UPDATE: 9:20 P.M.
The Lake Report is calling Niagara-on-the-Lake’s 2026 municipal election for Vaughn Goettler to become the town’s next lord mayor.
With 11 of 11 polls closed, Goettler is in the lead in the mayoral race, with 5,101 votes, according to unofficial election results from the Town of NOTL.
He’s beaten out opponents Erwin Wiens, current NOTL councillor, who received 2,870 votes, and Andrea Kaiser, current regional councillor for NOTL, who received 1,287 votes.
Based on current unofficial results, joining Goettler will be Niagara-on-the-Lake’s next slate of councillors: incumbent Gary Burroughs, who won the most votes in the councillors’ race, making him deputy lord mayor; Sandra O’Connor, incumbent; Weston Miller; Andrew Niven; Steve McGuinness; and Tim Balaisuk.
The unofficial results indicate 9,262 ballots were cast in the 2026 election — a voter turnout of 52.4 per cent. Last year’s voter turnout was around 47 per cent.
Meanwhile, in the race for the next four trustees for the District School Board of Niagara, the current leads are Jonathan Fast, Kate Baggott, Matthew Bradman and Mike Brousseau.
For the Niagara Catholic District School Board, which has two trustee seats, the leads are Natalia Benoit and Larry Huibers.
And for the Conseil scolaire Viamonde, the French-language school board in southern Ontario, Amanda Leduc is in the lead to become its trustee.
UPDATE: 9:10 P.M.
Vaughn Goettler is mainting his lead in the mayoral race, but Erwin Wiens is catching up.
Goettler is now at 3,885 votes, while Wiens is up now to 2,125 votes, closing the gap between them. Andrea Kaiser is now at 978 votes.
In the councillor race, the six candidates who gained the lead minutes ago are each still holding their positions. Gary Burroughs is up to 4,044 votes, with Sandra O’Connor now at 3,772 votes.
The current results for the remaining four candidates: Weston Miller, 3,639 votes; Andrew Niven, 3,387 votes; Steve McGuinness, 3,185 votes; and Tim Balasiuk, 2,929 votes.
UPDATE: 8:55 P.M.
More votes are coming in fast, and mayoral candidate Vaughn Goettler is holding his lead.
He’s now at 3,332 votes in favour of him becoming Niagara-on-the-Lake’s next lord mayor, representing 57.3 per cent of the share of total mayoral votes, according to unofficial election results from the Town of NOTL.
Erwin Wiens is still in second place, now at 1,686 votes. Andrea Kaiser is behind him with 792 votes.
Gary Burroughs is still in the lead in the councillors’ race, now up to 3,560 votes. Sandra O’Connor remains in second place with 3,375 votes now.
Weston Miller is holding his third-place spot in the race, with 3,240 votes, but it’s incumbent Andrew Niven who’s now in fourth, with 2,919, just 56 votes above Steve McGuinness, who’s now in fifth place with 2,863 votes.
Behind him, incumbent Tim Balasiuk is in sixth place with 2,589. If these councillor candidates hold their positions in the race, they will be the six individuals who make up next term’s council (aside from the lord mayor).
UPDATE: 8:43 P.M.
The results of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s municipal election are coming in now — so far, they’re showing mayoral candidate Vaughn Goettler in the lead.
As of 8:43 p.m., Goettler has 624 votes, representing 63.5 per cent of the share of total mayoral votes, according to unofficial election results from the Town of NOTL.
Erwin Wiens, current NOTL councillor and deputy lord mayor, is behind him in second place with 238 votes and Andrea Kaiser, current regional councillor for NOTL, is behind Wiens with 121 votes.
In the councillors’ race, incumbent Gary Burroughs is leading the pack with 668 votes — if he maintains his lead, he will become NOTL’s deputy lord mayor. Fellow incumbent Sandra O’Connor, with 618 votes, isn’t far behind.
Newcomers Weston Miller and Steve McGuinness, meanwhile, are third and fourth in the councillor race, respectively — Miller has 568 votes so far and McGuinness has 528.
The unofficial results indicate 9,262 ballots were cast in the election, with a voter turnout of 52.4 per cent. Last year’s voter turnout was around 47 per cent.
Residents are gathered at the NOTL Community Centre in Old Town, where the results are being broadcasted live in the auditorium.
For those who can’t make it to the community centre, the results will also be posted to the Town of NOTL’s website, by heading to notl.com/alerts/2026-unofficial-municipal-election-results and clicking the button “View the Unofficial Results,” and social media as they’re reported throughout the evening.
STAY TUNED FOR LIVE RESULTS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.
