BIG AND SMALL VOTER CHANGES MEAN LITTLE AFTER UNSURPRISING ELECTION RESULTS ACROSS MUSKOKA TONIGHT
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com — ANALYSIS
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MUSKOKA — How much did Muskoka change tonight?
And is it all for the good? Or is it insignificant in the grand scheme?
Today’s Muskoka’s municipal governments have new and old looks.
Immediate results show a bit of both with new rookie faces who will have fight with the same old, same old who haven’t steered councils down the wrong paths in the past financially mostly.
A little change at the town council tables and a lot of new faces at district.
But in hindsight it looks like re-arranging deck chairs on Titanic — most notably given changes possible at district chair level Nov. 15. Whoever becomes District of Muskoka they will have a hard time avoiding the puppet master. Even the current chair, a career man is unlikely to stand up to the premier and key priorities that may conflict between Muskoka and Ontario.
That’s what you get for voting Tory.
In terms of out with the old in with the new it looks like …
First … who will serve till 2030 ….
Will they do your bidding?
There was no real exicitement in some races tonight.
As of just past 4 p.m. today, voter turnout was 26% in Gravenhurst.
In Bracebridge 5,000 had cast ballots as of just after 1 p.m. election day.
Candidates who work hard either have nothing else to live for but to get elected; but risk having no life to bring experience to their tables.
GRAVENHURST:
Early unofficial results in Gravenhurst show at 10 p.m. show Jeff Watson ahead of Jo Morphy, (mayor) Heidi Lorenz and Marc Mantha.
Heidi Lorenz (incumbent) – 1,460
Marc Mantha – 756
Jo Morphy – 1,633
Jeff Watson – 1,869
Ward 1: Heidi Welker was leading Erin Gauthier early on.
David Kellam barley led Stephen Simms in Ward 2.
Larry Brassard’s votes 439 trailed Carol Ann LeMoine.
Randy Jorgensen acclaimed in Ward 4.
Tina Kilbourne’s 1,340 votes topped Samantha Renee Ennest with 288
At Gravenhurst District 3 to pick:
Sandy Cairns – 3,072
Jaden Hollingshead – 2,668
Christina Hunter – 2,369
Erin Strength – 2,132
Penny Varney – 2,823
Election results websites:
For full results check out Muskoka’s 6 municipal election website
address links below — with some early results below them:
Gravenhurst
https://www.gravenhurst.ca/gravenhurst-votes/
Bracebridge
https://www.bracebridgevotes.ca/
Huntsville
Lake of Bays
Muskoka Lakes
muskokalakes.ca/2026-elections
Georgian Bay
Early results as of about 10 p.m….
BRACEBRIDGE:
| OFFICE | CANDIDATE | NUMBER OF VOTES |
| MAYOR | MALONEY, Rick | 3,713 |
| RAYNOR, Norman | 2,051 | |
| DISTRICT (3 to be elected) | MCEACHRAN MORIN, Christian | 2,662 |
| RHODES, Brenda | 3,971 | |
| SMITH, Don | 3,747 | |
| SUTHERLAND, Tatiana | 3,657 | |
| BRACEBRIDGE WARD | KOEHN, Brian | 314 |
| VERNON, Debbie | 888 | |
| MONCK/MUSKOKA WARD | HAMMOND, Barry | ACCLAIMED |
| MACAULAY WARD | KEARNEY, Donna | 1,116 |
| STRUTHERS, Andrew | 701 | |
| DRAPER WARD | CRAIG, Laura | 238 |
| WATERS, Cindy | 318 | |
| OAKLEY WARD | MCMURRAY, Barb | ACCLAIMED |
| TRILLIUM LAKELANDS DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD | INKSTER, Sandy | 2,907 |
| STRUTHERS, Richard | 1,773 | |
| SIMCOE MUSKOKA CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD (AREA 5) | BOUTOTTE, Joshua | ACCLAIMED |
| CONSEIL SCOLAIRE PUBLIC DU NORD-EST DE l’ONTARIO (SECTEUR A) | CAZABON, Bruce | ACCLAIMED |
| CONSEIL SCOLAIRE CATHOLIQUE MONAVENIR – SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (Bracebridge Results Only) | BLAIS, DONALD | 6 |
| LEGRAND, Innocent | 0 |
HUNTSVILLE:
| OFFICE | NAME OF CANDIDATE | NUMBER OF VOTES |
| Mayor | Dan Armour | 2200 |
| Dan Caswell | 2440 | |
| Rebecca Mello | 349 | |
| Scott Morrison | 4102 | |
| District and Town Councillors | James Bowler | 3187 |
| Brian Ellas | 2792 | |
| Leland Maw | 2964 | |
| Peggy Peterson | 1723 | |
| Helena Renwick | 4332 | |
| Bob Stone | 4900 | |
| Councillor – Wards 1 & 2
(Huntsville and Chaffey) |
Louisa Chiaramonte | 739 |
| Rylind Davis | 786 | |
| Stephen Hernen | 1583 | |
| Michael Lowe | 699 | |
| Geordie Sabbagh | 2294 | |
| Karin Terziano | 2530 | |
| Councillor – Wards 3, 4 & 5
(Stisted, Stephenson and Port Sydney Wards) |
Tyler Ellis | 925 |
| Jason FitzGerald | 1139 | |
| Dione Schumacher | 1005 | |
| Councillor – Ward 6
(Brunel Ward) |
Michael Ankenmann | 854 |
| Monty Clouthier | 457 | |
| Kirsty Koop | 436 | |
| English Public School Board Trustee – Trillium Lakelands District School Board (Huntsville and Lake of Bays) | Elizabeth Purcell | 5334 |
| Bruce Reain | 4106 | |
| English Separate School Board Trustee – Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board – (Area 5) | Joshua Boutotte | ACCLAIMED |
| Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario French Public School Board Trustee (Zone A) | Bruce Cazabon | ACCLAIMED |
| Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir French Separate School Board Trustee (Simcoe-Muskoka)
*See City of Barrie for Unofficial Results |
Donald Blais | 7 |
| Innocent Legrand | 2 |
| Total Votes Cast: 9207 | Voter Turnout (Percentage): 39.4% |
Muskoka Lakes:
| Office | Name(s) | Voter Results |
| Mayor | Peter Kelley | Acclaimed |
| Ward A / Ward 1 | ||
| District and Township Councillor (1 to be elected) |
Ruth Nishikawa | 515 |
| Glenn Zavitz | 649 | |
| Township Councillor (2 to be elected) |
Jeff Bird | 358 |
| Rick Flannigan | 616 | |
| Mary Ellen McIntyre | 500 | |
| Leslie Orchard | 599 | |
| Ward B / Ward 2 | ||
| District and Township Councillor (1 to be elected) |
Susan Mazan | Acclaimed |
| Township Councillor (2 to be elected) |
Allen Edwards | 967 |
| Gordon Roberts | 1064 | |
| Mitchell Shea | 671 | |
| Ward C / Ward 3 | ||
| District and Township (1 to be elected) |
Barb Bridgeman | 804 |
| Guy Burry | 1015 | |
| Township Councillor (2 to be elected) |
Rob Bosomworth | 1171 |
| Pam Jeffery | 1119 | |
| Sally Moyer Kent | 205 | |
| Tanner McNabb | 613 | |
| David Skoric | 231 | |
LAKE OF BAYS:
| Total Votes Cast | Voter Turnout |
| 2713 | 34.2% |
Mayor
One position to be filled
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Charles Cooper | 605 | 22.8% |
| Tim Withey | 713 | 26.9% |
| Matt Young | 1333 | 50.3% |
District Councillor (Franklin/Sinclair Ward)
One position to be filled
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Rick Brooks | 814 | 61.7% |
| John Crowley | 505 | 38.3% |
District Councillor (Ridout/Mclean Ward)
One position to be filled
| Name | Result |
| Robert Lacroix | Acclaimed |
Councillor (Franklin Ward)
One position to be filled
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Linda Boothby | 947 | 95.5% |
| Earl Earl | 45 | 4.5% |
Note: Earl Earl withdrew after the close of nominations. As a result, his name remained on the ballot and votes cast for him are reflected in the election results.
Councillor (Sinclair/Finlayson Ward)
| Name | Result |
| Sarah Roberts | Acclaimed |
Councillor (Ridout Ward)
One position to be filled
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| George Anderson | 264 | 56.2% |
| Mike Jefford | 206 | 43.8% |
Councillor (Mclean Ward)
One position to be filled
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Michael Mahovlich | 388 | 56.1% |
| Glen Maynard | 304 | 43.9% |
Trustee, Trillium Lakelands District School Board (English Public)
One position to be filled
(See the Town of Huntsville for final results)
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Elizabeth Purcell | 1353 | 65.3% |
| Bruce Reain | 720 | 34.7% |
Trustee, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (English Separate)
One position to be filled
(See the Town of Bracebridge for final results)
| Name | Result |
| Joshua Boutotte | Acclaimed |
Trustee, French Language Public District School Board (French Public)
One position to be filled
(See the Municipality of East Ferris for final results)
| Name | Result |
| Bruce Cazabon | Acclaimed |
Trustee, French Language Separate District School Board (French Separate)
One position to be filled
(See the City of Barrie for final results)
| Name | Votes | Percentage |
| Donald Blais | 2 | 100% |
| Innocent LeGrand | 0 | 0.00% |
NOTES:
There was no real exicitement in some races, as voters remained mostly unsure till the 8 p.m. deadline or weren’t enthused enough about some candidates. Typically about a third of eligible voters cast ballots.
As of just past 4 p.m. today, voter turnout was 26% in Gravenhurst.
In Bracebridge 5,000 had cast ballots as of just after 1 p.m. election day.
As of Monday 12:30, October 26, voter turnout in Huntsville stood at 32.32 per cent, while Lake of Bays reported 26.56 per cent in the morning, according to figures provided by the respective municipal clerks.
While web browsing will be busy, the official results website for Bracebridge was showing ‘RISKY’ according to security checks from McAfee. Perhaps a Freudian slip about the results?
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