2026 municipal election
Last updated
The four townships voted on October 26, 2026. Turnout rose in all four, and so did competition: 58 candidates against 41 in 2022, and 1 seat filled by acclamation against 12 of 24. Councils for 2026-2030 take office on November 15, 2026.
These are the councils that will choose among the models in the County’s governance study. The outgoing councils left that decision to them, and there is no referendum.
Every vote count below is the township clerk’s certified figure. Turnout comes from The Highlander, because three of the four results pages publish none.
Turnout
| Township | 2026 | Ballots of electors | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dysart et al | 39.46% | 5,300 / 13,433 | — | — |
| Minden Hills | ~34.6% | estimate | 24.76% | +9.8 pts |
| Highlands East | ~33.87% | estimate | 21.26% | +12.6 pts |
| Algonquin Highlands | 31.29% | 2,330 / 7,446 | 28.9% | +2.4 pts |
| Average of the four | 34.8% | ~26% | ~+9 pts |
Percentages only. Responsibility for the voters' list moved from MPAC to Elections Ontario for this election, and The Highlander reported registration problems. The lists of eligible electors are not the same list in 2022 and 2026: Dysart et al had 9,588 eligible electors in 2022 by AMO's count and 13,433 in 2026. That is why this page compares turnout as a percentage and not as electors.
Dysart et al, 2022. No 2022 turnout percentage for Dysart et al was found. The Highlander describes 2026 as "a jump of about eight per cent" on AMO's figures without saying whether that is points or a proportion, so no 2022 figure is inferred from it.
Minden Hills, 2026. The township had not published its turnout when this was recorded. The figure is The Highlander's estimate: 4,280 votes in the mayoral race over 12,369 electors on the voters' list. The certified mayoral votes come to 4,280 before 14 declined ballots, so anyone who voted without marking a mayor is missing from it, and the township's own figure, when it is published, may be a little higher.
Highlands East, 2026. The township's certified results page publishes no turnout and no count of electors. The Highlander gives 2,926 ballots of 8,639 electors, but 2,926 is the county-wide vote total of school board trustee Kinga Baricz on the same results page, and the township has not confirmed 8,639 anywhere. The certified mayoral votes come to 2,880, so at least 2,880 people voted, which is 33.3% of 8,639. The figure is kept as The Highlander's until the township publishes its own.
Average. The plain average of the four townships' turnout, not weighted by electors. The 2022 figure is given as "26 per cent" with no decimal. Changes are in percentage points. Source: The Highlander, “What happened?”, October 28, 2026.
Results and turnover
| Township | Mayor | Seats | New to council | Incumbents defeated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dysart et al | Greg Bishop (new, 85.4%) | 7 | 4 | Pat Casey (Deputy Mayor) and Tammy Donaldson (Ward 3) |
| Minden Hills | Tammy McKelvey (new seat, 39.5%) | 7 | 3 | Bob Carter (Mayor) and Pam Sayne (Ward 2) |
| Highlands East | Dave Burton (re-elected, 29.2%) | 5 | 3 | Cec Ryall (Ward 3 and deputy mayor) and Ruth Strong (Ward 4) |
| Algonquin Highlands | Liz Danielsen (re-elected, 55%) | 5 | 4 | Lisa Barry (Ward 2) |
Dysart et al. New to council: Greg Bishop, Deb Lambe, Mike Waller and Marianne Schlottke. In a new seat: Walt McKechnie (Deputy Mayor; previously Mayor since July 2026, and deputy mayor before that). The mayor's seat was open. Mayor Murray Fearrey died in May 2026, and council appointed Deputy Mayor Walt McKechnie mayor on 7 July and Ward 1 councillor Pat Casey deputy mayor on 28 July, which left Ward 1 vacant. Source
Minden Hills. New to council: Dan Garbutt, Stephen Hertel and Lisa Mercer. In a new seat: Tammy McKelvey (Mayor; previously Councillor at large), Ivan Ingram (Deputy Mayor; previously Ward 1 councillor) and Bob Sisson (Councillor at large; previously Ward 3 councillor).
Highlands East. New to council: Andrew Martin, Arlene Quinn and Amy Toye.
Algonquin Highlands. Every councillor is new: Karla MacKay, Gary Trapp, James Cooper and Don Embree. Only the mayor returns.
“New to council” means not on the outgoing council in any seat. Someone who moved from councillor to mayor or deputy mayor is counted as a new seat, not a new member.
County council, 2026–2030
Haliburton County council is the mayor and deputy mayor of each township, eight members, who choose the warden from among themselves. Dysart et al and Minden Hills elect their deputy mayor. Highlands East and Algonquin Highlands do not: council picks one of its councillors at the first meeting of the term, so two seats, and the warden, are not settled yet.
| Township | Mayor | Deputy mayor |
|---|---|---|
| Dysart et al | Greg Bishop New | Walt McKechnie New seat |
| Minden Hills | Tammy McKelvey New seat | Ivan Ingram New seat |
| Highlands East | Dave Burton | Chosen by council after 15 November |
| Algonquin Highlands | Liz Danielsen | Chosen by council after 15 November |
At least four of the eight seats change hands. Walt McKechnie, appointed Dysart et al’s mayor in July after Murray Fearrey’s death, returns to the County as deputy mayor, the seat he held before.
Full results
Dysart et al
Certified by Tamara Wilbee, CAO/Acting Clerk, October 27, 2026. Certified results. Internet and telephone only, 16 to 26 October. No paper ballots. How to vote.
| Office | Candidate | Votes | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor120 declined | Greg Bishop | 4,506 | 85.4% | New |
| Andrew Nowell | 649 | 12.3% | ||
| Deputy Mayor119 declined | Walt McKechnie | 2,828 | 53.5% | New seat; previously Mayor since July 2026, and deputy mayor before that |
| Pat Casey | 2,340 | 44.3% | Previously Deputy Mayor since July 2026 | |
| Ward 119 declined | Deb Lambe | 366 | 37.8% | New |
| Rob McCaig | 333 | 34.4% | ||
| Danny Roberts | 251 | 25.9% | ||
| Ward 243 declined | Mike Waller | 807 | 52.4% | New |
| Rob Parish | 689 | 44.8% | ||
| Ward 34 declined | Marianne Schlottke | 270 | 48.2% | New |
| Tammy Donaldson | 175 | 31.2% | Previously Ward 3 councillor | |
| Geoff Webber | 111 | 19.8% | ||
| Ward 459 declined | Carm Sawyer | 930 | 76.5% | Re-elected |
| Esther Sipe | 226 | 18.6% | ||
| Ward 527 declined | Barry Boice | 536 | 53.7% | Re-elected |
| Kirby Bagg | 436 | 43.6% |
Leaving council: Pat Casey, Deputy Mayor (defeated); Tammy Donaldson, Ward 3 (defeated); Nancy Wood-Roberts, Ward 2 (did not run).
Minden Hills
Certified by Vicki Bull, Clerk, October 27, 2026. Certified results. Internet, telephone or paper ballot, 10 to 26 October. The only township of the four to offer a paper ballot. How to vote.
| Office | Candidate | Votes | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor14 declined | Tammy McKelvey | 1,698 | 39.5% | New seat; previously Councillor at large |
| Pam Sayne | 1,181 | 27.5% | Previously Ward 2 councillor | |
| Bob Carter | 809 | 18.8% | Previously Mayor | |
| Pat Kitcheman | 592 | 13.8% | ||
| Deputy Mayor189 declined | Ivan Ingram | 2,359 | 55.4% | New seat; previously Ward 1 councillor |
| Richard Bradley | 1,708 | 40.1% | ||
| Councillor at large | Bob Sisson | 2,379 | 59.2% | New seat; previously Ward 3 councillor |
| Ron Nesbitt | 1,640 | 40.8% | ||
| Ward 1 (2 seats) | Dan Garbutt | 1,793 | 41.7% | New |
| Shirley Johannessen | 1,313 | 30.6% | Re-elected | |
| Keith Moore | 1,070 | 24.9% | ||
| Joe McNanamy | 121 | 2.8% | ||
| Ward 2 | Stephen Hertel | 503 | 53.4% | New |
| Brad Griffin | 266 | 28.2% | ||
| John McNeil | 173 | 18.4% | ||
| Ward 3 | Lisa Mercer | 401 | 62.1% | New |
| Jeff Hancock | 245 | 37.9% |
Leaving council: Bob Carter, Mayor (defeated); Pam Sayne, Ward 2 (defeated; ran for mayor); Lisa Schell, Deputy Mayor (did not run).
Highlands East
Certified by Katelyn Patterson, Deputy Clerk, October 27, 2026. Certified results. Internet and telephone only, 16 to 26 October. How to vote.
| Office | Candidate | Votes | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Dave Burton | 842 | 29.2% | Re-elected |
| Steven Kauffeldt | 786 | 27.3% | ||
| Krystle Anne Pegg | 577 | 20% | ||
| Mike Killingsworth | 467 | 16.2% | ||
| Cheryl Ellis | 208 | 7.2% | ||
| Ward 1, Bicroft | Andrew Martin | 99 | 39.9% | New |
| Leigh Henderson | 70 | 28.2% | ||
| Bill Easton | 51 | 20.6% | ||
| Don Meharrie | 28 | 11.3% | ||
| Ward 2, Cardiff | Angela Lewis | 515 | 60.7% | Re-elected |
| Jo-Anne Gould-Green | 333 | 39.3% | ||
| Ward 3, Glamorgan | Arlene Quinn | 534 | 57.5% | New |
| Cec Ryall | 394 | 42.5% | Previously Ward 3 councillor and deputy mayor | |
| Ward 4, Monmouth | Amy Toye | 626 | 76.6% | New |
| Ruth Strong | 191 | 23.4% | Previously Ward 4 councillor |
Leaving council: Cec Ryall, Ward 3 and deputy mayor (defeated); Ruth Strong, Ward 4 (defeated); Cam McKenzie, Ward 1 (did not run).
Algonquin Highlands
Certified by Dawn Newhook, Clerk, October 27, 2026. Certified results. Voting method: Not confirmed. The township's election pages, as read on 29 October, no longer describe how to vote.
| Office | Candidate | Votes | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Liz Danielsen | 1,260 | 55% | Re-elected |
| Mike Lang | 1,029 | 45% | ||
| Ward 1, Sherborne | Karla MacKay | Acclaimed | New | |
| Ward 2, Stanhope (2 seats) | Gary Trapp | 772 | 29.2% | New |
| James Cooper | 656 | 24.8% | New | |
| Kent Wallace | 626 | 23.7% | ||
| Lisa Barry | 586 | 22.2% | Previously Ward 2 councillor | |
| Ward 3 | Don Embree | 439 | 85.2% | New |
| Darren Wiebe | 76 | 14.8% |
Leaving council: Lisa Barry, Ward 2 (defeated); Jennifer Dailloux, Ward 3 and deputy mayor (did not run); Julia Shortreed, Ward 1 (did not run); Sabrina Richards, Ward 2 (did not run).
Share is of all ballots in the race, declined ones included, where the township published a declined count (Dysart et al for every race, Minden Hills for mayor and deputy mayor). Elsewhere it is the share of votes for candidates. In a two-seat ward each voter has two votes, so the shares there are of votes, not of voters.
Sources
- Dysart et al, certified results, October 27, 2026
- Minden Hills, certified results, October 27, 2026
- Highlands East, certified results, October 27, 2026
- Algonquin Highlands, certified results, October 27, 2026
- The Highlander, “What happened?”, October 28, 2026
- The Highlander, “Municipal election 2026: by the numbers”, October 27, 2026
- The Highlander, “Councillors wade in on governance report”, August 13, 2026