Pickering Election 2026 races are taking shape as candidates continue registering for mayor, regional council, city council and school board positions ahead of the Aug. 21 nomination deadline.
The municipal election will take place on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, with nominations remaining open until 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. Candidates may also withdraw or switch offices before that deadline.
The City of Pickering’s official candidate list shows five people currently seeking the mayor’s office.
Five candidates running for Pickering mayor
The registered mayoral candidates are:
- Kevin Ashe
- Doug Cornell
- Shaun Rickard
- Lisa Robinson
- Andrea Wood
The City’s current list shows Wood filed on Aug. 6, becoming the latest of the five mayoral candidates listed as of Aug. 13.
More candidates could still enter the race before nominations close.
Regional council candidates
Three regional councillor positions are being contested, one for each Pickering ward.
Regional Councillor — Ward 1
- Maurice Brenner
Regional Councillor — Ward 2
- Linda Cook
- Nancy van Rooy
Regional Councillor — Ward 3
- David Pickles
The official City list confirms those candidates have filed their nominations.
Pickering city council races
Several candidates have also registered for the three city councillor positions.
City Councillor — Ward 1
- James Blair
- Abdullah Mir
- Jamie Nye
- Michael Samlalsingh
- Jeremy Steinhausen
- Priya Vadivel
The City’s official list also records Laurin Jeffrey as withdrawn, meaning that name should not be included among active candidates.
City Councillor — Ward 2
- Stacey Lepine-Fisher
- John Meloche
- Mara Nagy
- Sam Snyders
- Vince Viapiana
City Councillor — Ward 3
- Shaheen Butt
- Rajkumar Nada
The candidate roster may continue changing until nomination day.
School board trustee candidates
The Pickering Election 2026 ballot will also include school board trustee races.
Current candidates for the Durham District School Board are:
- Walton Armstrong
- Emma Cunningham
- Sinthuja Kanageswaran
- Amjad Muhammad
- Hitesh Parikh
- Nadhiena Shankar
For the Durham Catholic District School Board, the current candidates are:
- Andre De Freitas
- Ayeza Perez
- Bessy Stergiou
The City of Pickering confirms those names on its official candidate list.
French-language public and Catholic school trustee nominations serving Pickering are administered through the City of Oshawa rather than Pickering.
Nomination deadline approaching
Anyone seeking municipal office must complete the required nomination process before 2 p.m. on Aug. 21.
The City says nominations can be filed by candidates or authorized agents through the City Clerk’s office. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements established under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act.
Because registration remains open, residents should expect the Pickering Election 2026 candidate list to change before nominations are certified.
This article should therefore be updated after Aug. 21 with the final certified candidates rather than creating another substantially identical candidate-list article.
