Incumbents Unseated in Mayoral Races Across Southern Ontario

Municipal elections in Ontario produced a series of changes in local government, with newly elected officials unseating sitting mayors in several cities across the province.

In Niagara Falls, Lori Lococo defeated Jim Diodati, who had served four consecutive terms as mayor over 16 years. Lococo, a two-term city councilor, entered the mayoral race after ending her council re-election campaign in August. She received 14,058 votes to Diodati's 11,401. Lococo becomes the first woman to hold the office of mayor in the Niagara Region. Paul Manning, Michael Lucid and Kevin Martineau also ran against Diodati.

Niagara-on-the-Lake saw a turnout of 52.4%, according to unofficial results posted on the town's website. Vaughn Goettler, a business owner and retired CEO with no prior political experience, won the mayoral race with 5,101 votes, or 55.1% of the vote. He will replace Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, who did not seek re-election. Goettler finished third in the 2022 election, behind Zalepa. This year he faced Deputy Mayor Erwin Wiens and regional councillor Andrea Kaiser.

Though new to politics, Goettler has been active in the community as a volunteer and donor. He has supported the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, Rotary International, the Upper Canada Heritage Trail and Niagara College.

In Fort Erie, Tom Insinna unseated Mayor Wayne Redekop in an election with a voter turnout of 39.1%. Insinna secured 6,469 votes, while Redekop, who was seeking a fourth consecutive term, received 5,065. Redekop has served a total of seven terms as mayor, beginning in 1991. Insinna 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 elected Alvin Tedjo, the city councilor for Ward 2, as its mayor. Tedjo also ran for mayor in 2022 against Bonnie Crombie. He won with 74,479 votes, ahead of Crombie, who received 43,191 votes, and incumbent Carolyn Parrish, who received 51,853. Crombie stepped down as mayor in 2024 to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.

In Hamilton, a city long associated with steel, voters ousted incumbent Mayor Andrea Horwath in favor of Keanin Loomis, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. Loomis received 61,040 votes, finishing 14,467 votes ahead of runner-up Rob Cooper, who received 46,573. Horwath received 21,223 votes and finished third.

Loomis was born in Oswego, New York, moved to London, Ontario, at age 12, and relocated to Hamilton in 2009.