Mayoral
Alton is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in community planning and extensive experience in various leadership and community facilitation roles. In their platform, they promise to follow a “human rights approach to city building” if elected, taking care to ensure the rights of Kitchener residents when it comes to municipal issues such as transportation and development.
Nair is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in information technologies. In his campaign, he expresses a desire to fast-track permits for businesses looking to hire locally and upgrade their facilities, while looking to address the issues of mobility and housing by expanding express bus services in the region and requiring new developments to contain some amount of affordable housing.
Frogh is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in women’s rights activism and international human rights law. Her campaign focuses on the development of housing and safer streets, the improvement of existing city services, the engagement of voters and Kitchener residents and the facilitation of an inclusive city for those in all walks of life.
Trihenea is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in business and community organisation. If elected for the 2026-2030 mayoral term, he promises to reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety at dangerous intersections, create partnerships between the city, local businesses, tech startups and artists to facilitate economic growth and to lower the existing barriers for developing townhouses and multiplexes.
Vrbanovic is the incumbent mayor of Kitchener who has served the position since 2014. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026, but in previous council terms he has championed the building of bike lanes and the expansion of the city’s transportation network.
Cindy Ward
Ward is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in social psychology and entrepreneurship. Ward’s platform lists eight priorities including safe neighbourhoods, water security, cultural programming, food sharing and economic growth.
Ward 1
Bate is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 1. Bate has a background in journalism and her platform focuses on communication, effective use of tax dollars and affordable housing. If elected, Bate has pledged to take a pay cut and return 10 per cent of her salary to taxpayers.
Haile Kiflai
Kiflai is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 1. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Davey is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 1 who has served the position since 2010. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Zahid Mian Mahmood
Ward 2
Soran Ibrahim
Ibrahim is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 2. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Derrick Rabethge
Schnider is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 2 who has served the position since 2014. Schnider’s policy platform is focused on affordability, inclusivity and economic development.
Ward 3
Joanne Delaney-Fraser
Deneault is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 3 who has served the position since 2022. In his 2026 campaign, he promises to ensure the affordability and accessibility of city programs, re-evaluate certain bylaws so that they are in keeping with modern Kitchener and fight to ensure the betterment of public services.
Lurdes Jordao
Jordao is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 3. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Mohamed is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 3. If elected for the 2026-2030 term, he promises to implement traffic calming on residential through-streets, greater accountability measures for landlords and increased tenants’ rights, a volunteer snow-shovelling force to aid seniors and low-mobility residents and a wider range of community programs to address gaps in language and technology proficiency.
Parker is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in technology and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 3. If elected, he promises to advocate for fiscal responsibility in the city’s budget, ensuring the efficiency of city services and that maintenance of existing infrastructure is prioritised.
Ward 4
Anant Jain
Kappaya is a newcomer to municipal politics currently studying at Wilfred Laurier University. In his policy platform, he lists desires to bring improvements to municipal snow clearing services, to refurbish and repair the worsening roads in Kitchener Ward 4, to subsidize bus passes for youth under 22 and seniors over 65 and to bring urban renewal to Kitchener in the form of green spaces and infrastructure developments.
Christine Michaud
Michaud is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 4 who has served the position since 2018. She has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Vikki Poirier
Poirier is a newcomer to municipal politics with an extensive background in labour unions and the Waterloo Regional Labour Council. She has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Scanlan is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 4. He lists implementing safer streets, improving communication between government and citizens and the betterment of public transportation as priorities to his campaign.
Ward 5
Nate Bahlbi
Muhammad Miqdad Hudda
Massimi is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in community leadership. He lists the transparency of city council, the implementation of road safety measures, the development of new housing and the funding of grassroots organizations as core priorities for his campaign.
Navjot Sandhu
Peers is a newcomer to municipal politics who has previously served on the Downtown Advisory Committee and Huron Community Association. His desires for Kitchener Ward 5 include sidewalks and streets with greater safety measures, greater transit connectivity and less reliance on cars, as well as well-preserved trails and natural spaces. If elected, he promises to advocate for fiscal responsibility in the budget and allocation of taxpayer dollars, and to ensure infrastructure in Ward 5 keeps up with development and growth.
Sehli is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in finance. If elected as the councillor for Kitchener Ward 5, he promises to advocate to keep property taxes affordable and to provide high-quality public services to his constituents.
Vanderpool is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in sport and entrepreneurship. He promises to keep tax increases low and in keeping with residents’ income, develop infrastructure alongside new neighbourhoods and increase safety for kids travelling in their neighbourhoods.
Weiler is a former school board trustee now seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 5. In her campaign, she expresses a desire to develop a variety of attainable housing options for the ward alongside upgrades to transportation, infrastructure, and traffic safety measures. As a member of council, she would push for moderate tax increases done with consideration for the average household budget.
Ward 6
Amber Louise Culley
Culley is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in political science. She has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Paul Singh
Singh is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 6 who has served the position since 2010. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Wallis is a newcomer to Kitchener City Council with prior experience running in the 2022 municipal election. In her 2026 platform, she advocates for affordable housing via the funding of and investment in housing co-operatives and the improvement of urban living via the creation of pedestrian and cycle-friendly infrastructure and she promises to be a voice in council for marginalized groups and climate activists.
Ward 7
Richie Nanan
Ioannidis is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 7 who has served the position since 2010. Iooannidis’ platform touches on housing affordability, sustainability and economic development.
Rollick is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in mathematics and social justice. If elected as city councillor for Kitchener Ward 7, she would advocate for the establishment of a Highland West neighbourhood association and the revitalization of the Forest Heights neighbourhood association. She would also work towards the improvement of local parks and the betterment of existing traffic calming measures.
Ward 8
Wendy Creighton
Creighton is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 8. Creighton is listed as an employee at the office of Kitchener Centre MP Kelly DeRidder. She has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Johnston is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 8 who has served the position since 2018. In her platform, she emphasizes a need for road safety across all demographics and the need to work with tech startups to ensure economic development. She also expresses a desire for equity and accessibility considerations when it comes to municipal issues.
Philip Molto
Molto is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 8. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026.
Ward 9
Mohamed Askalany
Askalany is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 9. He has yet to release a policy platform for 2026. Askalany is currently listed as a constituency assistant at the office of Kitchener Centre MP Kelly DeRidder.
Chapman is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 9 who has served the position since 2018. She is an advocate for the 15-minute city model of urban planning, and promises to prioritize sustainability, affordability and the use of renewable energy sources in city planning decisions.
Tim Willcox
Ward 10
Everton Dixon
Dixon is a newcomer to municipal politics and is seeking election as the city councillor for Kitchener Ward 10. His platform is focused on affordable rent and housing. He backs a municipal action plan that protects Kitchener’s water, farmland and energy.
Nabi is a newcomer to municipal politics with a background in urban planning and small business ownership. If elected, he promises to bring about tenant protections, an increase in housing supply and variety and an increase in green spaces and renewable energy usage in downtown Kitchener.
Stretch is the incumbent city councillor for Kitchener Ward 10 who has served the position since 2024. If re-elected, she pledges to be a voice on council who will see that Kitchener’s supply of affordable housing goes up while keeping costs to the average household low. She also advocates for mental health and addiction services to be available downtown and for the revitalization of aging urban green space areas.
Rehman is a newcomer to municipal politics currently studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of Guelph while residing in Kitchener Ward 10. She has yet to release a policy platform for 2026 but boasts a credible history in anti-racist activism.
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