Ontario municipal elections saw shake-ups in local government, with newly elected officials unseating incumbents in several cities across the province.
Niagara Falls
In Niagara Falls, Jim Diodati was defeated by two-term city councilor Lori Lococo, who entered the mayoral race after ending her city council re-election campaign in August. Diodati, who served four consecutive terms as mayor over 16 years, received 11,401 votes, finishing second to Lococo, who earned 14,058 votes.
Lococo is the first woman to hold the office of mayor in the Niagara Region. She was one of four candidates who ran against Diodati, including Paul Manning, Michael Lucid and Kevin Martineau.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake's unofficial results posted on the town’s website show a turnout of 52.4% in this year’s election.
The mayoral race produced a notable result with the election of political newcomer and business owner Vaughn Goettler.
Goettler will replace incumbent Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, who did not seek re-election this year. Goettler finished third in the 2022 election, behind Zalepa. This year, he ran against Deputy Mayor Erwin Wiens and regional councillor Andrea Kaiser, winning the seat with 5,101 votes, or 55.1% of the vote.
The mayor-elect is a retired CEO with no prior political experience. However, Goettler has been active in the community as a volunteer and donor, supporting organizations and causes such as the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, Rotary International, the Upper Canada Heritage Trail and Niagara College.
Fort Erie
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop was defeated by Tom Insinna in an election with a voter turnout of 39.1%. Insinna secured 6,469 votes, unseating Redekop, who was seeking his fourth consecutive term.
Redekop received 5,065 votes, finishing second in his seventh election after serving a total of seven terms as mayor, beginning in 1991.
Insinna, the mayor-elect, spent 30 years as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and has represented Fort Erie on regional council since 2018. The province is eliminating that regional council seat.
Mississauga
In another notable outcome, Mississauga elected Alvin Tedjo, a city councilor for Ward 2. Tedjo also ran for mayor in 2022 against Bonnie Crombie.
Crombie, who received 43,191 votes in this election, stepped down as mayor in 2024 to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.
Tedjo won with 74,479 votes, ahead of Crombie and incumbent Carolyn Parrish, who received 51,853 votes.
Hamilton
In a city synonymous with steel, Hamilton voted out incumbent Mayor Andrea Horwath in favor of Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction.
Loomis received 61,040 votes, establishing a substantial lead over Horwath, who received 21,223 votes and finished third. Loomis also outpaced runner-up Rob Cooper, who received 46,573 votes, by 14,467 votes.
Born in Oswego, New York, Loomis moved to London, Ontario, at age 12 before relocating to Hamilton in 2009.
