George Tavares (withdrawn)
Running for Mayor of Mississauga
Withdrew June 4, 2026. A repeat "smart city" candidate running on technology, efficiency and transparency.
Background
WITHDRAWN. George Tavares registered on May 1, 2026 and withdrew on June 4, 2026, so he does not appear on the Oct. 26 ballot. This record is kept because his campaign was part of the race.
He ran for mayor in both 2022 and the 2024 by-election, positioning himself as a "smart city" and government modernization candidate. In 2022 he finished third behind Bonnie Crombie and David Shaw with over 5,600 votes, a strong result for an independent outsider. He presents himself as highly educated, with studies in political science, Indigenous studies, engineering technology, business management and smart city planning.
Where they stand
Each position pairs what they say with what they did.
AI data centres
Unclear
What they did:
No position on record. He withdrew in June 2026, before Council proposed the data-centre pause in July.
Environment
Unclear
What they did:
Limited detail found.
Housing
Affordability and planning
What they did:
Identified housing affordability as a major concern, with his platform generally framed around quality of life and cost pressures.
Land use
Wants better planning
What they did:
Wanted better planning, but no detailed 2026 proposal was published before he withdrew.
Policing
Unclear
What they did:
Limited detail found.
Public funds
Responsible government
What they did:
Responsible-government focus, including efficiency and reducing bureaucracy.
Transit
Unclear
What they did:
Identified transportation and infrastructure as a major challenge and supported transit improvements, but no detailed 2026 plan was published before he withdrew.
Transparency
Transparency and integrity
What they did:
Explicit transparency and integrity focus, and reducing bureaucracy.
What they are promising
Their own platform, in their own words. Not checked against their record.
Technology, efficiency, infrastructure and transparency. Ideas included QR-code systems on infrastructure so residents could report potholes, broken transit shelters and maintenance issues directly through city systems. He also emphasised affordability, transit improvements and reducing bureaucracy. Less associated with culture-war or conspiracy-style politics than some other outsider candidates; critics viewed his platform as vague, overly ambitious or lacking detailed implementation plans.
