Third Party Advertisers

A third party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that has the purpose of promoting, supporting or opposing a candidate or a “yes” or “no” question on the ballot. This does not include advertisements by or under the direction of a candidate.

All Third Party Advertisers must register with the Clerk before they can begin advertising during an election in the Municipality of Trent Lakes. Please review the information below, our Third Party Advertisers' Information Package and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Guide for Third Party Advertisers.

Register as a third party advertiser

An individual, corporation or trade union may register as a third party by filing the Notice of Registration – Third Party – Form 7 with the Clerk in person during regular office hours, beginning May 2, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on the Friday before Voting Day - October 21, 2022. It is preferred that third party advertisers book an appointment to register by contacting the Corporate Services Department by email or phone at 705-738-3800 ext. 245.

The individual filing the Notice of Registration will be required to present proof of identity, as well as a declaration of qualification, signed by the individual or by a representative of the corporation or trade union.

What you will need for registering:

A completed Notice of Registration – Third Party – Form 7
To make a declaration of qualification (included on your completed Form 7), to be signed by the individual or by an authorized representative of the corporation or trade union, as the case may be
Proof of identity
Evidence that the Union or Corporation you represent has authorized the registration of a Third Party Advertiser

Notices of Registration are public documents and are available for inspection at the Clerk's Office.

Eligibility

Only the following persons and entities are eligible to file a notice of registration:

An individual who is normally a resident in Ontario
A corporation that carries on business in Ontario
A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

Who cannot register as a Third Party Advertiser?

Persons that are not eligible to file a notice of registration include:

A candidate whose nomination has been filed under Section 33
A Federal or Provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant
The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board

All third party advertisers must be registered at the time of the advertisement. All third party advertisements must contain the following information:

The name of the registered third party
The municipality where the registered third party is registered
A telephone number, mailing address or email address at which the registered third party may be contacted regarding the advertisement

Campaign period

The campaign period for a registered third party begins on the day their Notice of Registration is filed and ends on January 3, 2023. On this date, the registered third party's campaign is automatically closed. Registered third parties cannot accept any contributions or incur any expenses after the end of the campaign period.

If, at the end of the campaign period, a registered third party's campaign expenses are greater than their campaign incomes, their campaign will be in deficit. The registered third party may take action to extend their campaign in order to do some additional fundraising.

If a registered third party's campaign has a surplus, the registered third party must pay the surplus to the Clerk when filing their Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Third Party – Form 8.

Withdrawing a registration

A withdrawal of registration must be done in person at the Clerk's Office. They must bring in a completed EL19 Withdrawal of Nomination/Registration Form and bring the proper proof of identity.

If a registered third party advertiser files a nomination to run for office, their third party advertiser registration is deemed to be withdrawn and their advertising campaign automatically closes.

The last day for a registered third party advertiser to withdraw their registration is 4:30 p.m. on October 21, 2022. If a registered third party advertiser withdraws their registration, they must submit a Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Third Party – Form 8 showing all contributions and expenses from the day the third party was registered until the day of withdrawal. This financial statement is due by 2:00 p.m. on March 31, 2023.

Extending a third party advertising campaign

If a registered third party 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 registered third party 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 registered third party notifies the Clerk in writing they are no longer accepting any further contributions
The deficit is erased

Third party advertising and campaign finance

If you're a third party advertiser, you need to submit financial statements and report campaign finances.

Advertising period

The Municipal Elections Act sets out a restricted period for third party advertising. This restricted period runs from May 1, 2022 to the close of voting on October 24, 2022. During this time, the third party advertising rules apply and any third party advertisement that appears must be from a registered third party.

Third party advertiser campaign finances

An individual, corporation or trade union cannot raise or spend any money on third party advertisements that will appear during an election in the Municipality of Trent Lakes until they have registered as a third party and opened a bank account exclusively for the purposes of the election campaign.

Registered third parties are responsible for keeping records of the financial activities related to their campaign and are required to keep these records until November 15, 2026, when the next council or school board takes office.

Financial statements

Registered third parties are responsible for filing a complete and accurate Financial Statement – Auditor's Report Third Party – Form 8 by March 31, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The statement covers the period from the day the registered third party filed their Notice of Registration until January 3, 2023.

A registered third party 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.

Supplementary financial statements

The final date for registered third parties who extended their campaign to file their supplementary financial statement is September 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The statement covers the period from the day the registered third parties filed their Notice of Registration until June 30, 2023.

Contributions to third party advertising campaigns

Campaign contributions are any money, goods or services that are given to a registered third party for use in their campaign, including money and goods that a third party contributes to their own campaign. Registered third parties 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 registered third party in relation to third party advertisements that appear during an election in the Municipality of Trent Lakes. The maximum total amount that a contributor can give to third parties 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.

Registered third parties are required to inform each of their contributors of these contribution limits.

Mandatory information for broadcasters and publishers

Registered third parties must provide the following information to the broadcaster or publish in writing:

The name of the registered third party
The name, business address and telephone number of the individual who deals with the broadcaster or publisher under the direction of the registered third party
The municipality where the third party advertiser is registered

Broadcasters and publishers are prohibited from running a third party advertisement unless the above information is provided.

The broadcaster or publisher of a third party advertisement is required to retain the following information for a period of four years after the date the advertisement appears:

The mandatory information that is required for broadcasters and publishers
A copy of the advertisement or the means of reproducing it for inspection
A statement of the charge made for its appearance

The broadcaster or publisher must also permit the public to inspect these records during normal business hours.