Brampton residents preparing to run for office in the 2026 municipal election can officially begin the process on May 1, as the city opens its nomination and candidate registration period.
The nomination window runs from May 1 until 2 p.m. on Aug. 21, with voters set to head to the polls on Oct. 26 to elect a new city council and school board trustees.
Positions open in this election include mayor, five city councillor seats, five combined city and regional councillor seats, and 11 trustee positions across four different school boards serving Brampton.
Regional councillors represent ward pairings across the city and sit on both Brampton City Council and Peel Region Council. The ward pairings are Wards 1 and 5, Wards 2 and 6, Wards 3 and 4, Wards 7 and 8, and Wards 9 and 10.
School board trustee positions include five seats for the Peel District School Board, four seats for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, and one seat each for Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.
To run for council, candidates must be Canadian citizens, at least 18 years old, and either residents of Brampton or property owners or tenants in the city. City employees must take an unpaid leave of absence before running. Some past candidates from the 2022 election may also be disqualified if they failed to submit required financial filings or exceeded spending limits.
Candidates seeking council seats must submit at least 25 endorsements from eligible voters in order to file nomination papers. The city recommends collecting more than the minimum in case any signatures are ruled invalid. Trustee candidates do not need endorsements.
The city says all forms must be original, fully completed and legible. Copies, faxed documents or mailed photocopies will not be accepted.
With the election campaign season about to begin, Brampton’s next political chapter officially starts May 1.