2026 Guelph municipal election
Debates and candidate events
Every debate, forum and meet-the-candidates event we could find for the October 26 election, in one list. Where to go, when, whether you need to sign up, and recordings of the ones that have already happened. The City does not keep a list like this, so this one is built from the organizers' own announcements, GuelphToday, Guelph Politico and Get Involved Guelph.
Checked October 2, 2026. If your group is holding an event that isn't here, send it over and it will be added.
Coming up
Monday, October 5, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Meet the candidates, mayor and council
Mayoral and council candidates from across the city. Hosted by Hindu Society of Guelph with Kirtida Kitchen.
Kirtida Kitchen, 245 Edinburgh Road South
Free and open to everyone. No registration. Informal conversation over a light dinner.
Tuesday, October 6. Mayoral candidates 2 to 3 p.m., Ward 5 council candidates 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Doors 1:30 p.m.
Village by the Arboretum all-candidates meeting
Mayoral candidates, then the Ward 5 council candidates. Hosted by Village by the Arboretum residents.
Reid Hall, Village Centre, 221 Stone Road East
Held for the Village's residents. Anyone can watch the live stream.
Tuesday, October 6, 5 p.m.
Ward 5 candidates town hall on campus
Ward 5 council candidates. Hosted by Central Student Association, University of Guelph.
University Centre courtyard, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East
Hosted for students and the University community. No registration. Short introductions, then moderated questions on student and Ward 5 issues.
Wednesday, October 7, 6 p.m.
Mayoral candidates debate
Mayoral candidates. Hosted by Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
The Guelph Estate, 340 Woodlawn Road West, Unit 26
Register through the Chamber's events page.
Thursday, October 8, 6:30 p.m.
Ward 2 candidates debate
Ward 2 council candidates. Hosted by Community-led, moderated by Kevin Coghill of Royal City Mission.
Royal City Mission, 50 Quebec Street
Free and open to Ward 2 residents. No registration. Questions follow the Guelph and District Labour Council questionnaire: housing, transit, environment, jobs, food security, public safety and growth.
Thursday, October 8, 7 to 9 p.m. Doors 6:30 p.m.
Ward 5 candidates debate
Ward 5 council candidates. Hosted by Old University Neighbourhood Residents Association with the Mayfield Park group.
Harcourt Memorial United Church, 87 Dean Avenue
Free. No registration. Each candidate answers set questions, then speaks to any issue they choose.
The same church recorded the October 1 mayoral debate and posted it on YouTube.
On the radio and online
- Open Sources Guelph on CFRU 93.3 FM runs council candidate interviews on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. through October, with the mayoral candidates through the month. Listen live at cfru.ca.
- Guelph Politico has published a questionnaire, a podcast interview and a video interview for every candidate who took part, mayor and council. The full index is here.
- GuelphToday covers every debate in its election section, and Get Involved Guelph keeps a resources page with the same events and a voter toolkit.
- Election night, Monday October 26: CFRU carries live results coverage from the newsroom after the polls close at 8 p.m.
What has already happened
The news reports and recordings, so you can catch up on what was said.
- Friday, October 2
Mayoral candidates debate on housing, OnePoint Association of Realtors, Guelph and District, Italian Canadian Club. Read GuelphToday's report - Thursday, October 1
Mayoral candidates debate, Old University Neighbourhood Residents Association, Harcourt Memorial United Church. Watch the recording on the church's YouTube channel - Monday, September 28
Hungry for Answers: advice for council candidates, Justice and Outreach Committee, Dublin Street United Church, and KAIROS Guelph, Dublin Street United Church. Read GuelphToday's report - Thursday, September 24
Mayoral candidates town hall, Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice, Italian Canadian Club. Listen to the two-hour recording on CFRU
The dates that matter
- Friday, October 9 is the last day to ask for a mail-in ballot or a vote-from-home visit. How that works.
- October 10 to 18: advance voting at City Hall every day, and at one location in each ward from October 16 to 18.
- Monday, October 26: election day, polls open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Where to vote and what to bring.
Not sure which ward you're in? Type in your address. Everyone running, every ward: the full candidate list. The City's official election pages are at guelph.ca, and Get Involved Guelph keeps its own resources page at getinvolvedguelph.ca.