Seven newcomers win Toronto City Council seats as voters oust incumbents and open the door to change
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Toronto voters sent seven new members to City Council in the 2026 municipal election, defeating three incumbents and filling four open wards. The result reflects a clear appetite for community-focused representation over entrenched political power.
Toronto City Council will see seven new members after the 2026 municipal election, with three incumbents losing their seats and four wards previously vacant.
In Beaches-East York, former federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith won the council seat vacated by Brad Bradford, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor. Erskine-Smith defeated former broadcast journalist Natalie Johnson, as voters opted for a familiar public figure over another candidate from the media world.
Diana Chan McNally, a community advocate and crisis worker, secured the Parkdale-High Park ward, succeeding long-time councillor Gord Perks. She defeated TDSB trustee Debbie King and community leader Nadia Guerrera, in a race shaped by neighborhood organizing and direct social-service experience.
Former MP Shaun Chen captured Scarborough North, unseating incumbent Jamaal Myers with more than 35% of the vote. Chen, who left federal politics after a car-accident injury, was followed by former MPP Han Dong, who placed third. The outcome underscored voter frustration with the status quo.
In Toronto Centre, Curran Stikuts narrowly defeated incumbent Chris Moise, receiving about 28% of the vote. Stikuts, a longtime staffer at The 519 Community Centre, was endorsed by NDP MPP and former councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam.
"I’m proud to support Curran Stikuts for his dedication to community advocacy," said Wong-Tam.
Sara Ehrhardt, a former TDSB trustee, won the Toronto-Danforth seat, taking over from Paula Fletcher after securing Fletcher’s endorsement. Ehrhardt earned roughly 50% of the vote, ahead of former councillor Mary Fragedakis, in another sign that voters were willing to back a new voice.
Mike Layton reclaimed the University-Rosedale ward with nearly half of the votes, filling the vacancy left by Dianne Saxe, who withdrew to run in Toronto-Danforth. Layton previously left municipal politics in 2022, returning as part of a broader reshuffling of council representation.
York South-Weston saw longtime councillor Francis Nunziata lose after nearly three decades in office. Chiara Padovani, who had narrowly missed victory in the prior election, won the ward, while Nunziata finished third with 21% of the vote. The result marked a decisive rejection of long-entrenched incumbency.