Why historic wins for women in Ontario's municipal elections are just 'half the battle'

Monday's municipal elections ushered in some notable wins for women across Ontario — with voters electing their first female mayors in some cities, new female mayors in several others, and an all-female council in a village southwest of Ottawa.

Official election results are still being calculated, but overall these are some encouraging signs that women are making inroads in Ontario municipal politics, said Tracey Raney, a professor in the department of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

"It’s great to see more women break through several glass ceilings in local governments across the province," Raney told CBC News.

Niagara Falls made history with its first female mayor, with Coun. Lori Lococo unseating the previous mayor, whom many considered unbeatable. Port Colborne also made history by electing Bea Kenny, who said she was "humbled" by her win, as its first female mayor.

North Bay, too, elected its first female mayor, and also has a female deputy mayor, putting women in complete control of the city's top leadership posts for the first time since it elected its first mayor in 1891.

"It's overdue, but I'm happy to be here and I can't wait to see what happens next," mayor-elect Maggie Horsfield said to reporters Monday.

WATCH | Ottawa's next council to have more women than men since amalgamation:

‘I’m pretty excited about this’: Ottawa’s next council to have more women than men

October 27|

Duration

0:51

Meanwhile, Ottawa's city council now has more women than men for the first time. Voters in the eastern Ontario municipality of Merrickville-Wolford just elected an all-female council.

And several jurisdictions have newly elected — although not their first — female mayors, including Kingston, Cornwall and Thunder Bay. In Toronto, Olivia Chow was re-elected decisively with about 54 per cent of the vote, according to the results so far.

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But there were also some setbacks, with highly visible female incumbents like Mississauga's Carolyn Parrish and Hamilton's Andrea Horwath facing defeat, notes Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, a political studies professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

We're inching closer to gender parity in Canadian politics, "but the pace of change is very slow and setbacks do occur," Goodyear-Grant told CBC News.

"At the municipal level, the overall numbers in Ontario seem sort of stalled ... despite the notable gains in some jurisdictions."

'A historic first'

In Merrickville-Wolford, a picturesque village about 75 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, Anne Barr was on the road collecting election signs Tuesday morning after a successful campaign.

Barr, a longtime councillor and now the mayor-elect, garnered nearly twice as many votes as incumbent Michael Cameron. Voters also elected councillors Margaret Gural, Mary-Catherine Fraser, Cindy Hanna and Gina Jelmini, each with strong leads.

With that, the village of just over 3,000 people became one of a handful in Ontario to ever elect an all-female council. In 2018, two municipalities in Ontario — Algonquin Highlands and Spanish — made history with theirs. Before that, in 1967, Tweed elected the first all-female council in the province.

Anne Barr, the mayor-elect of Merrickville-Wolford, Ont., is part of a newly elected all-female council for the municipality. (Anne Barr)

Barr says she understands why Merrickville-Wolford’s newly elected all-female slate of councillors is attracting attention.

"It's a historic first for our municipality," she told CBC News, adding she was looking forward to working with such an "exceptional team."

"What’s most important, however, is that our residents have elected five capable individuals who bring deep roots in the community, a broad range of skills and experience and a shared commitment to working hard."

In Niagara Falls on Monday, Lori Lococo downplayed her gender after she was elected the city's first female mayor.

"I always hope that people vote for people based on their experience and skills, not because of their gender," she said.

WATCH | Niagara Falls' first female mayor speaks at victory party:

Lori Lococo speaks after winning Niagara Falls mayoral race

October 27|

Duration

2:14

A bottleneck stage for growth

The wins for women are more striking when you consider they made up just 32 per cent of the candidates province-wide, according to data from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. That's only up a percentage point from 2022, when 31 per cent of candidates were female, although it's a jump from 27 per cent in 2018.

This reveals a bottleneck for growth in women’s share of council and mayoral positions, says Queen's University's Goodyear-Grant.

"If women aren’t running in equal proportions as men, it’s difficult to anticipate rapid or significant growth in their seat share," she said. 

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It also highlights some of the barriers that women face in politics, she said, including less access to donors and fundraising, gendered stereotypes about their qualifications, and harassment on the campaign trail.

Several female Hamilton municipal politicians recently spoke out about the abuse they've faced, for instance. Horwath told CBC last week that the harassment is driving women out of politics, and it made her "seriously consider" whether to run this election.

In Brampton, Coun. Rowena Santos recently told local media she's faced serious threats to her physical safety during her time in office, including people who "said that I deserve to be raped and killed."

That's why getting women elected is just "half the battle," said Raney, with Toronto Metropolitan University — we also need to consider what happens once they take office, she said. That includes looking at whether they are being heard, able to influence the policy process or facing disproportionate scrutiny and harassment.

"Representation matters, but so does the ability to not have to face harassment and violence once you have a seat at the decision-making table," Raney said.

"The public also has a responsibility to hold elected officials accountable without resorting to personal attacks, harassment or intimidation."

WATCH | North Bay mayor-elect Maggie Horsfield:

North Bay mayor-elect Maggie Horsfield speaks with reporters

October 27|

Duration

2:14