Whitby voters now have the final slate of candidates for the 2026 municipal election after nominations closed on Friday, Aug. 21.
The Whitby election candidates include three people seeking the mayor’s office, along with contested races for local and regional councillor positions across all four wards. School board trustee races will also appear on ballots for eligible voters.
The Town of Whitby has confirmed that voting day is Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Advance voting will run from Oct. 22 to Oct. 25.
Three candidates running for mayor
The mayoral race includes Chris Leahy, Harshini Rajmohan and Elizabeth Roy.
One candidate will be elected mayor by voters across Whitby.
Council races across Whitby’s four wards
For Town Councillor in North Ward 1, the candidates are Anastasia Brown, Steve Lee and Jay White.
Regional Councillor candidates in North Ward 1 are Tracy Brown, Ikramah Mohhy-Up-Din, Rhonda Mulcahy and Christine Thatcher.
In West Ward 2, the Town Councillor candidates are Michelle Arsenault, Matt Cardwell, Mehmood Kohistani, Lori Lopes, Yar M. Naeme and Judith Tait. Debbie Lewis and Deidre Newman are seeking the Regional Councillor position.
Centre Ward 3 has six candidates for Town Councillor: Bob Baker, Akuah Frempong, Laura McCarney, John Rinella, Dave Sansom and Scott Templeton. Melissa Heckbert and Niki Lundquist are running for Regional Councillor.
In East Ward 4, Victoria Bozinovski, Saima Hammad, Shah Hosen and Walter Perigao are running for Town Councillor. Zartasha Zainab Chaudry, Maleeha Shahid and Steve Yamada are competing for Regional Councillor.
The Whitby election candidates will be elected under the town’s ward system, with one local councillor and one regional councillor chosen in each ward.
School board trustee candidates
Ten candidates are listed for two Durham District School Board trustee positions: Michelle Ambrose, Jason Arsenault, Rob Diamond, Kim Downey, Will Ellis, Manas Khanna, Srikanth Mylavarapu, Kimberley Pineau, Christopher Price and Lynda Yardley.
Four candidates are seeking two Durham Catholic District School Board trustee positions: Trevor Aitcheson, Robert DeSouza, Mary Louise Labare and Sinh Ngo.
For the French-language boards, Erik Lapointe is listed as acclaimed for Conseil scolaire Viamonde, while Marcellin Kwilu Mondo is acclaimed for Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.
What Whitby voters need to know
The nomination period officially ended at 2 p.m. on Aug. 21. The Town says its full Plan Your Vote tool will become available Sept. 1, allowing residents to check or update voter-list information and review candidate details.
Advance voting is scheduled from Oct. 22 through Oct. 25 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Election day voting on Oct. 26 will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Whitby residents will vote for mayor, the local and regional councillor representing their ward, and the appropriate school board trustee positions.
The finalization of the Whitby election candidates means the local campaign now moves into its main phase, with voters having roughly two months to compare candidates, platforms and priorities before ballots are cast.
Residents can use the Town of Whitby’s municipal election website and Plan Your Vote service for official voting information and candidate updates as election day approaches.
