Deputy Mayor: Joel Loughead
Councillor: No registered candidates.
Bruce County
Town of Saugeen Shores
Mayor: Luke Charbonneau
Deputy Mayor and Vice Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Port Elgin Ward Councillor: Bud Halpin
Saugeen Ward Councillor: Neil Sarginson
Southampton Ward Councillor: Cheryl Grace, Harry Mazmanian, John Divinski
Municipality of Kincardine
Mayor: Kenneth Craig, Bill Stewart
Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Councillor At-Large: No registered candidates.
Councillor Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3: No registered candidates.
Municipality of Brockton
Mayor: Chris Peabody
Deputy Mayor: Tim Elphick
Councillor: Steve Travale
Municipality of Arran-Elderslie
Mayor: Steve Hammell
Deputy Mayor: No registered candidates.
Arran Ward Councillor: Ryan Nickason
Elderslie Ward Councillor: No registered candidates.
Chesley Ward Councillor: No registered candidates.
Paisley Ward Councillor: David Stone, Heidi Maxwell, Patricia Wright
Tara Ward Councillor: No registered candidates.
Town of South Bruce Peninsula
Mayor: Jay Kirkland, Bill Klingenberg
Deputy Mayor: Caleb Hull
Councillor: Kathy Durst, Paul Stephen Deacon, Kevin Holgate
(As of May 20, the most recent list published by the Town.)
Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula
No registered candidates for any office.
Township of Huron-Kinloss
Mayor: Don Murray, Shawn Plante
Deputy Mayor: James Hannah
Councillor: Scott Gibson, Tracy Irwin, Kirk Livingston, Ed McGugan
Municipality of South Bruce
Mayor: Mark Goetz
Teeswater-Culross Ward Councillor: No registered candidates.
Mildmay-Carrick Ward Councillor: David Wood
At-Large Councillor: No registered candidates.
School Board Trustee Candidates
School board trustee races cross municipal boundaries. Some trustees are running in multiple municipalities’ lists because the position represents a region rather than a single town.
Bluewater District School Board (English Public): Angela Forder (Blue Mountains, Meaford), Wayne Peeters (Southgate, Grey Highlands), Jan Johnstone (Kincardine), Katie Lutz (Saugeen Shores, Arran-Elderslie)
Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board (English Separate): Francis-Joseph Hughes Gross (Grey Highlands), Lucie Desbiens (Saugeen Shores, Arran-Elderslie), Lori Di Castri (Kincardine, Brockton — Ward 31), Linda Strader (Brockton — Wards 34 & 36), Beverley Eckensweiler (South Bruce)
Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French Public): Eric Lapointe (Meaford, Southgate, Grey Highlands, Kincardine, Brockton)
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence (French Separate): No registered candidates listed in the municipalities tracked.
It is early. Nominations have been open for less than four weeks of a roughly sixteen-week window. Most incumbents and challengers traditionally file closer to the August deadline. The absence of candidates in many Deputy Mayor and councillor positions reflects timing, not necessarily the final shape of any ballot.
That said, two patterns are worth flagging now: Owen Sound has a crowded mayoral race with five contenders and almost no one yet registered for council; and Northern Bruce Peninsula has no registered candidates for any office.
Check Your School Support Designation by June 1
Every property in Ontario is linked to a school board for tax purposes, regardless of whether the owner has children or whether those children are still school-aged. That designation determines which school board trustee race appears on your ballot.
If your designation is wrong, you’ll be voting for the wrong board.
According to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), school support designations should be reviewed and, if necessary, updated by June 1, 2026 to be reflected on the voters’ list in time for the October 26 election. You can check or update your designation at voterlookup.ca.
Key Dates
August 21, 2026: Nomination period closes (4:30 p.m.)
September 1, 2026: Final list of certified candidates available
October 26, 2026: Election Day
For full coverage of the 2026 municipal election — what each position decides, how voting works in each municipality, and ongoing candidate coverage — follow our Bruce-Grey and Owen Sound Votes: 2026 Municipal Election Guide.
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