Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleNanaimo’s Chief Election Officer has officially declared Leonard Eugene Krog re-elected as mayor, giving the city’s incumbent leader a third consecutive four-year term. The City of Nanaimo’s final results list Krog with 10,368 votes in the October 17, 2026 general local election. His new term will run from 2026 to 2030.
Official Nanaimo mayoral results
The City’s official results show Krog ahead of three other mayoral candidates:
- Leonard Krog: 10,368 votes
- Sarah Lovegrove: 8,461 votes
- Anne Marie Dryden: 6,084 votes
- Brunie Brunie: 327 votes
The Chief Election Officer declared Krog elected on October 21 after the official count was completed. The City’s results page does not list party affiliations for the mayoral candidates, and this article does not assign one.
A lawyer and former MLA who became mayor in 2018
Krog was first elected mayor in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022 before securing his third term in 2026. Before entering municipal leadership, he served in the B.C. Legislature as an MLA for Parksville–Qualicum and later Nanaimo. The B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus biography says he has practised law in Nanaimo since 1980 and served as an MLA from 1991 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2018.
His return to City Hall in 2018 followed a long provincial political career. The city’s official 2018 and 2022 election releases confirm his earlier mayoral victories, while the 2026 declaration confirms the latest result.
What Krog said he would focus on
Krog’s campaign used the slogan “Commitments Made, Commitments Kept” and emphasized continued investment in core infrastructure, including water and wastewater systems, roads, parks and recreation facilities. His campaign also highlighted more even representation across neighbourhoods and continued advocacy for improvements to Nanaimo’s hospital campus.
On social challenges, his campaign called for stronger provincial and federal support for mental-health and addiction services and promoted “dry housing” as one part of recovery. Those are campaign commitments and advocacy positions; they are not approved City policies or guaranteed outcomes.
In a July interview with Nanaimo community radio station CHLY, Krog also identified infrastructure, housing and financial responsibility as central themes for another term, saying he wanted to continue projects already underway.
Housing, homelessness and downtown conditions remain major tests
The next council will face difficult questions about housing supply, homelessness, downtown conditions and the services needed to support people experiencing mental-health and addiction challenges. The Discourse reported during the campaign that Nanaimo’s December 3, 2025 point-in-time count identified 577 people experiencing homelessness, a figure the report described as a conservative minimum.
Municipal authority is significant but not unlimited. The City identifies roads, water and sewer, fire and police, parks and recreation, waste management, land-use planning and business licensing among the local responsibilities that elected council members help oversee. Health care and many income-support and treatment services depend on provincial or federal decisions, making intergovernmental advocacy an important part of the mayor’s role.
The council joining Krog for 2026–2030
The eight councillors declared elected alongside Krog are Ben Geselbracht, Paul Manly, Hilary Eastmure, Sheryl Armstrong, Andréa Coutu, Erin Colleen Hemmens, Marnie Boers and Ian Thorpe. The City’s official results page lists the final vote totals for each councillor as well as the mayoral race.
Nanaimo’s inaugural council meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, 80 Commercial Street. The City says the meeting will also be available by livestream.
Sources and further reading
- City of Nanaimo: 2026 official election results
- City of Nanaimo: declaration of the 2026 official results, October 21, 2026
- City of Nanaimo: declaration of the 2022 election results
- City of Nanaimo: declaration of the 2018 election results
- B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus: Mayor Leonard Krog biography
- Krog for Mayor: 2026 campaign priorities
- CHLY: Krog discusses his third-term campaign, July 24, 2026
- The Discourse: Nanaimo mayoral candidates address homelessness, October 15, 2026
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
