Bonnie Crombie, Andrea Horwath suffer epic crash-outs in Mississauga and Hamilton elections

Throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), several incumbents lost their bids for re-election during the recent election night. Former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who took on the role of mayor in Hamilton in 2022, secured the third-highest number of votes at 14 per cent. Rob Cooper, a city councillor, came in first place with 32 per cent, while Keanin Loomis, CEO of Canadian Institute of Steel Production, took the lead with 41 per cent.

Loomis declared victory shortly before 11 p.m., proclaiming, "Tonight is about more than winning an election, it's about hope, it's about change, and it's about believing again in what this city can be." This marked the first time in 15 years that Horwath had been ousted from her position as mayor of Hamilton.

Milton's Gord Krantz, the longest-serving mayor in GTHA, faced defeat after 15 consecutive terms. With all the polls reporting, he trailed George Minakakis by a 20-point margin. Krantz was not the only mayor with a long tenure who lost his seat. Oakville's five-term mayor, Rob Burton, finished in third place with 20 per cent of the votes, while Jeff Knoll, a long-time councillor, emerged as the winner with 36 per cent.

Mississauga's mayor, Carolyn Parrish, also lost her re-election bid after just two years in office. Rookie city councillor Alvin Tedjo secured victory with roughly 74,000 votes. Parrish attributed her loss to the challenging times in which they were living, stating, "This wasn’t a normal election. We haven’t had a normal two-and-a-half years. These are tough times that we’re living in."

However, not all incumbents were ousted. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, and Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca all managed to win re-election with significant margins. Del Duca won an impressive 81.5 per cent of the votes, and Richmond Hill Mayor David West secured 83 per cent of the vote. Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti also returned to city hall after receiving 72 per cent of the vote.