HALDIMAND—For the first time, Haldimand County voters will elect a Ward 7 councillor in 2026. The new ward was created as part of a boundary review, approved by Haldimand Council in February 2025, which increased the number of wards from six to seven and the number of Council members from seven to eight, including the mayor. Ward 7 is made …
Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Meet your Ward 6 council candidates
HALDIMAND—Covering Dunnville and some of the surrounding rural communities in the southern portion of Haldimand County, Ward 6 is home to a mix of residential neighbourhoods, farmland, businesses, and recreational areas. This year, there are eight candidates vying to fill the seat of outgoing councillor Patrick O’Neill. O’Neill won in 2022 with a total of 1,003 votes, besting closest competitor …
Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Bentley cites mayoral responsibilities for debate absence
HALDIMAND—Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley said she would make the same choice again after skipping a televised mayoral debate to attend the groundbreaking for Haldimand-Norfolk’s first residential hospice. Bentley was the only one of Haldimand County’s four mayoral candidates absent from Cable 14’s September 23, 2026 debate in Hamilton; Andy Griffin, Jesse Little, and Jake Vandendool fielded questions on municipal issues …
Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Three mayoral candidates debate Haldimand’s future
HAMILTON—Three candidates seeking Haldimand County’s top political job traded ideas on growth, infrastructure, government accountability, and leadership during a televised mayoral debate, while the incumbent mayor’s chair sat empty. Andy Griffin, Jesse Little, and Jake Vandendool participated in the Cable 14 debate in Hamilton, moderated by Harmony McKenzie, on September 25, 2026. Incumbent Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley did not attend. …
Letter: Get out and vote this upcoming election
Just as the federal election last spring was of utmost importance to the country as a whole, so the upcoming local one will be for the county of Haldimand, even though, of course, on a much smaller scale. For years now the operation and function of our municipal government has been negatively affected by widely different visions of the future...
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Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Jake Vandendool aiming to bring momentum, professionalism back
HALDIMAND—This fall marks local entrepreneur Jake Vandendool’s second run at mayor, after losing by a narrow 166 votes to Shelley Ann Bentley in 2022. On why he’s running again, Vandendool replied, “Long story short, when I see something that can be improved, I have a very hard time looking the other way.” Noting his founding of Metro Loop, a fibre-optic …
Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Meet your Ward 5 council candidates
HALDIMAND—Ward 5 covers much of the surrounding rural area around Dunnville’s urban centre, stretching south to Lake Erie and east toward the county boundary. Under Haldimand County’s new electoral map, the ward remains centred on Dunnville but its boundaries were adjusted as part of the County-wide update. The ward is currently represented by Rob Shirton, who was elected in 2022 …
Letter: Concerned with election signs
Here we go again. On July 30, 2026, The Haldimand Press printed an article (‘New County policy closes public facilities to election debates’) that the Corporation of Haldimand County were not allowing “candidate debates” in any Haldimand County property buildings. Then later in August, all candidates meetings can be held (‘Clerk’s new interpretation clears way for election debates in County...
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Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Jesse Little to push for more accountability if elected
HALDIMAND—Jesse Little is making public access to information and greater accountability within Haldimand County central to his campaign for mayor, drawing on years of experience with his own disputes with the municipality and concerns he’s heard from residents. “I feel it’s my duty to stand up for the public. I have been encouraged to run for the mayoral position and …
Haldimand Votes – Municipal Election Coverage 2026: Meet your Ward 4 council candidates
HAGERSVILLE — Ward 4, which includes Hagersville as its urban centre, is undergoing a time of change as the 2026 municipal election approaches. Current Ward 4 Councillor Brad Adams did not register to run for a second term, with three candidates stepping forward to vie for his seat come October: Tony Dalimonte, Jason Harnett, and Anna Mroz. Like other areas …
