The Gazette put the County’s 32 candidates for election to municipal office to the test this month. We sent a list of 7 questions to every candidate on the official list who had supplied a public email address for the certified list of candidates. Of those 32, 3 have been acclaimed: John Hirsch will represent South Marysburgh for a second term. Chris Braney stays in place for Hiller, and Times publisher Corey Engelsdorfer will continue as the village’s sole representative at Shire Hall.

We are very pleased to report that of the 29 candidates competing for office across the remaining 6 wards, 13 are women, and the nomination list represents a broad range of age groups and occupations. We could, if we think carefully about our votes, elect a truly representative council this time around.

The questions we posed were designed to suggest finding some middle ground on the issues dividing the County, housing and water, and give candidates room to highlight the issues they find most pressing — as well as the special approaches they might take to bring them to attention.

Can’t find your favourite candidate? Don’t worry: the Gazette will approach all those candidates who did not make this issue deadline for our second Special Election Issue, which appears Oct. 14. In the meantime, we’ll be featuring interviews with all three candidates for Mayor, covering various town halls, meet ‘n’ greets, and debates, and exploring key topics in our editorial pages over the next few weeks.

Election Day is Monday, 26 October. The advance poll is Saturday 17 October. Online voting opens that day as well and is available until the close of the last poll, on 26 October at 8pm.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What made you want to run for office?

2. In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue facing the County, and how would you plan to address it?

3. How can we enable developers to build housing here without losing the County’s traditional and unique sense of place? Or should they not be building at all? Is there a middle way between these two positions?

4. How can we best ensure key infrastructure needs — and of these, renewed water infrastructure across Wellington, Bloomfield and Picton, and ensuring clean drinking water in Picton and Bloomfield, are probably the most pressing — without going broke, ensuring prudent fiscal management?

5. Do you have any thoughts on the development of a four-season economy in the County, and perhaps tourism more largely?

6. The Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) brought close to $2 million dollars to County offers in 2025. If you could do anything you wanted, where would you spend the municipal portion of this windfall? What could Visit the County / StayPEC do with theirs?

7. Protecting farmland, building climate resilience, creating more childcare, our built and cultural heritage, environmental protections, building out the economy — what is a key community issue you would pay particular attention to if you were elected?

Answers were lightly edited for length. Candidate statements have not been fact-checked and in all cases represent the views of the candidate, not of the Gazette, its publishers, staff, or advertisers.

For Ward 1–Picton–click here.

For Ward 2–Bloomfield/Hallowell–click here.

For Ward 4–Ameliasburgh–click here.

For Ward 6–Sophiasburg–click here.

For Ward 8–North Marysburgh–click here.

Candidates for Mayor will be featured in a separate issue.