About

The Waterloo Region Voter Guide is a non-partisan tool that shows where candidates in the October 2026 municipal election stand on the issues that shape daily life in the region. It is developed by Strong Towns WR with input from WRYIMBY and VisionWR, based on a questionnaire that was sent to candidates and covers seven different topics: Housing & Homelessness, Getting Around (Transportation & Transit), Climate & Sustainability, Food Systems & Security, Growth & Planning, Budget & Taxes, and Regional Water Supply.

Why this guide exists

Municipal governments play large roles in our day-to-day lives: what gets built and where, how you get around, whether there is housing people can afford, and how public money is spent. Yet local elections draw the lowest turnout of any level of government: In Waterloo Region's 2022 municipal election, turnout ranged from roughly 27% to 40% across municipalities.

We think part of the reason is that reliable and easy-to-digest information about local candidates can be hard to find, and created this guide to help close that gap.

How it works

Every Waterloo Region candidate in the October 2026 municipal election received the same questionnaire; their answers are published here and organized so you can compare candidates across topics.

The guide is built for two kinds of voters:

• A five-minute read. Choose your city/township and turn on traffic-light signals (see methodology) for a quick overview for each candidate in your ward.
• A deeper look. Read every candidate's full responses, topic by topic, and compare them directly yourself.

This guide does not endorse any candidates.

Sharing and linking

Every ward and topic has its own stable link, so you can share a direct view of any race, topic, or candidate.

Contact us

Email: strongtownswr@gmail.com