Township of Blandford-Blenheim residents will be heading to the polls to elect a new mayor and councillors on Monday, October 26, 2026.
The Township of Blandford-Blenheim is located in Oxford County, northwest of Paris, and has an estimated population of just over 8,000 people. Communities within the Township include Bright, Drumbo, Plattsville, Princeton, and Washington, to name a few.
In total, there are nine residents vying for one of five seats on Council.
The race to become the next Mayor for the Township of Blandford-Blenheim has attracted two candidates.
Mark Peterson is looking to be re-elected for his third term as Mayor, and his fifth on Council in general, while mortgage agent Clayton Haight is entering the mayoral race and seeking a seat on Council for the first time.
The 2026 municipal election marks the first time the Deputy Mayor position has been an elected role. The position previously rotated among councillors, with each serving a one-year period.
Tina Young, who is currently serving her first term on Council, is the Township’s current Deputy Mayor and has been acclaimed to continue in the role for the next term after running unopposed.
With three councillors to be elected at large by the community, those running are:
- Bruce Banbury (incumbent)
- Nancy Demarest (incumbent)
- Vanessa Hnat
- Richard Kohman
- Bob Shoemaker
- Crystal Wymenga
Councillor Daryl Barnes is not seeking re-election.
As for school board trustees, Mary Holmes has been acclaimed as the London District Catholic School Board Trustee.
Benjamin Lampkin and William McKinnon have been acclaimed to the two Thames Valley District School Board Trustees positions.
Joseph-Guy Bourbeau has been acclaimed as the Trustee for Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, and David Paradis has been acclaimed to Trustee for Conseil scolaire Viamonde.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
