General information

All third party advertisers must file a financial statement.This includes third party advertisers who withdrew their registration.

Third party advertisers must use Form 8.

All registered third party advertisers must complete Box A : Name of Registrant and Box B : Declaration.

  • If the third party advertiser did not receive any contributions or incur any expenses, check the box indicating this, and complete the Declaration in Box B. No further information is required.
  • If the third party advertiser did receive contributions or incur expenses, fill in the information in Box C, Box D, Schedule 1, and Schedule 2 as appropriate. It may be easier to fill out the form by starting with the more detailed sections such as the tables in Schedule 1 before filling in the Statement of Campaign Income and Expenses.

If the third party advertiser received contributions or incurred expenses in excess of $10,000, an auditor’s report must be included with the financial statement.

The completed financial statement must be submitted to the clerk by 2 p.m. on the last Friday in March (March 31, 2023).

Supplementary financial statements must be submitted to the clerk by 2 p.m. on the last Friday in September (September 29, 2023).

Tips for completing Form 8

Learn more about how to correctly fill out the advertising campaign financial statement.

Box A : Name of Registrant

Record the general spending limit and the spending limit for parties and other expressions of appreciation.

Note : automatic penalties will apply if the form reports that either of the spending limits have been exceeded.

Box B : Declaration

Signing the form declares that the information recorded in the financial statement is true and accurate. If the financial statement was prepared by someone else, the registrant (or official representative) is still responsible for its accuracy.

Box C : Statement of Campaign Income and Expenses

Loan

If a loan is obtained for the advertising campaign, the name of the bank or recognized lending institution and the amount borrowed must be recorded.

A loan is permitted only if it is from a bank or other recognized lending institution in Ontario, and it must be paid directly into the campaign bank account. A loan cannot be received from family members or from any corporate accounts that the third party advertiser may have access to.

The loan is not considered to be advertising campaign income, and paying it back is not a campaign expense. However, if the third party advertiser (or their spouse, if the third party advertiser is an individual) guarantees the loan and the campaign does not repay all of it, the remaining balance is considered to be a contribution (since the guarantor is basically providing the campaign the means to repay the loan).

Any interest that the advertising campaign pays on the loan is a campaign expense.

Income

A registered third party’s advertising campaign income includes all contributions received from themselves as the registrant, their spouse (if the registrant is an individual) and other eligible contributors. This includes the value of contributions of goods and services. Income also includes any refunds of deposits, interest earned by the registrant’s campaign bank account, and revenue from fundraising events or activities that is not deemed a contribution (for example, if the third party advertiser sold refreshments at market value).

Sign deposit

If the municipality requires a deposit for election signs, this should be recorded as an advertising campaign expense and paid for using campaign funds. If the registered third party advertiser’s deposit is refunded, record the amount under Income.

Expenses

Advertising campaign expenses include the value of any goods or services that have been contributed to their campaign (it is as if the contributor gave money to the campaign, which the campaign then spent on acquiring the goods or services).

The general spending limit applies only to expenses incurred until the end of voting day. Expenses incurred after voting day are not subject to the spending limit.

Note : An expense subject to the general spending limit that was incurred prior to voting day but not paid for until after voting day is still subject to the limit.

Some types of expenses are not subject to the general spending limit even if they are incurred prior to voting day.

Expenses related to parties and expressions of appreciation after voting day are subject to that spending limit regardless of when they are incurred.

Box D : Calculation of Surplus or Deficit

Campaign deficit

At the top of Box D, subtract the total amount of campaign expenses from the total amount of campaign income. If the expenses are greater than the income, the advertising campaign is in deficit.

If the advertising campaign has been extended in order to fundraise, the registered third party advertiser must still file a financial statement reflecting their campaign finances to January 3, 2023.

Campaign surplus

At the top of Box D, subtract the total amount of campaign expenses from the total amount of campaign income. If the income is greater than the expenses, the advertising campaign has a surplus.

The third party advertiser is entitled to reimburse contributions made by the registrant or, if the third party advertiser is an individual, their spouse out of the surplus. For example, if the surplus was $500 and the registrant contributed $400 to their advertising campaign, the third party advertiser may deduct that $400, leaving the campaign with a surplus of $100. If the surplus was $500 and the registrant contributed $600, the third party advertiser may deduct $500 of their contribution, leaving the campaign with $0. The third party advertiser may not deduct more than the value of the surplus.

If, after deducting contributions made by the registrant or their spouse (if the third party advertiser is an individual), the advertising campaign still has a surplus, these funds must be turned over to the clerk.

Schedule 1 : Contributions

Schedule 1 includes a summary of contributions from the advertising campaign.

The following tables are included in Schedule 1 and need to be filled in, if applicable:

  • Table 1 : Contributions in goods or services
  • Table 2 : Inventory of campaign goods and materials from previous municipal campaign used in this campaign
  • Table 3 : Monetary contributions from individuals other than registrant or spouse where contributions exceed $100 per contributor
  • Table 4 : Monetary contributions from corporations or trade unions where contributions exceed $100 per contributor
  • Table 5 : Contributions in goods or services from individuals other than registrant or spouse where contributions exceed $100 per contributor
  • Table 6 : Contributions in goods or services from corporations or trade unions where contributions exceed $100 per contributor

Contributions from registrant and spouse

Record these amounts on the lines provided in Schedule 1.

Note : report the full amount of the contributions made by the registrant and their spouse (if the third party advertiser is an individual) including any amounts that have been reimbursed from a surplus.

Contributions totalling $100 or less

Contributors that give $100 or less in total do not have to be individually identified. The total amount contributed from these contributors will be recorded as a lump sum on the line provided at the top of Schedule 1.

If an anonymous contribution is $100 or less, include it in the total value of contributions not exceeding $100 per contributor. Any anonymous contribution that is greater than $25 must be turned over to the clerk.

Goods and services from registrant or (if individual) spouse

If the registrant or their spouse (if the third party advertiser is an individual) contribute goods and services to their advertising campaign, this must be recorded as a contribution. Record any contributions in Table 1 of Schedule 1.

Inventory of campaign goods and materials from previous municipal campaign used in this campaign

Any inventory from a previous advertising campaign that a registered third party advertiser is using again is a contribution in goods that the third party advertiser makes to their campaign. Calculate the current market value (for example, if the third party advertiser has 100 signs left over from 2018 and uses them again, they must calculate how much it would cost to purchase those same signs in 2022) and record it in Table 2. This inventory must also be recorded as an advertising campaign expense.

Contributions totaling more than $100

If a contributor makes one or more contributions totaling more than $100 (including the value of goods and services and the cost of tickets to fundraising events), record all of these contributions in the tables provided in Schedule 1 (Tables 3-6).

If an anonymous contribution is more than $100, include it in the total value of contributions exceeding $100 per contributor, and include it in the relevant table (listing "anonymous" as the name of the contributor). Any anonymous contribution that is greater than $25 must be turned over to the clerk.

Note : it is the total amount contributed that matters – if an individual buys a ticket to a fundraising event for $50, and then later in the advertising campaign contributes $75, each of these contributions must be recorded in the appropriate tables because the total exceeds $100.

Eligible contributors may donate goods and services to the advertising campaign. These must be recorded as a contribution and as an expense (as if the contributor donated money, which the campaign then spent on the goods and services).

Corporations and trade unions are permitted to make contributions to third party advertisers. This includes contributions of goods and services.

Schedule 2 : Fundraising Events and Activities

The cost of holding fundraising events or activities is not subject to the spending limit. However, in order to be considered a fundraising cost, the primary purpose for the expense must be related to fundraising rather than promoting the advertising campaign. Incidental fundraising that happens to occur during a promotional event is not sufficient to make it a fundraising event. Similarly, a line at the bottom of an advertising campaign brochure asking people to donate does not make the production of the brochure a fundraising expense.

If costs of fundraising events/activities are included as an expense in Box C, provide details of these events and activities in Schedule 2.

Contributions received at a fundraising event may include :

  • the price of the ticket
  • if goods or services are offered for sale, any amount of money paid that exceeds their market value (for example, if a $100 item is sold for $175, the purchaser has made a $75 contribution to the campaign)
  • personal cheques collected from contributors at the event

If contributors have donated goods or services for the fundraising event, these must be recorded as contributions and as expenses.

These contributions must be recorded in Schedule 1, and where the total from a contributor exceeds $100, be detailed in the appropriate tables. Refer to the above section on contributions in Schedule 1 for more information.

The fundraising event may also generate revenue that is not considered to be a contribution :

  • donations of $25 or less
  • if goods or services are offered for sale, the market value of those goods and services sold (for example, if a $100 item is sold for $175, $100 is revenue)
  • the amount paid for goods or services offered for sale for $25 or less

Anonymous contributions

Anonymous contributions that do not exceed $25 each that are received at a fundraiser (such as those collected by passing the hat or having a tip jar) may be kept. Report the total amount of money received from these donations in Schedule 2 for that fundraiser.

All other anonymous contributions must be turned over to the clerk.

Subtract the contribution as paid or payable to the clerk to arrive at the Total for Part II Contributions in Schedule 2.

Auditor’s report

If your advertising campaign expenses or the contributions you received total more than $10,000 you must have an auditor review your financial statement and provide a report.

The auditor’s report must be prepared by an auditor licensed under the Public Accounting Act, 2004. Before you hire someone to prepare the report, you should ensure that they are properly qualified.

Where to find forms referred to in this guide

You can get copies of forms from your municipal clerk, or you can download them from the Government of Ontario’s Central Form Repository.