Zack Taylor’s Local Democracy Project profiles the typical Ontario council candidate
The political scientist says nearly 900 survey responses show candidates skew older, wealthier and more often male than the residents they hope to represent.
Zack Taylor, a political science professor at Western, leads the Local Democracy Project with colleague Martin Horak and partners at INRS-Urbanisation in Montréal and Dalhousie University. The SSHRC-funded project has surveyed municipal candidates across Canada since 2022. Ontario votes on October 26, and a survey has just gone out in British Columbia, where elections are set for October 17.
Among almost 900 Ontario candidates who responded this year, the most common first name is John. About a quarter had run before, mostly incumbents. About 57 per cent identify as male and 37 per cent as female, and the average age is 56. Over half have a university degree and household income above $100,000, and over four in five are homeowners.
Nearly half of respondents finance their campaigns entirely themselves, and almost 75 per cent expect to pay at least half of the cost out of pocket. The median estimated campaign cost is $2,600. Taylor cautions that the results cover only people who responded, so the group may not be fully representative.
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