Municipal InsightsOct. 26, 2026
Six councils face voters, and budget season starts
Five Ontario cities vote today and Winnipeg votes Wednesday. Two B.C. councils take office next week, and the Prairie cities open their 2027 budgets. A chart for every story.
The week in four numbers
01Elections
Ontario votes today, Winnipeg on Wednesday
Advance ballots, 2026 (thick) vs 2022 (thin)
CBC via Yahoo · CHCH · City of Toronto · City of Winnipeg · Wikipedia, 2026 Mississauga municipal election
What happened. Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton vote until 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. in Edmonton and Regina). All five saw more advance voting than in 2022. Toronto’s 222,550 advance ballots are a record, nearly double 2022 (City of Toronto).
Winnipeg. Voters elect a mayor, 15 councillors and school trustees on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Twelve people are running for mayor. A record 50,767 voted in advance, up 21.2% from 2022 (City of Winnipeg).
What’s next. Results stay unofficial until each city clerk declares them. New Ontario councils take office Nov. 15.
02British Columbia
Two new councils take office Nov. 2
What happened. Vancouver and Surrey both elected new mayors on Oct. 17. In Vancouver, Green, COPE and OneCity councillors will hold 10 of 11 seats with the mayor (City of Vancouver). Voters there also approved $790M in capital borrowing.
Surrey. McCallum’s slate pledged a four-year property tax freeze (Surrey Now-Leader).
What’s next. Both councils are sworn in on Monday, Nov. 2.
03Budgets
The 2027 budgets open next week
2026 tax change. Each city’s own headline figure, so the measures differ
City budget releases, 2026
What happened. Edmonton releases its draft 2027-2030 budget on Nov. 2 and aims to approve it by Dec. 18 (Taproot Edmonton). Calgary’s four-year proposal follows on Nov. 10; council’s July guidance pointed to a 15% tax increase in 2027 (Global News).
Elsewhere. Regina’s council is aiming for 5.81% after a record 10.9% this year (620 CKRM). Quebec City must adopt its 2027 budget between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31.
04Provinces and cities
Provincial decisions are setting the city agenda
What happened. Alberta ordered Edmonton and Calgary on Oct. 8 to reverse their infill rules (Global News). Calgary’s last Housing Accelerator Fund payment depends on its zoning (LiveWire Calgary).
Why it matters. B.C. and Quebec both elected new provincial governments this month. Surrey’s SkyTrain and hospital asks now go to a Conservative government, and Montreal’s shelter and transit asks to a PQ minority.
05City by city
Where each big city stands this week
The 13 largest cities, plus Saskatoon and Regina, from largest to smallest.
Taxes, a proposed water utility and homelessness lead the race.
About 3,000 winter shelter spaces announced; police conduct before council.
Four-year budget Nov. 10; Stage 4 water restrictions from Nov. 4.
Shelter use has doubled since 2022.
Infill rollback order; draft four-year budget Nov. 2.
Taxes, police staffing and transit safety lead.
Peel police costs and transit are central.
Mayor-elect Pete Fry; voters approved $790M in borrowing.
Transit ridership fell 13.1% in 2025.
Up to 500 Stelco layoffs announced.
Tramway targeted to open in 2033.
Mayor-elect Doug McCallum, with 8 of 9 seats; four-year tax freeze pledged.
RCMP review of the mayor’s office spending is ongoing.
Encampment injunction hearing Oct. 27.
Council wants a report on Bell’s AI data centre next door.
Churchill’s Big Cities tracker, checked Oct. 26, 2026
News cards
The week in six cards
One card for each big development. Tap a card to open its source.
Big cities tracker · Ontario votes today
Five Ontario cities vote today, after record advance voting
Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton vote until 8 p.m. ET. New councils take office Nov. 15.
Source: City of Toronto, advance voting Oct. 6 to 11, 2026; 2022 figure 115,911.
Big cities tracker · Winnipeg · 2 days out
Winnipeg votes Wednesday after a record advance poll
Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 28 for mayor, 15 councillors and school trustees.
Source: City of Winnipeg, Oct. 23, 2026 (advance voting Oct. 5 to 23).
Big cities tracker · Vancouver
Vancouver's new council takes office Nov. 2
Mayor-elect Pete Fry won with 98,748 votes. Voters also approved $790M in capital borrowing.
Source: City of Vancouver, official results declared Oct. 21, 2026.
Big cities tracker · Surrey
Surrey's new majority pledges a four-year tax freeze
Mayor-elect Doug McCallum and the new council are sworn in Nov. 2. Counts are preliminary.
Source: Surrey Now-Leader, Oct. 19, 2026; Surrey Citizen, Oct. 19, 2026.
Big cities tracker · Calgary
Calgary's four-year budget lands Nov. 10
Public submissions and council deliberations start Nov. 23. Approval is expected in late November.
Source: Global News, Sept. 3, 2026; City of Calgary, 2027-2030 budget page.
Big cities tracker · Edmonton and Calgary
Alberta orders Edmonton and Calgary to reverse infill rules
Calgary's final $63.7M federal housing payment is tied to zoning by Oct. 27.
Source: Global News, Oct. 8, 2026; LiveWire Calgary, Oct. 13, 2026.
Word of the week
Advance vote
Voting on set days before election day, for anyone who can't or would rather not vote on the day itself. Advance ballots are counted with the rest after polls close.
VotersWinnipeg's advance voters this year, a record, up 21.2% from 2022.
City of Winnipeg, Oct. 23, 2026
Dates to watch
What’s coming up
- Five Ontario cities vote TodayBrampton, Hamilton, Mississauga, Ottawa, Toronto
- Edmonton council meetsMunicipal autonomy report
- Winnipeg votesMayor, 15 councillors and school trustees
- Two B.C. councils sworn inVancouver and Surrey
- Edmonton's draft budget2027-2030
- Calgary water restrictionsStage 4 outdoor restrictions begin
- Calgary's proposed budget2027-2030
Further out
- New Ontario councils take officeTerms begin
- Edmonton budget voteTarget date for approval
- Quebec City budget deadlineMust be adopted by this date
City and council calendars · Big Cities tracker
Public sources only. No predictions.
Every city is reported the same way. Results are counted, never rated.
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Churchill StrategyMunicipal Insights · Oct. 26, 2026
Six councils face voters, and budget season starts
churchillstrategy.ca/insightsPublic sources only. No predictions.
Municipal Insights comes out every Monday with the Big Cities tracker. Get it by email with the form below. Questions or a city you want covered? Email winston.pon@churchillstrategy.ca.
Sources. Elections: City of Toronto; City of Winnipeg; city clerks for advance-voting counts. B.C.: City of Vancouver official results; Surrey Now-Leader, preliminary count. Budgets: Taproot Edmonton; Global News; 620 CKRM; each city’s 2026 budget release for the tax chart. Provinces and cities: Global News; LiveWire Calgary. City by city: Churchill’s Big Cities tracker, from public sources, checked Oct. 26, 2026.
Churchill Strategy is an Edmonton event production and campaign firm. We have worked with conservative parties in Alberta, Saskatchewan and federally, with a campaign in Alberta’s 2026 referendum and on a 2025 Edmonton mayoral campaign. Municipal Insights reports results; it does not take sides. See something wrong? Email winston.pon@churchillstrategy.ca and we’ll correct it the same day.
