The next City of Kawartha Lakes council will be reduced in half while four candidates seek the top seat in the predominately rural region in Central Ontario.
Mayor Andy Letham will seek to be re-elected after a landslide victory in 2014.
Letham is up against current city councillors Gord James (Ward 12) and Brian Junkin (Ward 7) along with activist Peter Weygang.
WATCH: The candidates for mayor in the City of Kawartha Lakes
Voters will also elect eight councillors instead of the traditional 16. In March 2017, council voted 15-2 in favour of reducing the size of council, which came with a number of boundary changes.
Candidates
Mayor
Andy Letham (incumbent)
Gord James (incumbent councillor)
Brian Junkin (incumbent councillor)
Peter Weygang
Council
Ward 1
Raymonde Blais Couture
Don Logan
Rob Macklem (incumbent)
Emmett Yeo (incumbent Ward 2)
Ward 2
Jim Greensides
Afe Helleman
Leslie Mieszkowski
Kathleen Seymour-Fagan
Stephen Slack
John Snider
Ward 3
Stephen Clarke
Doug Elmslie
Roger McInnis
Ward 4
George Davidson
Ian Nicolson
John Pollard (incumbent Ward 8)
Andrew Veale (incumbent)
Ward 5
Derrick Camphorst
Pat Dunn (incumbent Ward 10)
Duncan Gallacher
John Hagarty
Ward 6
Ron Ashmore
Jeffery Farquhar
Gerard Jilesen
Mary Ann Martin (incumbent Ward 15)
Emily Nigro
Al Robb
Pat Warren
Ward 7
Charles Clarke
Patrick O’Reilly (incumbent Ward 11)
Ward 8
Wayne Hunt
Jack Morrison
Michelle Murphy-Ward
Tracy Richardson
Heather Stauble (incumbent Ward 16)
David Watson
Boundary
The City of Kawartha Lakes is the second-largest single-tier municipality in Ontario, compromised of a number of communities including Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Omemee, Pontypool and Woodville. Formerly known as Victoria County, the City of Kawartha Lakes saw the amalgamation of 13 townships and six villages into one entity. Incorporation was in 2001. Farming, agriculture and tourism are among the top employers.
Population (2016)
75,243
Median total income of couple economic families with children (2015)/Ont. median
$107,793/$115,381
Crime Severity Index (2016) – municipal/Ont.
74.75/55.0
Violent Crime Severity Index (2017) – municipal/Ont.
91.88/68.69
Political representation
Federal
Jamie Schmale (Conservative) – Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
Provincial
Laurie Scott (Progressive Conservative) – Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock