Nominations

Filing your nomination

To file your nomination you must give the following to your municipal clerk:

• a completed nomination form (Form 1)
• the nomination fee
• completed endorsement of nomination forms (Form 2)^{footnote 1[1]}

When you fill out the nomination form, write down your name as you want it to appear on the ballot. If you normally go by a different name than your legal first name, you may use that name provided that the clerk agrees.

You do not have to provide all of your names under the box entitled “Given Name(s)” on the form. Only provide the one(s) that you want to appear on the ballot. If your legal name is a single name you do not have to provide any given names.

Clerks can decide to allow nominations to be filed electronically. If your municipality allows electronic filing, contact the clerk for more information about how to file your nomination.

If electronic filing is not allowed in your municipality, you must file the nomination form that you have signed – the form may not be a copy and may not be scanned and submitted electronically. You must file the nomination form in person or have an agent file it on your behalf.

The clerk may require you to show identification or fill in an additional form to prove that you are eligible to be nominated. If an agent is going to file the form on your behalf you should check with the clerk to see if you are required to provide identification or additional paperwork.

Your campaign period begins when the clerk has received your nomination. If you file your nomination electronically at a time when the clerk’s office is not open, you may have to wait to begin your campaign. You should contact the clerk for more information.

The nomination fee

The fee to file a nomination is $200 to run for head of council and $100 for all other positions. This fee must be paid to the clerk at the time you submit your nomination form.

Your nomination fee will be refunded if you file your campaign financial statement by the deadline.

Endorsement signatures

If you are running for municipal council in a municipality that has more than 4,000 electors, you must submit 25 original signatures endorsing your nomination.

You must use Form 2 to collect the endorsement signatures.

Anyone providing an endorsement signature must also fill in their name and address, including the postal code.

Anyone providing an endorsement signature must be eligible to vote in the municipality on the day that they signed the endorsement. In addition to their endorsement, they will also be required to sign a declaration that they are eligible to vote in the municipality.

A person who is eligible to vote in the municipality may provide endorsements to as many candidates as they would like and may endorse candidates for any office on the municipal council. A person who is running for a ward councillor office may submit signatures from voters who do not live in that ward.

Collection of signatures should be undertaken safely by following guidance related to and in compliance with all applicable laws and emergency orders, as well as any guidance and safety standards established by the province for COVID-19. These measures are intended to keep Ontarians safe.

If you submit 25 original endorsement signatures and find out later that a person (or persons) was not eligible to vote on the day that they signed the endorsement, you will not lose your nomination. The person who supplied false information (by declaring that they were eligible to endorse your nomination when they were not eligible) could be subject to prosecution.

If the clerk has allowed electronic filing, you must still collect the endorsement signatures in person. You can submit an electronic copy of the forms when you file your nomination. You must keep the forms with the original signatures as part of your campaign records.

School board trustee candidates are not required to submit endorsement signatures.

The Endorsement of Nomination Form (Form 2) is a public document. Endorsements of candidates cannot be revoked if the document has already been filed with the clerk.

Deadline to file your nomination

The nomination period begins on May 1, 2022. As May 1 is a Sunday, you may not be able to file your nomination until May 2, 2022 when the c lerk’s office is open.  The last day to file a nomination is Friday, August 19, 2022 by 2 p.m.

The clerk has until 4 p.m. on Monday, August 22, 2022 to certify or reject your nomination. The clerk must be satisfied that you are eligible to run in order to certify your nomination. If your nomination is not certified, your name will not appear on the ballot.

Where to file

If you are running for council office in a single-tier or lower-tier municipality (city, town, township, village, etc.), you must file your nomination with the clerk of that municipality.

If you are running for an office in an upper-tier municipality (region or county) that does not also sit on a lower-tier council, you must file your nomination with the clerk of the upper-tier municipality. For example, a person running for chair of Durham Region would file their nomination with the clerk of Durham Region rather than the clerk of a lower-tier municipality such as Oshawa or Pickering.

If you are running for a school trustee position that represents more than one municipality, contact your municipal clerk for information about where to file your nomination.

Changing your mind – withdrawal

If you decide to withdraw your nomination, you must notify the clerk in writing by the close of nominations (2 p.m. August 19, 2022).

If you withdraw your nomination, you are still required to file a campaign financial statement covering all the financial transactions you made in your campaign.

If your campaign did not have any financial transactions, you must file a financial statement reporting this. Your nomination fee will be refunded by the clerk if you file your financial statement by the deadline.

Changing your mind – running for a different office

You can only run for one office at a time. If you decide to run for a different office, your first nomination is deemed to be withdrawn when you file your second nomination.

If you decide to run for a different office on the same council or school board, and both offices are elected at large (for example, an office such as the mayor, which everyone in the municipality may vote for), everything (contributions, expenses, etc.) from your first campaign is simply transferred to your second campaign.

Example:

You file your nomination to run for deputy mayor on May 12, 2022. During the summer you decide to run for mayor instead, and file your second nomination form on June 29, 2022.

• Your first nomination for deputy mayor is deemed to be withdrawn.
• The nomination fee you paid on May 12 is transferred to your second nomination (in this case, you would have to pay an additional $100 to make up the $200 fee to run for head of council).
• You do not have to submit new endorsement signatures. Your initial 25 original endorsement signatures still qualify since you withdrew and filed a nomination for a different office on the same municipal council.
• Your campaign for mayor is deemed to have started on May 12.
• Any campaign contributions or expenses that occurred prior to June 29 are transferred to your mayoral campaign.
• You must file one campaign financial statement covering your campaign finances from May 12 until January 3, 2023.
• Your nomination fee will be refunded if you file your campaign financial statement by the filing deadline.

If you decide to run for a different office on the same council or school board, and one or both of the offices is elected by ward, then you must keep the two campaigns separate.

Example:

You file your nomination to run for mayor on May 12, 2022. During the summer you decide to run for councillor in ward 1 instead and file your second nomination form on June 29, 2022.

Your first nomination for mayor is deemed to be withdrawn, and your campaign for mayor ends. You may not transfer any contributions or expenses from your mayoral campaign to your ward councillor campaign.

• You must pay a separate nomination fee when you file your nomination for ward councillor.
• You do not have to submit new endorsement signatures. Your initial 25 original endorsement signatures still qualify since you withdrew and filed a nomination for a different office on the same municipal council.
• You must file a campaign financial statement covering your campaign for mayor (May 12 to June 29) – your first nomination fee will be refunded if you file this financial statement by the filing deadline.
• You must file a separate campaign financial statement covering your campaign for ward councillor (June 29 to January 3) – your second nomination fee will be refunded if you file this financial statement by the filing deadline.

If you decide to run for office on a different council or school board, then you must keep the two campaigns separate. If you decide to run for council in a municipality that has more than 4,000 electors, you will need to submit original endorsement signatures from electors eligible to vote in that municipality. If you are unsure if the municipality has more than 4,000 electors, you should contact the municipal clerk.

Example:

You file your nomination to run for school board trustee on May 12. During the summer you decide to run for councillor instead, and file your second nomination form on June 29, 2022.

• Your first nomination for school board trustee is deemed to be withdrawn.
• You are required to pay a nomination fee when you file your nomination for ward councillor.
• If the municipality where you are running for ward councillor has more than 4000 electors, you must submit 25 endorsement signatures.
• Your campaign for school board trustee ends. You may not transfer any contributions or expenses from your trustee campaign to your ward councillor campaign .
• You must file a campaign financial statement covering your campaign for school board trustee (May 12 to June 29) – your first nomination fee will be refunded if you file this financial statement by the filing deadline.
• You must file a separate campaign financial statement covering your campaign for ward councillor (June 29 to January 3) – your second nomination fee will be refunded if you file this financial statement by the filing deadline.

Acclamations

If there is only one certified candidate running for an office at 4 p.m. on Monday, August 22, that candidate will be declared elected by acclamation. Similarly, in a municipality where multiple candidates are elected at large, if the number of certified candidates is the same as or less than the number of offices, those candidates will be declared elected by acclamation.

If you are elected by acclamation, you must still file a campaign financial statement.

Additional nominations

If there are positions that no candidates have run for or positions that are still vacant after the candidates who did run have been acclaimed, the clerk will call for additional nominations.

Additional nominations for the remaining vacant seats must be filed between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. The clerk must either certify or reject each nomination by 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, 2022.