HAMILTON, Oct. 28, 2026: Keanin Loomis leads the unofficial Hamilton election 2026 results for mayor with 61,040 votes (41.77%), ahead of Rob Cooper at 46,573 (31.87%), once every one of the City's 267 tabulators had reported. None of these numbers is final until the City Clerk signs off on them, and nothing in Hamilton's rental by-laws or Ontario's rent law shifts because of who won.
What are the Hamilton election 2026 results?
Keanin Loomis leads Hamilton's mayoral race in the City's unofficial results, with every one of the 267 tabulators closed (City of Hamilton election results, read October 28; the results file is time-stamped 12:15 a.m. on October 27).
| Mayoral candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Keanin Loomis | 61,040 | 41.77% |
| Rob Cooper | 46,573 | 31.87% |
| Andrea Horwath | 21,223 | 14.52% |
| Scarlett J. Gillespie | 9,531 | 6.52% |
| The other 9 candidates combined | 7,754 | 5.31% |
| Total votes for mayor | 146,121 | 100% |
Andrea Horwath is the current mayor. The City reports 147,196 ballots cast, a turnout of 31.59%. Council has 15 wards, and the City's 2026 results page names the unofficial winner in each.
When will Hamilton's election results be official?
The Office of the City Clerk calls these results unofficial and says certified figures are "expected in the coming days." No certification date had been posted when we checked on October 28.
What did Keanin Loomis campaign on for housing?
Loomis's housing commitments, each from his own campaign site, were:
- Affordable homes: work to deliver "up to 5,000 affordable housing units" over his first term by speeding up approvals and putting surplus City land to work (October 6 release).
- Approvals: "make it easier to build housing by modernizing approvals, reducing unnecessary red tape and embracing technology" (SMART Plan).
- Stoney Creek parking lot: his July 17 statement says he "will reverse the decision to build this project on the current site" and work with Stoney Creek's elected representatives to move it to another location (statement).
The City's own record of that project: on July 16, 2026, Hamilton announced an agreement with the non-profit Crosswalk Communities to build up to 60 affordable rental apartments at 5 and 13 Lake Avenue South, with rents capped at 80% of average market rent, on a nominal 40-year ground lease (City news release; property page). The City declared 13 Lake Avenue South surplus in November 2017 and 5 Lake Avenue South in December 2023. The announcement does not say how the agreement could be changed.
Runner-up Rob Cooper's platform proposed working with builders so that a percentage of new homes are affordable, and ending chronic street homelessness within four years.
None of these pledges has legal force yet: each would need a vote of Council or a written decision under the mayor's powers.
What powers does Hamilton's mayor have?
Hamilton's mayor has held the head-of-council powers in Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001 since July 1, 2023, and Hamilton is listed in Schedule 1 of O. Reg. 530/22 (City mayoral decisions page). In practice that means the mayor tables the City budget and may veto changes Council makes to it (s.284.16), and may also veto a by-law seen as a possible obstacle to a prescribed provincial priority (s.284.11); a two-thirds vote of Council overrides either kind of veto. Because this is an election year, the 2027 budget cannot be tabled until 2027 (O. Reg. 530/22, s.7(1.1)).
Which Hamilton rental rules stay in force after the election?
These City programs were already running before October 26 and keep running; only a future Council vote could alter them:
- Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law 24-055: in force since January 1, 2025. A landlord who serves an N13 that requires the tenant to move out for extensive repairs or renovations must apply for a City licence within seven days, and the work cannot start until the licence is issued (City page). A tenant who uses the right of first refusal is entitled to temporary alternate accommodation or compensation. Our renoviction licensing comparison sets Hamilton beside Toronto and Ottawa.
- Safe Apartment Buildings By-law 24-054: in force since January 1, 2026. Owners of apartment buildings with two or more storeys and six or more rental units sharing a common area must register every year; the first deadline was February 28, 2026 (City page).
- Rental Housing Licensing: after a pilot that ran from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025, Council approved a permanent program in December 2025. A licence is required for each rental unit in buildings of five or fewer self-contained units in Wards 1, 8 and parts of Ward 14 (City page).
- Vacant Unit Tax: 1% of assessed value on a residential unit vacant more than 183 days in the previous year. Every owner must declare; declarations for the 2025 year closed May 15, 2026 (City VUT page). Our vacant home tax guide compares Ontario cities.
- Short-term rentals: stays of less than 28 consecutive days need a City licence and are allowed only in the operator's principal residence (City page).
Does a Hamilton election change rent increase rules?
No. How much and how often rent can rise is provincial law under the Residential Tenancies Act, with disagreements heard by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), and no municipal vote touches it. Queen's Park set the cap at 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027, and an increase needs at least 90 days' notice in writing on the right form (Ontario rent increase guideline). Our N1 guide explains each step of that notice.
What it means for landlords
If you own or manage rentals in Hamilton, the change at City Hall does not alter any obligation today; keep up the licences, registrations and declarations listed above.
What it means for tenants
If you rent in Hamilton, the protections you had last week under provincial law and City by-laws are still yours, and any rent increase is still held to Ontario's yearly cap. Voters in Toronto and Ottawa also went to the polls on October 26; read our Toronto and Ottawa coverage too.
What to do now
- Read the vote counts here as provisional until the Clerk's certified results are posted.
- Mark November 15, 2026, the first day of the new Council's term (Municipal Elections Act, 1996, s.6(1)). The City has not yet said when the first meeting of the new Council will be held.
- Follow the 2027 budget, which the mayor cannot table before January 2027; no budget schedule has been posted yet.
Same rules after the vote: stay organised
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