Election 2026
Michael Bondy elected Chatham-Kent mayor, defeating incumbent Darrin Canniff
Bondy won 43.4% of the vote in unofficial results from all 32 locations. Seven of 14 council seats went to incumbents, and turnout was 40.79%.
By CKNow Staff3 min read
Michael Bondy will be Chatham-Kent’s next mayor. The sitting councillor defeated incumbent Mayor Darrin Canniff in Monday’s municipal election, according to unofficial results from all 32 tabulator locations.
Bondy finished with 15,818 votes (43.4%), 4,317 ahead of Canniff’s 11,501 (31.6%). Councillor Lauren Anderson, who also ran for mayor rather than re-election, was third with 4,983 votes (13.7%).
The results are unofficial until the Municipal Clerk certifies them. The full count, race by race, is on CKNow’s election results page.
Key facts
- Mayor-elect: Michael Bondy, 43.4% of the vote in a seven-person race
- Council: seven of the 14 seats went to incumbents; seven went to candidates who didn’t hold a seat in that ward
- Defeated incumbents: Mayor Darrin Canniff and Ward 7 Councillor Marjorie Crew
- Closest race: Lambton Kent District School Board trustee for Wards 6, 7 and 8, where David Pierce took the second seat by 26 votes
- Turnout: 40.79%, or 36,703 of 89,987 eligible electors
Mayor
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Bondy | 15,818 | 43.4% |
| Darrin Canniff | 11,501 | 31.6% |
| Lauren Anderson | 4,983 | 13.7% |
| Randy Hope | 2,818 | 7.7% |
| April Colby | 570 | 1.6% |
| Nelson Burm | 469 | 1.3% |
| Ryan Gow | 251 | 0.7% |
Who won each council seat
Wards 3 and 4 elect one councillor each; the other six wards elect two.
| Ward | Elected | Votes | Margin over next candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ward 1 · South West Kent | Mark Authier, Melissa Harrigan* | 2,998 · 1,653 | 748 |
| Ward 2 · South East Kent | Anthony Ceccacci*, Albert Pilbeam | 3,190 · 2,802 | 705 |
| Ward 3 · North East Kent | Emery Huszka | 1,052 | 655 |
| Ward 4 · North West Kent | Rhonda Jubenville* | 1,436 | 149 |
| Ward 5 · Wallaceburg & Area | Jim Blake, Bill Wolsing | 1,467 · 959 | 166 |
| Ward 6 · North West Chatham | Alysson Storey*, F. Brian Machado | 2,606 · 1,964 | 226 |
| Ward 7 · North East Chatham | Steve Kenney, Amy Finn* | 2,318 · 1,551 | 184 |
| Ward 8 · South Chatham | Brock McGregor*, Conor Allin* | 2,594 · 2,413 | 354 |
* Incumbent councillor for that ward. Margin is between the last person elected and the first runner-up.
Re-elected
Seven sitting councillors kept their seats: Melissa Harrigan (Ward 1), Anthony Ceccacci (Ward 2), Rhonda Jubenville (Ward 4), Alysson Storey (Ward 6), Amy Finn (Ward 7), and Brock McGregor and Conor Allin (Ward 8). Ceccacci, Storey and McGregor each finished first in their wards.
New to their ward seats
Mark Authier led Ward 1 by a wide margin, taking 41.2% of the vote in a two-seat race. Emery Huszka won Ward 3 with 46.0% against six opponents. In Ward 7, the most crowded race on the ballot with 17 candidates, Steve Kenney finished first with 2,318 votes. Incumbent Marjorie Crew placed third, 184 votes behind Finn for the second seat.
Ward 5, with 14 candidates, sends Jim Blake and Bill Wolsing to council. Zac Nicholson was 166 votes behind Wolsing.
Closest council race
In Ward 4, Rhonda Jubenville held her seat with 1,436 votes to John Cummings’s 1,287, a margin of 149. Kirk Hooker had 275.
School board trustees
| Race | Elected | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambton Kent DSB · Wards 1, 2, 3 | D. Randy Campbell, Joselyn Young Cormier | 4,875 · 3,978 | 255 |
| Lambton Kent DSB · Wards 4, 5 | Anna Cairns | 2,746 | 729 |
| Lambton Kent DSB · Wards 6, 7, 8 | Ellen Sinclair, David Pierce | 6,330 · 4,738 | 26 |
| Conseil scolaire catholique Providence · Ward 1 | David Tremblay | 105 | 57 |
The trustee race for Wards 6, 7 and 8 was the closest of the night: David Pierce finished with 4,738 votes to Tracy Bernicky’s 4,712.
Turnout
40.79% of eligible electors voted: 36,703 of 89,987. About a third of ballots, 12,313, were cast online; 24,390 were counted on tabulators. Voters declined 44 ballots and left 26 blank.
What happens next
The Municipal Clerk will certify the official results. Under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, the new council’s four-year term begins November 15, 2026, after the mayor-elect and councillors take their declarations of office.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Chatham-Kent mayor race?
Michael Bondy won with 15,818 votes (43.4%), defeating incumbent Mayor Darrin Canniff, who received 11,501 votes (31.6%), according to unofficial results from all 32 tabulator locations.
Who was elected to Chatham-Kent council in 2026?
Ward 1: Mark Authier and Melissa Harrigan. Ward 2: Anthony Ceccacci and Albert Pilbeam. Ward 3: Emery Huszka. Ward 4: Rhonda Jubenville. Ward 5: Jim Blake and Bill Wolsing. Ward 6: Alysson Storey and F. Brian Machado. Ward 7: Steve Kenney and Amy Finn. Ward 8: Brock McGregor and Conor Allin.
What was voter turnout in the 2026 Chatham-Kent election?
Turnout was 40.79%: 36,703 of 89,987 eligible electors voted, including 12,313 online.
Are these results official?
Not yet. They are unofficial results from the Municipality’s results site and become official when the Municipal Clerk certifies them.
When does the new Chatham-Kent council take office?
The 2026 to 2030 council term begins on November 15, 2026.