UPDATE: SORRY EVERYONE, there is too much traffic on the server right now.

I need to close the live chat to free memory.

Please follow me on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/joeycoleman.ca

After a hectic election campaign, the 131 candidates running for mayor, city council, and school board trustees will learn their fate as results are expected to arrive beginning around 9:00 p.m.

I’ll be providing live coverage below, with a live chat. You can add your insights and commentary to the conversation. Key word, conversation. I’ll approve comments that add to the conversation with knowledge, ideas, and shared experiences.

A couple things I’m watching for in the results tonight.

  1. The Mayoral Race: In 2022, Andrea Horwath won over Keanin Loomis by 1,663 votes, a margin of 1.17 per cent. Horwath won wards 1 to 7, Loomis won wards 8 to 15.
    Now in 2026, who will votes choose. How much support shifts from Loomis to Rob Cooper in Wards 8 to 15, how much support shifts from Horwath to Loomis in Wards 1 to 6, and how much support does the incumbent mayor retain. (The City data feed does not provide mayoral results by poll, I’m noting the percentage of polls reporting by ward as a approximate proxy.)/
    At a more granular level, I’m interested to see who voters in Upper Stoney Creek, Binbrook, Ancaster, and Waterdown chose.
  2. Open Races: There are no incumbents in Wards 8, 10 and 13.
  3. Are Incumbents Vulnerable: We’ve heard a lot of rumbling from challengers, especially in the head-to-head two-candidate races in Wards 12 and 14. What will happen?
  4. Voter turnout: There are line-ups at polls across Hamilton as they closed at 8:00 p.m. Is that a hopeful sign?

You may choose to complement reading my live coverage with the CHCH News livestream on YouTube or the Cable 14 livestream on YouTube.

Full Replay

Key events

  1. 8:57 PMKojo Damptey just posted to Instagram to state that Mike Spadafora has won Ward 14. https://www.instagram.com/p/De-j9yLi8ie/

October 26, 2026 at 8:26 PM: Good evening everyone. Here we go!

8:37 PM:

There isn’t much happening right now as we await the results.

Voting stations were busy today. There have been no major issues reported today.

There were line-ups at locations such as the library, Earl Kitchener School (Ward 1), Sackville Recreation Centre, Valley Park Community Centre, and other locations.

Mary Griffiths 9:37 PM
Line ups for voters having to do revisions were long and slow. There were only 2 election staff doing revisions and four staff taking voters with no revisions. It was bad planning. (This was polling station at downtown library, but I saw the same situation at my polling station.)

8:50 PM:

Larry Di Ianni is reading a bunch of Ward 13 election results on Cable 14 – the City has not released any data and I do not know where Di Ianni is getting his figures.

ward 13 9:02 PM
I'm doing dishes. Anyone know what he said on Ward 13?
Joey Coleman 9:13 PM
No results yet from the City of Hamilton

8:52 PM:

Kojo Damptey just posted to Instagram to state that Mike Spadafora has won Ward 14.

https://www.instagram.com/p/De-j9yLi8ie/

8:53 PM:

We are getting no official results from the City of Hamilton. Still 0 of 267 tabulators reporting.

Ellie 8:55 PM
A few young folks hanging out at Loomis’ watch party here the Bridgeworks. Lots of eager energy in the room awaiting results
Joey Coleman 9:14 PM
The anticipation of election night is an emotion I wish we could bottle and preserve.
Chaz 9:22 PM
Hamilton's Award Winning IT Department 😅
Highlight

8:57 PM:

Kojo Damptey just posted to Instagram to state that Mike Spadafora has won Ward 14.

https://www.instagram.com/p/De-j9yLi8ie/

Jackson Storm 9:15 PM
How is it possible that candidates have a full picture of results before the public, is this something they normally have access to?
Viv 9:20 PM
Scrutineers at the polls get the results. He must have had 1 at each poll and did his own math when the polls closed is my guess
Joey Coleman 9:21 PM
Candidates would have scrutineers at each count. Their campaign team would feed the data to them.

9:06 PM: Larry Di Ianni is reading results on Cable 14 that he is stating he is receiving from candidates and other people texting him.

Mr. McMahon 9:08 PM
It's not great when your co-host has to jump in to remind viewers nothing he says is confirmed.
Joey Coleman 9:12 PM
Yes, and the co-host is being very firm about that.

9:10 PM:

Larry Di Ianni is continuing to read off text messages.

I am not repeating those because I have no means of verifying the info.

9:20 PM:

No updates on any of the City of Hamilton’s social media accounts.

They should be doing so – first results were supposed to be released by 9:00 p.m.

9:26 PM:

I’m going to Hamilton City Hall to see if I can get some answers / info.

I’m switching my web servers into an auto mode. I’ve been working from home with redundant internet connections.

I am about 15 mins from City Hall.

9:53 PM:

I am at City Hall.

Here’s what I have learned. There is some sort of “permission” issue that is preventing the City from publishing results.

I have posted images of the advance voting print outs on my Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:fnordlaxs7x47g4tg752yo6w/post/3myt4m7sa3c2f
and
https://bsky.app/profile/joeycoleman.ca/post/3myt4pzbllk2f

9:55 PM:

Ward 2 Councillor Cameron Kroetsch posts that he won re-election.

https://bsky.app/profile/cameronkroetsch.bsky.social/post/3myt4udg2o22j

9:56 PM: As I arrived at City Hall, I heard the City Clerk state “you are okay to publish” and IT people on the phone talking about some “permission error” preventing the publishing of results.

10:08 PM:

There are two Ward 10 institutional polls reporting. Around 30 votes.
Trombetta with 15 votes, Loomans, a person who runs in many elections, with 8 votes.

A bit of trivia.

10:23 PM:

Hi everyone,

I had some delays posting because the traffic to my website is very high right now.

10:27 PM: Note: while my site is showing a close Ward 14 race at this moment, based on the results that the City of Hamilton has released. Kojo Damptey has conceded the race and Mike Spadafora has won.

10:34 PM:

SORRY EVERYONE, there is too much traffic on the server right now.

I need to close the live chat to free memory.

Please follow me on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/joeycoleman.ca