What Lessons and Opportunities Come From London’s 2026 Election?

Well, we did it! London has made it through another municipal election, and there are some important takeaways worth reflecting on.

More than 100 candidates put their names forward to serve our community. Several ward races were strongly contested, and voter turnout increased from the disappointing levels of 2022. These are encouraging signs of civic engagement and a reminder that there are many Londoners who care deeply about the future of our city.

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At the same time, despite a strong theme of change throughout the campaign, we have a lot of familiar faces returning to the horseshoe. London has elected its first incumbent mayor in almost 20 years, along with 10 returning councillors. Congratulations to everyone elected to represent Londoners over the next four years. And a sincere thank you to all the candidates who put themselves forward and campaigned so vigorously for the opportunity to serve.

But an election is about more than who wins and who loses. It is also an opportunity to listen, learn and consider what kind of community we want to build together.

Our new council has plenty of challenges ahead. Calls for greater success in addressing homelessness, improving transit, better garbage collection and more effective management of infrastructure projects were pervasive throughout the campaign. So too was the desire for more restrained property tax increases.

These are important issues, and Londoners have expressed a range of views about how best to address them. The question now is how our new council will bring those perspectives together to make decisions that move our city forward.

Winning an election gives candidates the opportunity to lead. It does not mean they have all the answers, nor does it mean the concerns of those who voted for someone else can be set aside.

How will our new mayor and council engage with Londoners whose preferred candidates were unsuccessful? How will they ensure that the ideas and perspectives expressed during the campaign continue to inform decisions? And how can we create opportunities for those who ran for office, but were not elected, to continue contributing to our community?

These are important questions because building a stronger London is not the responsibility of elected officials alone.

In this week’s Steve’s Reflections, I explore the lessons and opportunities emerging from this election. I offer some thoughts and challenges to our new council about the importance of listening, engaging and governing inclusively.

But I also have a challenge for the rest of us.

If you supported a candidate who wasn’t elected, don’t walk away from the issues that motivated you to get involved. Stay engaged. Share your ideas. Hold our elected officials accountable. Find opportunities to contribute to the solutions our community needs.

And to those who ran for office but weren’t elected: your willingness to step forward, offer ideas and advocate for change is valuable. I hope you will continue to be part of the conversation.

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The election is over, but the work of building a better London continues. Let’s make sure the energy, ideas and community engagement that were part of this campaign carry forward into the next four years.

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Steve’s Reflections is sponsored by Old East Village BIA

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