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Do municipal councils represent the diversity of their constituents?
Ontario’s 2022 municipal election turnout fell to a historic low of 32.9 per cent.
Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton are among Canada's most diverse cities, but how closely do their municipal councils reflect the communities they represent?
As voters prepare for the Oct. 26 municipal elections, New Canadian Media has examined the barriers to political representation in these three major cities.
The series explored the challenges facing immigrant and visible minority candidates; the advantages enjoyed by incumbents; the role of campaign fundraising; and debates over the use of languages other than English to reach voters. It has also looked at whether public transit systems are meeting the needs of immigrant communities.
Voter participation remains a concern. In Ontario's 2022 municipal elections, participation fell to a historic low of 32.9 per cent, according to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton are reporting increased advance voting numbers, although that may not translate into a higher overall voter turnout.
In its Turn up the Turnout report, the AMO suggests the shrinking of the local media environment has had far-reaching impacts on voter participation and turnout.
As part of this coverage, NCM reporter Rodrigo Huerta Aguirre created an interactive map to help readers explore the relationship between local demographics, elected representatives and voter participation.
The map below shows municipal election results from 2022 and subsequent byelections, along with information on councillors, ward demographics drawn from the 2021 census and voter turnout in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton.
These details offer a closer look at the communities that municipal councils represent, and the residents who participate in choosing them.
The map reveals striking differences between wards, even within the same city. In Mississauga, immigrants made up nearly 60 per cent of residents in Wards 4 and 6 according to the 2021 census. In Wards 1 and 2, immigrants accounted for one third of the population.
Voter participation varied widely across Toronto in 2022, with turnout reaching 38 per cent in Parkdale–High Park but falling to 22 per cent in Humber River–Black Creek.
By placing these demographic figures next to the names and photographs of elected representatives, the map shows how closely municipal councils reflect the communities they serve. The differences in voter participation also raise broader questions about political representation and the barriers to participation explored in NCM's election coverage.
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Copyright 2026, New Canadian Media. All rights reserved.
Rodrigo Huerta Aguirre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, New Canadian Media.
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In the news today: Update on base fire, Carney in Turkey, Emergencies Act ruling
A look at what's in the news for today
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Canadian Armed Forces (Mandatory credit)
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …
Officials to provide update on fatal fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta
Officials are set to provide an update today about a devastating fire at a Canadian military base in Alberta that left four soldiers dead and dozens more injured.
Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland of the 1st Canadian Division has said Saturday's blaze began as a grass fire, but a violent windstorm sent flames racing toward soldiers training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright.
The fire initially sent 39 wounded to various hospitals, and officials said Wednesday that number was down to 27, with 13 in critical condition.
Roughly 150 people attended a vigil late Wednesday at a church in the nearby town of Wainwright, Alta., southeast of Edmonton.
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Carney set for meeting with Turkish president Erdogan in Ankara
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Ankara today to kick off a three-day visit aimed at strengthening Canada's ties with Turkey.
Carney is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace later today to start the first-ever official bilateral visit of a Canadian prime minister to Turkey.
The prime minister flew overnight to Turkey and will lay a wreath at the mausoleum of Turkish founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk shortly after arriving.
Carney will depart Ankara tonight for Istanbul, where he is set to meet with Turkish business leaders on Friday before heading back to Canada on Saturday.
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Lower courts' reasoning 'neuters' Emergencies Act, government tells Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is today expected to say whether it will hear federal arguments about the government's legal justification for using the Emergencies Act to quell COVID-era protests four years ago.
The government argues lower courts engaged in "second-guessing with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight" when they ruled its use of the emergencies law was unreasonable.
The top court is slated to rule today on whether to grant the government leave to appeal.
For about three weeks in January and February 2022, downtown Ottawa was filled with protesters, including many in large trucks that blocked streets around Parliament Hill.
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Alleged Tumbler Ridge mass shooting conspirator set to enter plea in U.S. court
The alleged co-conspirator in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., is expected to enter a plea today at an arraignment in a Seattle courthouse
A grand jury in Washington state last week indicted 30-year-old James Bryant for conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.
The criminal complaint against Bryant, who uses female pronouns and goes by the name Melody, alleges she colluded online and gave advice to 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar.
Van Rootselaar killed eight victims last February, including five students and an educational assistant at the local secondary school, before she fatally shot herself as police closed in.
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Firm behind planned Anthropic data centre in Nova Scotia denies owing fees to N.L.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it is still owed land fees by the company behind a proposed data centre for Anthropic in Nova Scotia.
But EverWind says it never signed an agreement for the land, nor a contract to pay fees for it.
The dispute involves Crown land reserved by the Newfoundland and Labrador government for EverWind's proposed wind-powered hydrogen project on the Burin Peninsula.
The province charged the company more than $11.4 million a year to set the land aside.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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B.C. NDP Leader Eby campaigns in Vancouver, while Tories heads to Surrey
B.C. election trail hits Vancouver, Surrey
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby campaigns in Vancouver and Richmond today after wrapping his swing through the vote-rich city of Surrey with a rally.
Hundreds of people attended the gathering near City Hall on Wednesday.
Eby made six stops in the Surrey-Delta area throughout the day to meet with seniors and visit a trucking company.
Meanwhile, interim B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson is set to make an announcement in B.C.'s second-largest city, where 10 ridings are up for grabs.
He's also expected to hold a rally in Surrey later tonight.
Advance voting also wrapped up on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday's election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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