September 20, 2026
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Kenneth Craig, incumbent mayor of Kincardine, is facing off against two challengers in the Oct. 26 municipal election: Ward 2 councillor Bill Stewart, and Barb Fisher.
Here is an opportunity to meet your candidates and learn about their platforms.
There are also two all-candidates meetings scheduled: one hosted by the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 29, from 6-8 p.m., at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine; and the second one hosted by the Kincardine Agricultural Society, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at the Armow Hall.
KENNETH CRAIG
As a life-long Kincardine resident, Kenneth Craig can see how much the community has grown and evolved over the past 60 years.
"Growing up and raising my family on a dairy farm outside Tiverton gave me a front-row seat to the opportunities and challenges that living in this community presents," he says. "I was initially elected to represent the agricultural community in Kincardine Township and, subsequently, served three successful terms on municipal council. After 30 years of farming, I returned to school, graduated from seminary and moved to the Town of Kincardine to serve as the pastor of the Kincardine Baptist Church for 15 years. Upon my retirement, I was elected mayor of Kincardine and have served in that role for the past four years."
Craig says he is running for re-election because since being elected in 2022, he has connected with residents at many community events, including Monday Markets, Pipe Band Parades, Fall Fairs and Multicultural Days.
"I’ve heard why residents and visitors love this community, and I've heard about their frustrations," he says. "I can understand both of those feelings. Kincardine is a great place and in the past term, we’ve done a lot of good work. We’ve completed the downtown reconstruction, preparing Kincardine’s sewer infrastructure for the next 100 years; we’ve upgraded recreation facilities, such as the Tiverton Arena; we’ve updated our municipal zoning bylaws to make it easier to build here; and we’ve implemented aggressive road safety measures.
"But the job isn’t finished. I’m running for re-election so we can maintain momentum and continue our investments in economic development by ensuring our community is ready for any Bruce 'C' expansion, so that we can continue our investments in infrastructure by completing the sewage lagoon restoration project, and so that we can continue our work in creating affordable housing so that everyone has a place in our community.
"These are all complicated issues, and it takes a balanced approach as we support the various local economic interests present in our community – energy, agriculture, tourism, retail and commercial. I have a vision for the municipality’s future that includes growth and development while maintaining the small-town, welcoming character that makes our community home."
During his years on council and his term as mayor, Craig has served on many council committees: fire services, recreation, finance, minor variances, bylaw enforcement appeals, chief administrative officer (CAO) recruitment, housing, emergency management, and as a nuclear liaison, to name some of them.
"I also currently serve as the chairman of the Grey Bruce Public Health board of directors, as a representative on the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy, and I represent the municipality on the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities.
"Every time I work with these groups, it gives me one more layer of knowledge to understand all the moving pieces that make a municipality work. That’s why it is so important to value the opinions of our elected council members, our professional staff, our engaged residents and visitors, and the many people and companies interested in living, working, and investing in the municipality. It is the mayor’s responsibility to empower those voices as those opinions and ideas are the basis for many of the decisions that council has made which have positioned the municipality as a great place to live, work, and play."
Craig says the top three issues facing the municipality are as follows:
Economic development - This remains the most important issue that faces the community.
"Even with the enormous growth being considered at Bruce Power, economic development encompasses so many other areas of municipal service affecting our everyday life," he says. "Municipal economic development consists of the investments that we make which, in turn, create the conditions that people need to build houses, businesses, and enjoy the quality of life they expect.
"In order to support economic development, we need to focus on three main things: completing a rigorous Bruce 'C' readiness analysis to ensure that our community is ready to capitalize on any expansion of the Bruce Power site, develop a focused tourism plan in order to fully capitalize on the incredible scenery, shops, and events Kincardine has to offer, and acquire municipally-controlled land to be used for future business attraction.
"And though municipalities are not directly involved in health care or education, our municipal economic opportunities are reliant on the ability of our residents to access high-quality versions of both. We will continue to work with the province to support upgrades to both as we are able.
A continued upgrading of local infrastructure - As Kincardine grows, its infrastructure cannot get left behind.
"Our council must continue budgetary investments in water and wastewater infrastructure," he says, "and the resolution of our lagoon performance is a top priority. Investments in our aging municipal recreation facilities to meet the needs of our growing populations, will also be required. Over the past year, our rural roads and bridges have been upgraded and that should continue to ensure our growing agricultural sector can continue to thrive."
Active involvement in providing affordable housing - Encouraging the availability of affordable housing will remain essential to Kincardine’s growth.
"No young family or downsizing retirees will be able to move here unless there are affordable housing options," he says. "No business will be able to locate here unless their employees have places to live. In this past term, our housing committee made concrete recommendations to council on how to speed the process, offer a more stream-lined permitting process, create a wider variety of accommodation options, and provide community incentives to build various housing styles and sizes. These recommendations should only be the start of the process. We established a specific housing goal of 160 affordable housing units, keeping in line with the County of Bruce recommendations, and I plan on supporting that goal.
"By working together with our dedicated staff, fellow elected officials, and residents of Kincardine, I believe that we can face these, and other issues that will surely arise, and truly make Kincardine one of the best places in Ontario to live, work, and raise a family."
BARB FISHER
Barb Fisher has called Kincardine home for 56 years, and her two children were born at the local hospital.
"This community has been at the centre of my family life, professional career and community volunteerism," she says. "My career in the nuclear field began at Pickering and continued at the Bruce Nuclear site (at that time Ontario Hydro). At Pickering, I became one of the first yellow-qualified female employees across Canada. At the Bruce site, my position was radiation dose control supervisor. Working in highly-regulated environments taught me the importance of safety, accountability, sound judgement and how to make difficult decisions responsibly.
"After our first child was born, I became a small-business owner and consultant, gaining first-hand experience in entrepreneurship, financial management, job creation and the challenges facing local employers. I served as the inaugural general manager of the Bruce Community Futures Development Corporation (Bruce CFDC). I later returned to that position and continue in that role today, supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses, and advancing community economic development across Bruce County.
"I also believe in the power of volunteerism. Currently, I am on the board of directors of the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the board of directors of the Kincardine Family Health Team, member of the Kincardine Hospital Capital Campaign fund-raising team, and operate the Kincardine Beach Pavilion, with a small team."
Fisher says she is running for mayor because Kincardine is at a defining moment.
"I have spent my career bringing people together, solving problems and making difficult decisions," she says. "I believe the combination of municipal and provincial experiences, business leadership, nuclear-sector knowledge and community service, positions me to lead Kincardine into our future.
"Opportunities linked to Bruce Power must be balanced with responsible growth and sound financial planning and management. It is important that we set priorities to match the needs of our community now.
"My goal is simple: protect what makes Kincardine special while building a stronger future."
Her municipal experience includes three terms on Kincardine council, including serving as reeve at Bruce County council.
"From 1995-99, I represented the riding of Bruce as its Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and served as parliamentary assistant to the minister of agriculture and rural affairs," she says. "I bring to the council table strong relationships and connections within Kincardine and across the region; a leadership style that relies on public consultation as key to decision-making; and a commitment to make municipal government responsive, transparent and accountable."
Fisher says Kincardine is at a defining moment, and below are the priorities and examples of ideas that she wants to explore with the community.
Affordable housing and responsible growth:
Prepare serviced land, stream-line approvals, and partner with local developers and contractors to provide a range of affordable options
Establish an agricultural sub-committee of council to reduce red tape for agriculture and to promote agricultural interests
Actively engage with Bruce Power and the nuclear industry to optimize training and economic growth opportunities
Expand local planning capacity; expand access for public consultation and engagement
New high-school location:
Support the site selection for the new high school to be located by the Bruce Power Training Centre, behind No Frills
Partner with Bruce Power, unions, colleges, private sector and other stakeholders to establish an apprenticeship and skill-development hub that meets the future workforce needs of Bruce Power, the construction industry and other key sectors
Seniors and health-care supports:
Put in place a day-away program where seniors can connect and stay active; and work to bring back bus transportation service to/from Kincardine
Partner to bring surgical capacity to the hospital that can bring back obstetrics
Encourage the continued hospital expansion fund-raising efforts to secure the final $2.5-million
Reconstitute a health sub-committee of council, and continue with the excellent work initiated by the late Doug Kennedy
BILL STEWART
Bill Stewart says he has been fortunate to be part of this community for more than 65 years, the past 10-plus years full-time.
"My two children are the sixth generation," he says. "My family roots run deep in Kincardine, living in all parts of this community, including now, the lakeshore."
He is running for mayor because he is prepared to take on the mayor's leadership role.
"Having now served on council for two consecutive terms, my experience and my understanding of how our municipal government functions, will allow me to take on the mayor’s leadership role immediately," he says. "I feel that our community is looking for a strong leader to work with council and improve our overall quality of living/life."
Stewart has decades of business experience which was focused in negotiation and finance.
"Combined with my recent eight years of full-time municipal council experience, I am able to bring strong leadership skills, established ties with local business executives and politicians, while being able to clearly communicate a full understanding of how our local government works and how to improve it to benefit our community," he says.
The top three issues facing the municipality are:
Property taxes, both municipal and county - "We cannot sustain the level of taxation that we have experienced this term," says Stewart. "We need to set hard targets in the range of inflation moving forward."
Improved infrastructure - "Being on a nuclear committee for over a year, we are studying the social and economic impact on our community, should Bruce 'C' receive approval," he says. "Our infrastructure will be under pressure to sustain our current level of service by having a new construction workforce of more than 12,000 coming to the Bruce Power site."
Water and sewer rates - "These rates have increased to a level that is putting huge pressure on people’s pocketbooks," says Stewart. "Stronger financial insight is required to reduce costs, along with pushing harder to win government grants which could, hopefully, off-set our future rising costs.
“I, Bill Stewart, as your mayor, will be dedicated to protecting taxpayers' dollars and making smart common-sense choices that will always keep our Kincardine municipality first.”
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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