We are quickly closing in on an end to the 2018 Ontario Municipal Election.
On Monday, polls will open in some communities at 10 a.m. while in others, online and telephone voting will continue. All voting will be officially over by 8 p.m. Monday and we should start to hear results shortly thereafter.
Waterloo region residents should have received their voter information cards to direct them where and how to vote.
READ MORE: Kitchener to reprint 19,500 ballots, will cost $25,000
North Dumfries, Woolwich and Wellesley offer online and telephone voting in this election while Cambridge also offers its citizens the right to vote online or at polls.
In the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo and the township of Wilmot, your voter information card should direct you as to where you can cast your ballot. Each city and town will have a list of voting locations on their websites as well.
Voters should bring photo identification with their current address on it along with their voter cards that they received in the mail. Voters are not required to show identification to vote.
READ MORE: Waterloo election 2018: Where, when and how to vote — and who’s running
While the incumbents will be favoured to take home top prize in most local mayoral races, there are some elected officials who are facing stiff competition and some have retired as well.
Longtime Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig and Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak appear to have the most potential to be upset in 2018 out of the region’s mayors.
Craig is facing some stiff competition from former MPP Kathryn McGarry and former councillor Ben Tucci while Nowak is being challenged by Bernia Wheaton, who appears to have organized a credible campaign.
READ MORE: The Museum offering free admission to voters
In Kitchener, there will be at least two new councillors as the incumbents in Ward 4 and Ward 9 (Yvonne Fernandes Frank Etherington) both chose to step away from their positions.
Mayor Berry Vrbanovic will be seeking a second term in the city’s leadership role and he will face a trio of challengers in newcomers Jiri Marek, Narine Sookram and Myron Daniel Steinman.
In Waterloo, there will be at least three new faces as a trio of councillors have chosen not to return. Bob Mavin (Ward 1), Brian Bourke (Ward 2) and Melissa Durrell (Ward 7) are all not seeking re-election.
For the first time in more than 30 years, the Region of Waterloo will have a new chair as Ken Seiling has chosen to retire.
Longtime local politician Karen Redman appears to be the favourite to replace him but she is facing some stiff competition in former Waterloo councillor Jan d’Ailly, former North Dumfries mayor Robert Deutschmann and local businessman Jay Aissa.
A complete list of registered and certified mayoral, town and regional council candidates is below. Hyperlinks to each of the candidates’ campaign websites are included, if available.
Candidates for Waterloo Region
Regional Chair
Regional Councillors
Cambridge (Elect 2)
Karl Kiefer (Incumbent)
Helen Jowett (Incumbent)
Rob Brunette
John Florence
Kitchener (Elect 4)
Elizabeth Clarke (Incumbent)
Tom Galloway (Incumbent)
Geoff Lorentz (Incumbent)
Waterloo (Elect 2)
(Robert) Bob Oberholtzer
Jane Mitchell (Incumbent)
Sean Strickland (Incumbent)
City of Cambridge
Mayor
Doug Craig (Incumbent)
Randy Carter
Ward 1
Donna Reid (Incumbent)
Peter Crystal
Stewart Allan
Ward 2
Mike Devine (Incumbent)
Jaanus Kimsto
Jay Edward Brown
Ward 3
Michael Mann (Incumbent)
Tracy Hipel
Patricia Bercowski
Ward 4
Gary Price
Jan Liggett (Incumbent)
Ward 5
Pam Wolf (Incumbent)
Bill Kirby
Brett Wagner
Ward 6
Shannon Adshade (Incumbent)
Stephen Davis
Ward 7
Frank Monteiroe (Incumbent)
Cody Botelho
Ward 8
Nicholas Ermeta (Incumbent)
Kenneth R. Bartlett
Carla Johnson
City of Kitchener
Mayor
Berry Vrbanovic (incumbent)
Ward 1
Scott Davey (Incumbent)
Ward 2
Dave Schnider (Incumbent)
Fitzroy Vanderpool
Ward 3
John Gazzola (Incumbent)
Paras Solanski
Robert Souliere
Ward 4
Ward 5
Kelly Galloway-Sealock (Incumbent)
Sonal Pandya
Ward 6
Narendra Grover
Paul Singh (Incumbent)
Ward 7
Bil Ioannidis (Incumbent)
Ward 8
Zyg Janecki (Incumbent)
Ward 9
Ward 10
Sarah Marsh (Incumbent)
Township of North Dumfries
Mayor
Sue Foxton (Incumbent)
Ward 1
Rodney Rolleman (Acclaimed) (Incumbent)
Ward 2
Sheila Harrison
Derrick Ostner (Incumbent)
Ward 3
John Clarke
Ward 4
Pamela Gillespie
Neil Martin Ritchie (Incumbent)
Dawna Ward
City of Waterloo
Mayor
Dave Jaworsky (Incumbent)
Chris Kolednik
Ward 1
Robert Parent
Rainer Neufeld
Ward 2
Xin Tan
John Arthur McCarthy
Ward 3
Angela Vieth (Incumbent)
Kim Eckel
Ward 4
Diane Lynn Freeman (Incumbent)
Ward 5
Mark Whaley (Incumbent)
Ward 6
Jeff Henry (Incumbent)
William Hodgins
Oliver Campbell
Ward 7
Township of Wellesley
Mayor
Joe Nowak (Incumbent)
Bernia Wheaton
Ward 1
Shelley Wagner (Acclaimed)
Ward 2
Herb Neher (Incumbent)
Mark Witmer
Ward 3
Peter van der Maas (Incumbent)
Joyce Barker
Grant Kingsbury
Philip Morris
Ward 4
Carl Smit (Acclaimed) (Incumbent)
Township of Wilmot
Mayor
Les Armstrong (Incumbent)
Ward 1
Ward 2
Cheryl Gordijk (Acclaimed)
Ward 3
Barry Fisher (Incumbent)
Ward 4 (2 to be elected)
Jeff Gerber (Incumbent)
Mark Murray (Incumbent)
Township of Woolwich
Mayor
Sandy Shantz (Acclaimed) (incumbent)
Ward 1 (2 to be elected)
Julie-Anne Herteis (incumbent)
Scott McMillan
Patrick Merlihan (incumbent)
Ward 2
Fred Redekop
Eric Schwindt
Ward 3 (2 to be elected)
Murray Martin (Acclaimed) (incumbent)
Larry Shantz (Acclaimed) (incumbent)