26 people vying for single Mississauga council seat

Mississauga voters who are participating in a byelection on Monday will find lots of names to choose from on the ballot.

That's because there are 26 people vying to become the next councillor in Ward 4.

The byelection was triggered by the resignation of Frank Dale, who was voted in as the Ward 4 councillor last fall.

But because Dale was then appointed as the Peel Regional Chair, that meant he was required to step down from his seat on council.

Chris Clay, a staff reporter with The Mississauga News, said Dale's departure left many with the perception that the ward is now "wide open," which is why he believes so many candidates are pursuing his vacated seat on council.

The sheer number of candidates has created some challenges for people trying to stand out to voters during debates.

"There's been four debates so far... the first two had four candidates and six candidates, the third had over 20 candidates and the last had a dozen candidates," he told CBC News in an interview.

With so many people taking part in the debates, Clay said it has been hard for the candidates to have a chance to contrast themselves with their opponents.

"Even where you have numbers like six people, there's some difficulty in all the candidates having a real good opportunity to debate and discuss the issues. Particularly the one with over 20 candidates, [there was] very little time for the candidates to go back and forth on issues," Clay said.

"They would, sort of, briefly make a point and then it's on to the next candidate because they have to have an opportunity to make their point as well."

The polls will be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday.

The unofficial results to the byelection will be posted on mississaugavotes.ca after the polls close.