Candidate Information

Qualifications

To run for any office, you must be:

• A Canadian citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident of the Municipality of Trent Lakes or own or lease property in the Municipality of Trent Lakes (or be the spouse of the owner or lessee)
• Eligible to vote

You must not be:

• A judge of any court
• A member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations or the Clerk will not certify the nomination
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statements in the last municipal election or by-election in any municipality
• An employee of the Municipality of Trent Lakes who has not taken an unpaid leave of absence before filing a nomination paper. Documentation must be provided that shows a leave of absence has been taken and the effective date.

Voter eligibility

You can vote if you are:

• A Canadian citizen; and
• At least 18 years old; and
• A resident in the Municipality of Trent Lakes or a non-resident of the Municipality of Trent Lakes, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the Municipality; and
• Are not prohibited from voting under any law.

Before nomination

Before you file your nomination paper, consider the following suggestions:

• Consider reading AMO's Lead Where You Live: A guide on running for municipal council
• Take online training with the Municipal Campaign School
• Consider reading Ontario's Municipal Conflict of Interest Act - a handbook from Municipal World 
• Read the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Candidates' Guide
• Read about Ontario's School Board Trustees and the School Board Election from the Ontario Education Services Corporation 
• Watch the Candidate Information Session with Fred Dean
• Talk to former and current members of Council
• Review the Municipal Elections Act
• Make yourself aware of the financial responsibilities and reporting requirements, campaign roles, potential penalties, and the public nature of all documentation submitted to the Clerk's Office for a campaign

Nomination requirements

A person may be nominated for an office by filing a nomination in the Clerk's Office, in person or by an agent. If filing by agent, the agent must present a commissioned LC47 Intention to Use an Agent for Filing Election Nominations Form.

The nomination for an office on Council must be endorsed by at least 25 eligible electors. An eligible elector may endorse more than one nomination. An eligible elector is a person that is eligible to vote in an election for an office within the Municipality of Trent Lakes, if a regular election was held on the day that the person endorses the nomination. Endorsements must be completed on the Endorsement of Nomination - Form 2. School Board Trustee candidates do not require endorsements.

The nomination must be completed in full and filed in person by the candidate or an agent of the candidate and must include:

• Identification for proof of identity
• A completed copy of the Nomination Paper - Form 1
• A completed Endorsement of Nomination – Form 2 including signatures from each of the 25 people endorsing the nomination for Mayor and Council candidates only
• The filing fee (payable by cash, debit, certified cheque, or money order)

The filing fee for Mayor candidates is $200.00 and $100.00 for Deputy Mayor, Councillor or School Board Trustee candidates. The filing fee must be paid when filing your nomination paper. The filing fee is not considered a campaign expense, but rather, a personal expense, and will be returned to you upon the successful filing of your campaign Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4

The Municipal Elections Act states that all forms and correspondence submitted by the candidate to the Clerk are deemed to be public documents and can be viewed, at the Clerk's Office, during regular business hours.

A nomination package is available for pick up at the Clerk's Office for all prospective candidates.

Certification of nomination papers

Prior to 4:00 p.m. on the Monday following Nomination Day (August 22, 2022), the Clerk shall examine each nomination filed, and if satisfied the person is qualified to be nominated and that the nomination complies with the Municipal Elections Act, the Clerk shall certify as such on the nomination filed.

If not satisfied, the Clerk shall reject the nomination and give notice to the person who sought to be nominated and all other candidates for that office.

The Clerk's decision to certify or reject a nomination is final. The Clerk will consider the following criteria to certify or reject individual nominations:

• Candidate has refused or declined to provide proof of identification
• Candidate does not satisfy the requirements set out in the Municipal Elections Act in Section 29 (1)
• The nomination form is incomplete
• The filing fee has not been paid
• The necessary financial disclosure was not filed for the previous election in which the individual may have been a candidate.

See the unofficial list of candidates for the 2022 Municipal Election. 

Filing your nomination 

In order to become a candidate, you must file a Nomination Paper – Form 1 with the Clerk. The earliest you can file is May 2, 2022. Nominations can be filed during regular office hours between May 2 and August 18, 2022. On Nomination Day (August 19, 2022) nominations may be filed between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. 

You can file your nomination paper at:

Trent Lakes Municipal Office

760 Peterborough County Road 36

Trent Lakes ON K0M 1A0

It is preferred that interested candidates book an appointment to file their nomination by contacting the Corporate Services Department by email or phone at 705-738-3800 ext. 245. 

Changing office

If, after filing a nomination for an office, a candidate decides to run for a different office on council or school board, the proper documentation must be filed with the Clerk during the nomination period. 

If the nomination fee is the same for the new office, no extra payment is required. If the nomination fee is different for the new office, the candidate either must pay the difference or they will receive a refund of the difference.

Depending on the office that the candidate decides to run for, the candidate may need to keep the campaigns separate, including filing of a Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4 for each campaign, as required under the Act. 

Withdrawing a nomination

A withdrawal of nomination must be done in person at the Clerk's Office. If a candidate decides they no longer wish to run in the municipal election, they must complete the EL19 Withdrawal of Nomination/Registration Form and bring the proper proof of identity. If a person who has been nominated for an office is nominated for another office, the first nomination shall be deemed to have been withdrawn at the time the second nomination is filed.

The last day for a candidate to withdraw their nomination is 2:00 p.m. on Nomination Day, August 19, 2022. If a candidate withdraws their nomination, they must submit a Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4 showing all contributions and expenses from the day the nomination paper was filed until the day of withdrawal from office. This financial statement is due by 2:00 p.m. on March 31, 2023.

Extending a campaign 

If a candidate has a deficit at the end of the campaign period, they can extend their campaign for an additional six months to attempt to erase the deficit. To extend a campaign, a candidate must: 

• File a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period - Form 6 on or before January 3, 2023
• Submit the form in person to the Clerk's office during regular office hours 

A campaign period will continue until the earliest of the following:  

• June 30, 2023
• The day the candidate notifies the Clerk in writing they are no longer accepting any contributions
• The deficit is erased 

Fundraising and spending start date

Campaign contributions

Campaign contributions are any money, goods or services that are given to a candidate for use in their campaign, including money and goods that a candidate contributes to their own campaign. Candidates must issue a receipt for every contribution they receive. The receipt should show who made the contribution, the date, and the value of the contribution.

Contributors may contribute a total of $1,200.00 to a candidate in relation to their campaign. The maximum total amount that a contributor can give to candidates registered in the Municipality of Trent Lakes is $5,000.00.

Contributions greater than $25.00 may not be made in cash. All contributions above $25.00 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds come from. The name and address of every contributor who gives more than $100.00 must be listed in your financial statement. 

Candidates are required to inform each of their contributors of these contribution limits.

Financial statements and reporting requirements 

All candidates must file a financial statement. For details, please review the Municipal Elections Act or the Candidates' Guide from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. It is good practice for candidates to review the Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4 prior to incurring any contributions or expenses, and arrange their accounts, spreadsheets, and ledgers according to the various categories that are required to be reported on the form.

Candidates' financial statements must be filed on or before March 31, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The financial statement covers the period from the day the candidate filed their nomination until January 3, 2023. 

A candidate must notify the Clerk, in writing, of any Court extension by 2:00 p.m. on March 31, 2023. Penalties will commence at 2:01 p.m. on March 31, 2023. 

Candidates have a 30-day grace period if they miss the deadline to file their Financial Statement - Auditor's Report Candidate - Form 4. The candidate may file until May 1, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. if their filing is accompanied by a $500.00 late filing fee to the municipality. 

Penalties 

If a candidate fails to file a required Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4 or auditor's report (or any other document required under Section 78 or 79.1 of the Municipal Elections Act), fails to pay over a surplus to the Clerk or exceeds the spending limit for the office, the candidate forfeits any office to which they were elected and the office is deemed to be vacant. The penalties will take effect on the deadline for the filing of the documents. If the candidate applies to the Ontario Court of Justice for an extension of the time to file the financial statement and fails to file the documents on the date established by the Court, the penalties will take effect at the end of the period of extension.

Public record

The entire Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Candidate – Form 4 is considered a public document. These documents may be inspected by any person upon request at the Clerk's Office during normal office hours. Any person may make extracts from the documents and is entitled to copies of the documents upon payment for their preparation. Clerks are required to make the documents available electronically, at no cost to the requester.

All financial reports will be posted on the Municipal website. This includes a listing of the names and address of all contributors. You may wish to consider advising contributors that their personal information will be public and displayed on the Municipal website after the election. The information remains on the website until after the next municipal election.

Supplementary financial statements