1 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,280 Okay. 2 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:24,480 Right? Uh we'll get started. So, good evening and thank you for coming 3 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,240 tonight. Um so, this is a joint information session and it's a 4 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:32,000 partnership between the County of Middlesex and all the lower tiers within 5 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:37,760 the County of Middlesex. And happy to see everyone here to learn more about um 6 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:41,840 being a candidate running for election. So, um we'll pass this over to Paul. 7 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:48,840 Yeah, thank you very much. Um my name's Paul Shipway and I'm the County CAO for 8 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:53,080 Middlesex County and uh you want to introduce yourself as well? 9 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:57,760 Hi, I'm Tiffany Farrell. I'm the CAO for the Municipality of Middlesex Centre. 10 00:00:55,200 --> 00:01:00,800 And we're very appreciative uh for Middlesex Centre hosting us all here 11 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:04,640 tonight and thank you for everyone joining us in person and all those for 12 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:08,760 joining us online. Uh and this will be posted later and it just is another 13 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:12,640 example of how in Middlesex County we all work together to try to deliver 14 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:17,600 shared outcomes. So, we'll do a brief overview uh of the game plan tonight and 15 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,480 is that your slide or mine? Um yours. Okay. 16 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:24,040 Uh so, we'll go through county and local 17 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:27,400 staff presentations uh speaking a little bit about what's done locally and what's 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:31,040 done at the county and then we're going to turn it over to the Ministry of 19 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:36,280 Municipal Affairs and Housing for uh a larger in-depth uh presentation about 20 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:42,480 the election process and then we'll also also have county and local clerk booths 21 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:45,960 uh over in the uh in the community center. Community center, thank you very 22 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:51,520 much uh where you can ask individualized questions from your specific 23 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,520 municipality or the county. 24 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:59,320 Thanks. So, starting off Middlesex County. So, uh we currently operate out 25 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:03,640 of 399 Rideout in the city of London, also known as the old courthouse. Uh, 26 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:08,880 and some of the things that county council and county government oversees 27 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:13,000 is, uh, regional economic development and tourism. So, uh, on the regional 28 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:17,040 scale, emergency management coordination. So, again, we support 29 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:21,280 local municipalities with that. Uh, probably actually our largest service 30 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:26,520 area, Middlesex-London Paramedic Services, so land ambulance services. 31 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:30,400 Uh, county planning and development, uh, county roads, bridges, traffic signals, 32 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:35,240 and and controls. So, that would be your arterial roads within the county. Uh, 33 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:40,440 human services, which covers, uh, child care and early on, uh, Ontario Works and 34 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:44,840 housing in partnership with the city of London. Uh, long-term care services, so 35 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:48,440 we have Strathmere Lodge, uh, out in Strathroy. Forestry and natural 36 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,840 heritage, this one's near and dear to my heart, but the county has, uh, over 37 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:56,720 1,000 hectares of county forest, uh, that contribute to to the overall 38 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,760 well-being within the county. And then, county libraries, which we operate in 39 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:04,080 conjunction with the local municipalities, embedding those basic 40 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:09,480 and, uh, comprehensive branches out in the community where our residents get 41 00:03:06,519 --> 00:03:09,480 services from. 42 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,480 So, when I talk about the responsibilities of our local 43 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:21,280 municipalities, I'm referring to the services and operations that impact your 44 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:25,480 daily lives. We look after local roads, water, and wastewater services, and 45 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:29,239 recreational facilities. We also handle waste collection and disposal, enforce 46 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:33,480 property standards and bylaws, and provide fire protection, maintain parks, 47 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,720 and run a wide range of community programs. 48 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:40,480 On top of that, we guide community growth and development through land use 49 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:45,320 planning and zoning, issue building permits, and support local 50 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:49,720 economic development. We keep our public spaces clean and safe, operate community 51 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:54,560 centers, and deliver cultural and recreational programming to help build 52 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:58,240 vibrant, engaged communities. A key part of all of this is our commitment to 53 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:02,240 customer service as we are the closest level of government to the residents and 54 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:06,880 we are responsive to the community needs as much as we can. We strive to be 55 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:11,680 approachable and responsive making sure that when residents need information, 56 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:15,800 support, or access to services, they're met with professionalism and care. 57 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:19,840 Our goal is to ensure that essential services are not only accessible and 58 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:24,720 reliable, but also delivered with a focus on meeting the unique needs of 59 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:28,720 every individual in our community. Now, building off of what Paul had just 60 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:32,960 mentioned with what the county does, there are several areas where county and 61 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:38,440 local municipalities responsibilities intersect or require close coordination. 62 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:43,400 For example, issues like transportation and emergency emergency management often 63 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:47,280 involve both levels working together to ensure effective service delivery and 64 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:51,120 resource management. This collaboration is essential for addressing complex 65 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:55,400 challenges and providing seamless services to the community. So, it is 66 00:04:53,440 --> 00:05:00,520 important that the municipality at the local level and the county work together 67 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,520 hand-in-hand. 68 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:07,320 Next up, a bit of an overview of the provincial government. So, we are 69 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:11,440 creatures of the province and operate under their legislative regimes, but 70 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:16,160 also to provide an example of the things the province does that we do not do. And 71 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:21,120 that's generally hospitals, health care, and health cards, natural resources, so 72 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:25,760 Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Education, so oversight of both the 73 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:28,760 public and separate school systems, liquor sale and regulations, although 74 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:33,160 there's some bleed with local municipalities there as well. Provincial 75 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:38,080 highways like the 401 and the 402, driver's licenses, community and social 76 00:05:35,919 --> 00:05:42,040 services, so Middlesex County or the City of London deliver some services on 77 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:47,240 behalf of the province, but the province set sets the rules and funding envelopes 78 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:52,040 for those programs, uh property and civil rights, uh administration of 79 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:56,880 justice, so the courts. Those are some high-level things that are coordinated 80 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,880 at the provincial level. 81 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:04,000 So, it is important to clarify common misconceptions about the roles of each 82 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:08,160 level of government. Sometimes residents may be unsure about whether a service or 83 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:11,880 responsibility falls under the county or their local municipality or the 84 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:15,040 provincial or federal level. By understanding the division of duties, 85 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,880 residents can better navigate their local government and access the 86 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:22,120 appropriate services. So, when we're talking about the federal government, 87 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:27,200 they manage things like national defense, immigration, citizenship, 88 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:31,600 Indigenous Affairs, international trade, criminal law, postal services, and the 89 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:35,560 regulation of interprovincial and international transportation and 90 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:39,800 communications. It also provides equalization payments and other 91 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:43,560 transfers to provinces and territories, which can in turn affect the funding 92 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:47,440 available for our local services here at the municipality. 93 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:51,520 The level of government, um and all these levels of government often 94 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:54,760 intersect with municipalities. And for example, provincial policies shape 95 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:58,560 municipal land use planning and environmental regulations, while federal 96 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:02,200 infrastructure grants support local infrastructure, such as our roads and 97 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:05,560 water. Emergency response, public health 98 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:09,760 initiatives, and economic development programs frequently require all three 99 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:13,960 levels of government to cooperate, ensuring that services reach residents 100 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:17,640 efficiently and effectively. And by working together, the federal, 101 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:22,280 provincial, and municipal governments help build strong communities across 102 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,280 Canada. 103 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:29,280 So, now when we're looking at our local council. 104 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:33,120 So, the local council is the elected governing body of a municipality. 105 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:38,919 Councils are responsible for making decisions on local policies, bylaws, 106 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:43,160 budgets, and services that directly impact residents. This includes areas 107 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:48,720 such as land use planning, waste management, recreational facilities, and 108 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:52,640 local roads. Councilors, led by a mayor, represent the interests of their 109 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:57,000 citizens and work to ensure that municipal operations align with the 110 00:07:54,640 --> 00:08:01,040 community priorities. Local councils also act as a bridge 111 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:05,480 between residents and higher levels of government. They implement provincial 112 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:09,400 directives and at times collaborate with federal programs while advocating for 113 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:13,200 the needs of their communities. Through public meetings and consultations, 114 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:17,480 councils encourage citizen participation, helping to shape 115 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:22,240 decisions that foster vibrant and sustainable communities across Canada. 116 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:29,040 When looking at our local committees and boards, 117 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:33,760 a local board or committee is a group established by a municipality to oversee 118 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:38,440 specific areas of community interest. Here at Middlesex Centre, some of these 119 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:43,640 include the Community Services Advisory Committee, Economic Development Advisory 120 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:47,280 Committee, and there's uh committees and boards with respect to planning matters. 121 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:50,720 Members of these groups are typically appointed by council, often through a 122 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,960 formal application and selection process, to ensure diverse 123 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:57,880 representation and expertise. Their work helps to ensure that 124 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:02,400 municipal decisions reflect the perspectives and needs of the community. 125 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:06,560 Through their work, committees and boards assist in the development and 126 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:11,480 review of municipal policies, oversee specific community projects, and help to 127 00:09:08,839 --> 00:09:14,400 engage residents in local governance. Their recommendations are brought 128 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:19,040 forward to council for approval, contributing to transparent and informed 129 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:23,440 municipal operations. By involving citizens directly, these groups foster 130 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:27,000 greater community participation and help ensure that local services and 131 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:30,760 initiatives reflect the needs and priorities of its residents. 132 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:38,640 Now looking at local councilors and the time commitment, local councilors 133 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:43,880 typically devote considerable time to their roles, often attending two council 134 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:47,880 meetings each month. For example, here at Middlesex Centre, we normally have 135 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:52,360 two meetings a month. One meeting is held in the evening and one during the 136 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:56,720 day, though this schedule can differ across municipalities within the county. 137 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:00,400 Councilors are required to also participate in committee and board 138 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:05,000 meetings with sessions scheduled both during daytime and evening hours. 139 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:09,240 Here at Middlesex Centre, by offering meetings at varied times throughout the 140 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:13,560 day, munici- like our municipality does aim to engage all community members, 141 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:18,000 incl- including those who may not work the traditional 9-5, ensuring that local 142 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:23,440 governance remains accessible and representative of the entire population. 143 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:27,400 Additionally, there's other time commitments for our councilors. While 144 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:31,240 not always required, councilors can anticipate calls on their time to attend 145 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:36,080 community events, participate at conferences such as AMO and ROMA, and 146 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:41,720 respond to residents when they have concerns. 147 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,720 Pass back over to Paul. 148 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:48,880 Yeah, wonderful job on the local and county council then is composed of 10 10 149 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:52,520 members, including the mayor from each municipality and sometimes the deputy 150 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:56,600 mayor. So, if you're in Strathroy Caradoc, Middlesex Centre, or Thames 151 00:10:54,400 --> 00:11:00,760 Centre, the deputy mayor also sits on county council. 152 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:05,520 Each year right now, the warden amongst those 10 members is elected and serves 153 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:10,080 for a year and really leads the county council. And county council generally 154 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:14,160 meets twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. 155 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:21,680 Then when we look at county committees and boards, much like local 156 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:25,040 municipalities, the county council also has a number of advisory boards and 157 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:29,520 committees and then also has Middlesex London Paramedic Services, which 158 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:33,120 oversees the operations of MLPS, Middlesex County Library Board, 159 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:38,720 Middlesex-London Health Unit, and a number of external agencies. Generally, 160 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:44,320 a member of Middlesex County Council will sit on two additional committees or 161 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:48,600 boards. There's approximately 18 meetings each year on top of special 162 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:52,600 ones and events. And being a county councilor is a 163 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:56,960 significant commitment on top of your local commitments. So for those mayors 164 00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:02,720 and deputy mayors that sit on County Council, it's it's a an additional time 165 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,720 commitment there. 166 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:14,080 So roles and responsibility of counselors. So this is guided by section 167 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:17,960 224 of the Municipal Act. It is a very lengthy 168 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:21,400 section that you would pay a lot of attention to as a municipal councilor, 169 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:25,560 but I'm only going to highlight a few things that 170 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:29,520 are included there. So one is the councilors act as the voice of the 171 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:33,080 community advocating for the needs and interests of residents within their 172 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:37,640 municipality. They work to ensure that local policies and decisions reflect 173 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:41,600 those community priorities. They also develop and evaluate the 174 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:45,320 programs, policies, and services the municipality provides. They're 175 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:49,360 responsible for shaping, reviewing, and assessing municipal programs, policies, 176 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:52,040 and services to ensure that they meet the needs of the community. And this 177 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,480 includes participating in decision-making processes and evaluating 178 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:58,839 the effectiveness of municipal initiatives. 179 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:03,560 They maintain the financial integrity of the municipality. Councilors oversee the 180 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:07,480 municipality's finance finances by approving budgets, monitoring 181 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:12,200 expenditures, and ensuring that public resources are used responsibly. 182 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:16,200 Their stewardship helps maintain fiscal accountability and sustainability within 183 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:19,600 your communities. Now councilors are responsible for 184 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:23,960 addressing inquiries, concerns, and feedback from residents in a timely and 185 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:27,760 respectful manner. They listen actively to community members, work 186 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:31,720 collaboratively to resolve issues, and strive to foster positive relationships 187 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:36,080 between the municipality and its citizens. 188 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:39,200 And I think the legislative services teams from across the county have done a 189 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:42,760 wonderful job putting together this presentation and specifically citing the 190 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:48,320 sections of the Municipal Act. And it drives home that both as counselors, as 191 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:53,320 heads of council, and as staff, uh we're under the the direction and function of 192 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:57,320 provincial legislation. So, much like the role of a counselor is defined 193 00:13:55,160 --> 00:14:02,120 within the Municipal Act, uh so is the role and responsibility of the head of 194 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:05,360 council. So, section 225 speaks to council, uh the head of council that 195 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:09,440 provides leadership to the council and presides over meetings. So, there's a a 196 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:12,960 lot of fun stuff in procedural bylaws and parliamentary procedures for all our 197 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:17,640 clerks in the group. Uh and then generally works to enhance the economic, 198 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:21,160 social, and environmental uh well-being uh of the municipality and its 199 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:25,920 residents. And then on top of that, represents uh the municipality at 200 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:31,480 official functions, and generally speaks as a spokesperson uh for the 201 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,480 municipality or the county. 202 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:39,800 Now, something that's new, um relatively new for many of us, is the strong 203 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:46,080 mayors. So, in certain municipalities, heads of council is granted strong mayor 204 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:50,320 powers. Now, effective May 1st, 2025, Ontario extended the strong mayor powers 205 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:55,280 to heads of council of single and lower-tier municipalities with councils 206 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:59,520 of six members or more, which for the for the County of Middlesex includes the 207 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:04,640 Municipality of Middlesex Centre, Strathroy-Caradoc, Southwest Middlesex, 208 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:09,560 and North Middlesex. Now, these strong mayor powers are intended to be used to 209 00:15:06,839 --> 00:15:14,680 accelerate housing, infrastructure, and transit projects. The powers allow the 210 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:18,760 mayor to propose budgets, hire and fire department heads, veto bylaws not 211 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:22,760 aligned with provincial priorities, and create committees of council. 212 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:32,880 And then us standing in the room, county and local municipal staff. So, staff's 213 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:37,560 role is generally to implement the decisions of council and administer 214 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:41,600 municipal programs and services. So, generally we would work to provide 215 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:45,480 advice and recommendations to county to council, county council or local 216 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:50,000 council, and then execute on those decisions of council 217 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:54,880 locally or and at the county level the CAO ensures the efficient and effective 218 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:59,640 operations of the municipality and generally has oversight of all the 219 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:04,720 staff. The The element that the CAO is generally the one employee of the 220 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:09,560 council. And then within that there are certain positions such as the clerk, 221 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:14,120 treasurer, chief building official that has statutory responsibilities under 222 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:19,800 various pieces of legislation that they are beholden to and they and they cannot 223 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,800 deviate from those. 224 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:29,000 Still me? Wonderful. Council and staff work closely to ensure the success of 225 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:33,040 the municipality and that's really where we can deliver the best outcomes for 226 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:37,760 everyone is when we do work well together. And council provides that 227 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:42,440 democratic representation, policy direction, political leadership, and 228 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:45,800 makes decisions. The role of staff is really to be that professional 229 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:50,320 administration that can bring forward objective recommendations and then allow 230 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:54,800 council to apply the various lens they would like and provide to carry things 231 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:59,720 out. Staff then manage those municipal programs and resources and provide 232 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:04,040 advice to council to further refine and implement those decisions on a go 233 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,040 forward. 234 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:13,680 So, finally school board trustees. So, the role of the school board trustee, 235 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:18,199 they're locally elected representatives who serve on school boards. In Middlesex 236 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:23,000 County there are four school boards, public and separate in both English and 237 00:17:20,439 --> 00:17:27,480 French. School board trust School board trustees for our region will be run 238 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:31,120 for the election will be run by the municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc, the 239 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:36,360 city of Woodstock, and the city of London. Check your local municipality's 240 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:39,720 website for where to submit these forms. Trustees are responsible for helping to 241 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,960 establish policy direction for the school board, ensuring that decisions 242 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:46,600 reflect the needs and interests of students, families, and the broader 243 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:49,720 community. They actively participate in 244 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:53,520 decision-making, working collaboratively with other trustees to benefit the 245 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:57,920 entire school board. Through their involvement, trustees contribute to by 246 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:03,000 to shaping the educational experience and outcomes for students within their 247 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:07,800 jurisdictions. So, at this point, we will open it up 248 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,800 for any questions. 249 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,960 Don't everyone jump at once. 250 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:22,360 Back up for a visual instead of going to school board. So, is it something to be 251 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:25,840 on every ballot like East Williams have separate voting? Have a school board? 252 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:30,120 You said it's through Strathroy. 253 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:33,520 Yep. Uh so, I might ask our municipal clerk to answer that one. Um so, I 254 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:38,040 haven't been through the election process myself. 255 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,040 The school boards? 256 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:57,840 It's called that. 257 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:08,960 So, the reference to who is going to conduct the election means who's 258 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:16,160 responsible for that, and it's based on a calculation that the is um 259 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:21,800 undertaken around this time of year and whichever municipality within that 260 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:26,440 broader region of the school board has the greatest population of students 261 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:29,120 within that boards 262 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:33,040 schools they're the ones that are responsible 263 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:37,920 for the election but that means that they're the ones that tell every local 264 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:43,400 clerk what are the names of the nominees for each of the elections so 265 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:48,400 if you happen to live in town center for instance and you're 266 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:52,040 interested in running for the French Catholic school board it's not town 267 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:56,880 center where you would supply your nomination papers to it's the 268 00:19:54,040 --> 00:20:02,200 municipality it's the city of London I believe in that case but so that is just 269 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:07,680 who's running the election and then all of that information is gathered and 270 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,680 announced by them. 271 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:28,120 Any other questions? 272 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:35,880 I think seeing none we just like to say thank you it's always exciting to see 273 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:39,280 civically engaged folks coming out and we appreciate all the opportunity to 274 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:42,080 provide this information we're going to turn it over to the Ministry of 275 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:47,080 Municipal Affairs and Housing right now Jordy Morrison and Spencer Fitzpatrick 276 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:51,080 are here to speak about elections from the ministry perspective. 277 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:23,840 ยป All right, so good evening everyone. As mentioned, I'm Jodi Morrison and this is 278 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:27,160 Spencer Fitzpatrick. We would like to thank the County of Middlesex and all 279 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:30,520 the lower tier municipalities for inviting us and for hosting this 280 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:33,640 candidate and third-party advertiser information session. 281 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:38,520 So just a disclaimer. These slides are meant to be a summary 282 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:42,440 of some of the sections and should not be relied on for legal or official 283 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:46,040 purposes. I do want to stress that we are not lawyers and that you should 284 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:49,800 always consult the legislation and seek legal advice when necessary. 285 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:53,160 We will not be able to cover every aspect of the municipal election, but 286 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,960 hope that this provides you with a better understanding of the process and 287 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,720 legislation and improves your comfort level. 288 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,360 Congratulations for taking an interest in your community and local government. 289 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:07,240 Whether you're interested in serving on a municipal council or on a school board 290 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,960 or registering as a third-party advertiser. 291 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:15,040 Okay, so just an overview of what we're going to go through. 292 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:21,240 We're going to do the eligibility rules, nomination process, campaign finances, 293 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:26,000 compliance audit, voters list, scrutineers, recounts, and resources. 294 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:33,520 So eligibility. Okay, so to be an eligible elector, 295 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:37,960 which means that you must be able to vote so that the list above 296 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,720 sorry, so the list above is the list that shows 297 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:47,600 Yeah, so are we looking at the wrong 298 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:47,600 presentation? We 299 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:56,960 There we go. So we're going through all the 300 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:02,160 I think we have the wrong one up. Either way responsibilities. No, we were 301 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,160 told to take it out. 302 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:05,960 Sorry. 303 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,680 Mhm. 304 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:17,760 Fair enough. 305 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:59,040 There we are. Perfect. Thank you. All right. We'll try 306 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:03,080 that again. Okay. Uh so, eligibility and ineligibility. So, you must be an 307 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:07,640 eligible elector, which means you must be able to vote. So, the list above is a 308 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:10,920 list that shows voter eligibility as well as eligibility to run and hold 309 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:15,600 office. You can only be nominated if, as of the 310 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:20,040 day you are nominated, uh you are qualified to hold that office under the 311 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:25,160 act and are not ineligible under the Municipal Elections Act or any other act 312 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:29,400 or otherwise prohibited by law to be nominated or to hold office. 313 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:33,440 Section 30 of the Municipal Elections Act states that a person shall not be 314 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:37,560 considered an employee for this section by reason only of being a volunteer 315 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:41,960 firefighter as defined in the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. 316 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:46,200 If a municipal employee wishes to run for office on the minute on that 317 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:49,360 municipality's council, they must take a leave of absence before filing their 318 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:53,920 nomination form. Section 30 sub four of the Municipal 319 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:58,280 Elections Act. If elected, he or she shall be deemed to who resigned from the 320 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:02,400 employment immediately before making the declaration of office. 321 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:06,120 An employee of a municipality who wants to run for an office in a different 322 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:10,520 municipality does not have to take a leave of absence or resign, but they 323 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:14,280 should check with their employer to see if there are any policies that could 324 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:18,040 affect them. School board trustee eligibility and 325 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:21,080 ineligibility. This slide shows the eligibility 326 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:25,360 requirements for a school board trustee as well as ineligibility. Questions 327 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:28,080 about school board uh eligibility should be directed to the school board 328 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:32,600 secretary. Just some things to note, if you are an 329 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:37,320 employee of any school board and you wish to run for a trustee position on 330 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:41,960 any board in the province, you must take an unpaid leave of absence before you 331 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:45,480 file your nomination form. If elected, you must resign from your job. You 332 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:50,240 cannot work for a school board and be a trustee in Ontario at the same time. The 333 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:54,800 following people are disqualified from being elected as a school board trustee. 334 00:25:52,520 --> 00:26:00,960 A clerk, deputy clerk, treasurer, or deputy treasurer of a municipality 335 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,960 within the jurisdiction of the board. 336 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:08,280 Nomination process. So, the first day to file nominations is this Friday, May 337 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:12,560 1st, 2026. Nomination day, the last day and time for filing nominations for the 338 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:17,480 2026 election, is on Friday, August 21st, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. 339 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:21,960 Withdrawal of a nomination must be filed with the clerk's office in writing 340 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:25,240 before 2:00 p.m. on nomination day. If a candidate withdraws a nomination, 341 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:29,640 they're still required to file a campaign financial statement covering 342 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:34,760 all of the financial transactions made in the campaign. If you have not spent 343 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:39,000 any money, nor raised any funds, they can click on the box indicating so, sign 344 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:42,520 the form, and it is complete. If a nomination is withdrawn, the 345 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:46,720 candidate is entitled to a refund of their nomination filing fee only after 346 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:51,000 they file their financial statement by the required deadline. 347 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:54,960 The clerk must certify nominations by 4:00 p.m. on the Monday following 348 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:57,920 nomination day, which is August 24th, 2026. 349 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:03,280 Continuing with nomination process. So, candidates must complete form one, 350 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:08,080 nomination paper, and submit it to the clerk along with the applicable 351 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:13,360 nomination filing fee. The filing fee is $200 for anyone running for the head of 352 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:16,480 head of council and $100 for all other other offices. 353 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:20,200 The clerk must be satisfied that you were eligible to run in order to certify 354 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:23,520 your nomination. The clerk can ask you to show 355 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:27,720 identification or fill out an additional form to prove that you are eligible to 356 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:31,160 run for that particular office. The nomination form must have an 357 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:34,520 original signature. If your nomination is not certified by 358 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:38,000 the clerk, your name will not appear on the ballot. 359 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:42,160 If you're in a ward system, as long as you are eligible to vote in the 360 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:45,680 municipality, you may run in any ward. If you do run in a ward where you do not 361 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:49,640 live, you will not be able to vote for yourself as you must vote in the ward in 362 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:53,520 which you reside. In addition to the legislative 363 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:57,400 requirements, each municipal clerk may establish their own local processes and 364 00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,920 procedures related to submitting a nomination. So, it is important to 365 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:05,880 contact the clerk so you understand the process in that municipality. 366 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:09,400 Use of electronic filing for candidates and or third-party advertisers is in the 367 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:12,560 clerk's discretion. The clerk also has authority to 368 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:16,280 determine what methods could be used to file electronically. 369 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:20,000 Even if a clerk permits electronic filing, all campaign documents require 370 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:24,080 original signatures, including the signatures endorsing a candidate's 371 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:27,960 nominations, where applicable. If electronic filing is permitted, it is 372 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:32,400 the responsibility of the candidate or third-party advertiser to to maintain 373 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:35,840 these original records until after the next regular election. 374 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,040 Running for different office. Occasionally, a candidate changes their 375 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:44,320 mind and decides to run for a different office. You can only run for one office 376 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:47,360 at a time. If a candidate files a second 377 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:50,360 nomination, the first nomination is deemed to be withdrawn. 378 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:54,160 If a candidate decides to run for another office and they have already 379 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:57,480 collected the 25 endorsement signatures, they can use these endorsements for the 380 00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:01,760 other office. If a candidate decides to run for an 381 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:05,880 different office on the same council or school board and both positions are 382 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:09,960 elected at large, everything from the first campaign is transferred to the 383 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:13,680 second campaign and only one financial statement needs to be filed. 384 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:18,520 Unless the candidate decides to run for a different office on the same council 385 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:22,960 or school board and one or both offices are elected by ward, the two campaigns 386 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:28,000 must be kept separate and two financial statements must be filed. 387 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:31,520 Third-party advertiser. A third-party advertiser is an 388 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:36,680 individual, corporation, or trade union that is a register that is registered in 389 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:41,040 the municipality to promote, support, or oppose a candidate or a yes or no answer 390 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:45,360 to a question on the ballot. A third-party advertisement means an 391 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:49,360 advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic, or other medium that has a 392 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:55,920 purpose of promoting, supporting, or opposing a candidate or a yes or no 393 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,920 answer to a question on the ballot. 394 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:04,040 So, the 25 signatures. Municipal council candidates are required to obtain 25 395 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:08,560 nomination signatures on form two. Ontario Regulation 101/97 provides an 396 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:12,800 exemption to this requirement for candidates in municipalities with less 397 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:16,440 than 4,000 electors. Nominators can nominate more than one 398 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:20,120 candidate and are not required to vote for that candidate. Nominators must meet 399 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:24,120 the eligibility requirements of a municipal elector at the time they sign 400 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:27,640 the nomination form. In a ward system, the nominator can be 401 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:31,360 anyone who is eligible to vote in the municipality, not just the ward. 402 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:35,000 Both the clerk and the candidate are entitled to rely upon the information 403 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:37,960 provided by the nominator. If the nominator did not meet the 404 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:41,440 eligibility requirements when they sign the document, then they could be held 405 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:45,360 accountable under the penalty section of the Municipal Elections Act. 406 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:50,440 And with that, I will turn it over to Spencer for campaign finances. Okay, 407 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:53,760 thank you, Jody. So, campaign finances, everybody's favorite part about running 408 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:56,760 a campaign. This is going to be, I think, probably 409 00:30:55,200 --> 00:31:00,360 the densest part of the presentation. There are quite a few rules you want to 410 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:02,720 be aware of. We hope this section is going to give you a nice overview of 411 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,680 those rules. Now, that isn't to discourage anybody 412 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:08,760 from running. I would say I don't think the rules are too onerous, but you are 413 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:11,400 going to notice a common theme kind of throughout this section of the 414 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:15,520 presentation. It's around record keeping. Keeping good, accurate records 415 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:19,080 is really going to help you comply with these finance rules. And 416 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:22,600 especially when it comes to filing your financial statement, which again we'll 417 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:27,280 talk about throughout the sections, just going to make it a lot easier. 418 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:31,280 And then just so you do know, a copy of this presentation is going to 419 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:34,840 be available for everybody's information. If you want to refer to it 420 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:38,040 later. And then as well, I'll do a quick plug now and you'll hear me reference it 421 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,800 throughout this section of the presentation. 422 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:45,440 There is the candidate's guide as well, which is available on our website. The 423 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:49,400 candidate's guide is a super helpful, valuable resource if you're going to be 424 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:53,160 running. I would highly recommend that you do take a look at it. Go through it, 425 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:57,800 you know, front to back. It's not that long, but ton of great information. Lots 426 00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:02,080 of examples, too, for some specific situations you might run into. And then 427 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:05,600 as well, the bonus at the end is all these forms that we're referring to 428 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:08,840 throughout the presentation are linked at the end of that guide. So, you can 429 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:13,080 take a look at them, get familiar with them as well. 430 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:16,120 But without further ado, campaign finances. 431 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:19,600 So, the first thing we'll talk about is contributions. Now, just a first thing 432 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:23,280 to know is that if you are going to raise or spend any money during the 433 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:28,320 campaign, you do have to open up a campaign bank account. But that campaign 434 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:31,880 bank account is only required if you do spend or raise money. 435 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:35,560 So, if you do run a campaign where you don't spend or raise any money, you 436 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:39,920 don't need to get a campaign bank account. However, you still do need to 437 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:43,520 file a financial statement. Now, just generally, you're going to 438 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:47,720 hear references to third-party advertisers both in the earlier part of 439 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:51,760 the presentation and in this section of the presentation. Generally, the rules 440 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:56,200 are going to be the same for third-party advertisers as they are for candidates. 441 00:32:54,720 --> 00:33:01,200 There's a few differences mostly around spending limits, which we can touch on 442 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:04,800 in the presentation. Now, another thing you want to be aware 443 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:10,400 of is that municipalities must establish rules and procedures regarding the use 444 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:14,240 of municipal or local board resources during the campaign period. Now, this 445 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:17,200 does have to be passed by May 1st in the year of the election. So, of course, 446 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:20,920 that also is coming up if it hasn't already been passed. And this does 447 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:24,520 encourage accountability and transparency and it could be different 448 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:29,120 in each municipality. So, you really want to be aware of your municipality's 449 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:33,520 policy in this regard. Now, just a quick note as well, 450 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:38,040 generally or you will see municipalities providing candidate contact information 451 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:41,640 on their websites. This is not considered a contribution. So, you don't 452 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:47,280 have to worry about recording that on your campaign finance statement. 453 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:50,480 So, continuing on with contributions. You see here on this slide, this talks 454 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:55,400 about who you can accept contributions from both as a candidate and as a 455 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:58,240 third-party advertiser. Just really quick, is there anybody here interested 456 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:02,200 in registering as a third-party advertiser? 457 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:04,720 All candidates? Okay. So, for candidates, the thing you really 458 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:08,600 want to be aware of is that you really can only accept contributions from 459 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:11,720 either yourself, you know, you can self-donate to your campaign or your 460 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:14,800 spouse or individuals. You can't receive 461 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:19,080 contributions from, you know, corporations or trade unions. They can 462 00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:22,560 participate as third-party advertisers or donate to those third-party 463 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:26,760 advertiser campaigns. But when it comes to candidates, you're just going to be 464 00:34:24,879 --> 00:34:29,800 accepting contributions from individuals. 465 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:33,280 Now, if you are a third-party advertiser and you were accepting contributions 466 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:36,480 from a corporation. Uh some rules clarifying 467 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:39,800 uh you know what would be deemed to be a single corporation. Clarified on that 468 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,679 slide, do take a look if you are interested in that. Uh however, since we 469 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:46,560 don't seem to have any third-party advertisers in the room, uh we'll just 470 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:49,760 go right on to the next slide, uh which again is going to keep talking about 471 00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:52,879 contributions. Uh so generally, you might have 472 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:57,080 volunteers uh helping you with your campaign. Uh those services provided by 473 00:34:55,200 --> 00:35:01,040 volunteers aren't considered uh contributions. 474 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:05,040 But, uh if for professionals, so you know your accountants, lawyers, 475 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:09,120 uh if they do volunteer to provide services for which they would normally 476 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:13,040 be paid, the market value of those services must be recorded as a 477 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:18,720 contribution uh by the volunteer and then then considered a campaign expense. 478 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:22,960 Uh as we noted on the previous slide, uh trade unions and corporations not 479 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:26,560 eligible to contribute to, you know, an individual candidate's campaign. Uh 480 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:30,600 although they can participate in the election as either a third-party 481 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:34,520 advertiser uh or make contribution to those third-party campaigns. 482 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:38,920 So, contributions though, you know, we've had a few slides now talking about 483 00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:42,240 them, but you know, really what are they? So, campaign contributions are 484 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:47,720 going to be any monies, goods, or services uh given to you as a candidate 485 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:51,520 or to your election campaign uh or given and accepted by another person who is 486 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:55,320 acting under your direction. Now, when it comes to cash 487 00:35:53,000 --> 00:36:00,320 contributions, cash contributions can only be accepted up to $25. 488 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:07,400 Uh so again, cash contributions only up to $25. Anything more than $25 must be 489 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:12,560 made by check, money order, uh or by any other method that's going to clearly 490 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:16,160 show where those funds came from. Now, when it comes to fundraising 491 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:21,240 functions, those are going to be events uh or activities, you know, held by you 492 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:26,240 as the candidate or on your behalf uh for the primary purpose of raising money 493 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:31,920 uh for your campaign. Now, the price of admission to a fundraising function is a 494 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:36,160 campaign contribution and a receipt must be issued for the full amount. Now, 495 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:39,840 that's the first reference to receipts in this part of the presentation. Again, 496 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:42,920 I was talking about record keeping. Going to be really key. You're got to 497 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:45,760 issue receipts for all your contributions and we'll talk about it a 498 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:49,520 bit more, but they're going to be valuable documents. You really want to 499 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:52,760 make sure you keep track of them. Now, with the receipts, they do have to 500 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:57,040 be issued for every contribution and they should contain both the name of the 501 00:36:54,160 --> 00:37:02,360 contributor, their address, the amount they've contributed as well as the date 502 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:02,360 they've made that contribution. 503 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:07,640 So, how much can somebody contribute to your campaign though? 504 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:11,440 So, the limit on contributions to any one candidate or a third party 505 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:16,720 advertiser because again, the rules are generally the same is $1,200. So, that's 506 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:20,480 $1,200. There's a different limit in Toronto. 507 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:24,800 Toronto's got special rules all the time, but for everywhere else, it's 508 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:28,320 $1,200. Now, there is an aggregate limit total 509 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:31,960 that any person can donate to any number of candidates 510 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:35,480 for office on the same council and that's $5,000. 511 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:39,920 So, you are going to want to be aware of those limits because you do have to let 512 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:44,360 all your contributors know what those limits are and that is a requirement 513 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:48,840 under the Municipal Election Act. So, it might be a good idea to provide 514 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:52,600 that information on your receipts. Just a thought. However, you can do it 515 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:54,840 as you wish, but you do have to inform them. 516 00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:01,800 Now, self-funding limits. So, of course, as we mentioned on an earlier slide, you 517 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:04,920 can contribute to your own campaign. Either you or your spouse and it's 518 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:09,440 considered to have come from the same person. 519 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:13,520 Now, the self-funding limit for council candidates is based on the number of 520 00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:18,480 electors voting for the office up to a maximum of $25,000. 521 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:23,400 This amount doesn't include any contributions of goods and could include 522 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:27,880 inventory from a leftover or that you have leftover from a previous campaign. 523 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:31,000 So, for example, if you did run in 2022, maybe you still have some signs left 524 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:34,760 over that you want to use again. You certainly can. We'll talk about it 525 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:37,440 in a future slide, but if you do have that and you are going to use them, it 526 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:40,280 is going to count as a contribution to your campaign 527 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:44,560 and would count towards your self-contribution or self-funding limit. 528 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:52,200 Now, the formula for calculating the limit is $7,500 plus $0.20 529 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:57,000 for the head of council and then $5,000 plus $0.20 per elector for all other 530 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:02,440 council offices. Now, here's an important note. The maximum amount you 531 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:05,640 could possibly have is $25,000. So, if that formula, whether you're 532 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:09,400 running for head of council or any other of the council offices, if that formula 533 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:12,920 works out to an amount that is higher than $25,000, 534 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:18,360 doesn't matter. You're capped at that $25,000 limit. However, if the formula 535 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:22,520 does work out to an amount that is less than $25,000 536 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:27,400 or, you know, any amount lower than that, you get whatever that formula 537 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,400 works out to. 538 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:35,280 So, borrowing. So, while you do open your campaign bank 539 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:40,640 account, you can, of course, use your own funds to do that, but you can't loan 540 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:43,920 funds to your campaign to, like, you know, kickstart it with the intention of 541 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:49,160 getting it all back. The only way that you can reclaim this, 542 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:53,160 you know, startup amount is if after the election campaign and prior to filing 543 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:57,960 your financial statement, you see that your campaign has a surplus, you are 544 00:39:55,720 --> 00:40:02,560 entitled to be refunded contributions that you or your spouse have made to the 545 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:05,360 campaign from that campaign surplus. You can't receive a loan from any family 546 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:09,000 members or from any corporate accounts that you 547 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:11,560 may have access to. Now, if you do get a loan, 548 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:16,400 it isn't considered to be campaign income and paying it back is not 549 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:20,720 considered to be a campaign expense. But, if you or your spouse guarantee the 550 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:25,480 loan and your campaign then doesn't repay all of it, the remaining balance 551 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:29,000 is considered to be a contribution uh since as a guarantor you're basically 552 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:33,400 providing that the campaign has the means to repay it. Uh keep in mind if 553 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:37,960 this does happen to you that self-contribution limit uh that uh we 554 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:42,720 talked on the earlier slide if you do end up borrowing. And then just a final 555 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:47,080 note on borrowing and loans is any interest that your campaign pays on the 556 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:49,760 loan uh is considered a campaign expense. 557 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:56,320 So, campaign expenses. Mentioned those a few times. Uh you can 558 00:40:54,040 --> 00:41:00,720 see here just a general definition for what is considered to be a campaign 559 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:04,040 expense under the municipal municipal elections act. 560 00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:11,160 Now, the Municipal Elections Act section 88.19 subsection 3 uh does list out 10 561 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:15,480 different uh items that would be considered a campaign expense or, you 562 00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:19,280 know, specifically under the act it says what constitutes campaign expense. I'll 563 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:22,960 just quickly go through those items. We'll talk about them a bit more on the 564 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:28,440 next slide. Uh it's legislation. Legislation by its very nature is very 565 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:31,720 dry. Uh but uh with that, those are one, the replacement value of goods retained 566 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:35,480 by the person, individual, corporation, or trade union from any previous 567 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:40,640 election in the municipality and used in the current election. Two, the value of 568 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:45,280 contributions of goods and services. Three, audit and accounting fees. Four, 569 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:49,640 any interest on loans under section 88.17. 570 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:54,240 Uh five, the cost of holding fundraising functions. Six, the cost of holding 571 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:57,920 parties and other and making other expressions 572 00:41:55,680 --> 00:42:00,040 uh of appreciation after the close of voting. 573 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:03,600 Uh seven, for a candidate expenses related 574 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:08,760 to a recount or a proceeding under section 83. Section 83 is the 575 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:12,920 controverted election section. Uh number eight, expenses related to a to a audit. 576 00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:16,640 Number nine, expenses that are incurred by a candidate with a disability or a 577 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:21,200 registered third party who is an individual with a disability disability 578 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:24,480 are directly related to the disability and would not have been incurred but for 579 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:29,480 the election to which the expenses relate. And then finally, item number 580 00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:34,920 10, the cost of campaign election advertisements. Now, for 581 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:40,040 candidates, election advertisements are covered in section 88.3. We'll talk 582 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:42,920 about those as well on a future slide, but you may want to make note of that 583 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:45,840 section as well. Third party advertisers, just for reference, they do 584 00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:51,320 have a different section where their campaign advertisements 585 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,320 or explain are explained. 586 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:58,800 So, continuing on with those campaign expenses, you really do want to become 587 00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:03,240 familiar with those campaign expense provisions. Very critical. And again, 588 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:08,040 that's going to be laid out in section 88.19 of the Municipal Elections Act. 589 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:11,320 Now, generally, campaign expenses are going to be those costs that are 590 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:17,480 incurred by you or on your behalf during your campaign. Uh 591 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:21,880 And you know, yeah, are incurred by you. Pardon me. The nomination filing fee is 592 00:43:19,720 --> 00:43:25,120 no longer considered an expense and does not have to be included on your 593 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:28,600 financial disclosure form. So again, there's another reference right to that 594 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:32,240 record keeping requirement. Now, goods and services donated to the campaign are 595 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:36,400 also expenses and they do have to be reported. 596 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:41,600 A receipt, so again, receipt does need to be provided for those goods and 597 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:45,840 services for their fair market value. Now, payment of any campaign expenses 598 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:49,920 does have to be drawn from your campaign account and a receipt, again, a receipt 599 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:53,640 providing the details and proof of payment must be obtained. 600 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:57,080 A question we do get is, "Hey, can I just pay a campaign expense from my 601 00:43:55,160 --> 00:44:00,880 personal credit card and reimburse myself?" Definitely don't do that. That 602 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:03,520 would be against the campaign finance rules. You need to be making these 603 00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:06,840 payments from your campaign bank account. 604 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:10,400 Now, all expenses must be reported in the relevant financial disclosure form. 605 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:13,080 That's going to be called form four, and again, linked at the end of the 606 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:16,240 candidate's guide. So, another reason you're going to want to take a look at 607 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:19,240 the candidate's guide. And it does need to be filed by the 608 00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:25,040 clerk. However, we'll get into those filing uh deadlines in a next future 609 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:28,560 slide. Now, with respect to campaign inventory, we kind of briefly touched on 610 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:31,400 this earlier in the presentation. If you did run in the last election, you have 611 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:36,080 some leftover goods, so that could be, you know, maybe signs, maybe some office 612 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:40,680 supplies, uh and you want to use those again, you first have to determine what 613 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:44,760 the current market value for those goods is, and what it was what it would cost 614 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:48,360 if you were to purchase them today. Those are then recorded as a 615 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:52,200 contribution and then a campaign expense. 616 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:55,160 Conversely, if you end up with leftover inventory 617 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:59,000 uh at the end of this campaign, it then does become your personal property, uh 618 00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:02,720 and if you do want to use them maybe in a future election, of course, you're 619 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:07,480 welcome to do that. Uh however, any cost for storage are not considered campaign 620 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:11,240 expenses. So, spending limits. Now, this is a 621 00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:15,720 separate calculation from your self-funding or self-contribution limit. 622 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:19,400 These are also laid out in Ontario Regulation 101/97. 623 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:23,560 So, that's a busy regulation. There's a lot of stuff in there. 624 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:26,640 Uh and it is set out for a general spending limit. There's two. A general 625 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:31,960 spending limit calculation there is on the slide. For heads of council, it's 626 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:37,120 $7,500 plus 85 cents per elector. Uh and for all other offices, it's 627 00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:40,840 $5,000 plus 85 cents per elector. That separate spending limit is a spending 628 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:44,640 limit after voting day for parties, expressions of appreciation, gifts, uh 629 00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:50,920 that sort of thing, and that's going to be 10% of the general spending limit. 630 00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:53,720 But, where do you get these spending limits? How are you going to find them 631 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:58,040 out? So, when you file your nomination, the clerk is going to provide you two or 632 00:45:55,960 --> 00:46:02,000 throughout the campaign, there'll be two uh calculations of your spending limits 633 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:05,360 that'll be provided to you. The first one, you're going to get at the time of 634 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:08,760 nomination and it's a preliminary estimate 635 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:13,200 which is based on the number of electors on the voters list as it existed in 636 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:16,840 September 2022. Now, the final spending limit, that's 637 00:46:15,240 --> 00:46:21,840 going to be based on the voters list as it exists in September on September 638 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:27,440 20th, 2026 and it will be provided to you 639 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:32,440 on or about September 30th, 2026. Now, whichever number is higher is the 640 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:37,720 spending limit and whatever that number is, the clerk's calculation is final. 641 00:46:35,720 --> 00:46:41,520 Now, as I mentioned on an earlier slide, you are required to inform contributors 642 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:45,200 of their contribution limits. So, that's both how much they can contribute to 643 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:49,080 your individual campaign and that aggregate total limit that they 644 00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:54,080 can donate to, you know, other candidates in that same election. 645 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:58,400 Similarly, if a third party advertiser has registered in one more than one 646 00:46:56,280 --> 00:47:02,040 municipality, pardon me, each registration is a separate campaign 647 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:05,720 and does require them to file a separate financial statement in each of those 648 00:47:03,560 --> 00:47:08,800 municipalities. The 649 00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:12,040 rules are going to be the same for candidates and third party advertisers. 650 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:15,520 Also includes, as I mentioned, those filing limits, 651 00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:19,880 filing deadlines, and any requests for extensions and record keeping 652 00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:19,880 requirements. 653 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:25,880 So, there are some expenses that are not going to be subject to the spending 654 00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:30,080 limits. Most are going to be subject to your spending limit, but the ones on the 655 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:33,760 slide there won't. Now, 656 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:37,040 quick note for expenses related to fundraising functions. 657 00:47:35,680 --> 00:47:41,800 Expenses related to fundraising functions are exempt from the campaign 658 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:46,640 spending limit, but in order to qualify as a fundraising function, an event must 659 00:47:43,960 --> 00:47:49,720 have the raising of money as its primary purpose. 660 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:54,000 Campaign events that were, you know, just some incidental fundraising is 661 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:57,840 taking place, that does not qualify as a fundraising function. And then 662 00:47:55,920 --> 00:48:01,920 similarly, if you have maybe a brochure that you're distributing to promote 663 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:05,640 awareness of your campaign, and it contains, you know, contact information 664 00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:11,840 where people can make those campaign contributions, that also does not 665 00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:11,840 qualify as a fundraising function. 666 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:19,560 So, all of this stuff is kind of laid out generally in the campaign finance 667 00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:22,640 rules. Uh campaign finance rules can be found in the sections noted there on the 668 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:26,240 slides. And again, you'll have these slides to review uh later if you want to 669 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:34,240 refer to them. But, for candidates, that's going to be sections 88.8 to 670 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:36,920 88.11, and then again 88.15 to 88.20. Uh over the next several slides, we're 671 00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:41,080 going to walk you through some of these campaign finance rules. 672 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:44,800 As I mentioned, as a candidate, it's going to be really critical, very 673 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:48,640 important for you to be fully aware of your responsibilities regarding election 674 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:53,640 spending and accepting those campaign contributions. Uh now, a question we do 675 00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:57,760 get every single election is whether there is a requirement for you to have, 676 00:48:55,400 --> 00:49:02,080 you know, a chief financial officer uh to help you manage your campaign 677 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:05,720 finances. The answer is no. You can certainly do this uh on your own. Uh 678 00:49:04,640 --> 00:49:09,120 however, like I said, it's just important to be familiar with the rules, 679 00:49:07,280 --> 00:49:11,880 be aware of what your requirements are. This is again another plug for the 680 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:15,560 candidates' guide. This is where that comes in handy because it does give you 681 00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:19,440 a nice overview of those rules, give you access to the forms, and also includes 682 00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:23,000 some common examples that you might run into to help you work through these 683 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:26,240 rules. So, again, become familiar with these 684 00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:29,960 sections on the slide, going to be very important. Uh and as well, take a look 685 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:32,360 at that financial statement that's linked at the end of the candidates' 686 00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:36,560 guide. Again, that's going to be form four uh for candidates. 687 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:39,880 If third-party advertisers, just for your information, it's form eight, also 688 00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:43,880 linked at the end of the guide there. If you take a look at that form now, it's 689 00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:47,920 going to help keep you organized uh and then get you familiar with what kind of 690 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:51,480 records you're going to be uh keeping and how they're going to be reported on 691 00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:55,840 that form. You are required under the Municipal 692 00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:58,680 Elections Act to keep accurate records and then of course also open a campaign 693 00:49:57,560 --> 00:50:01,240 bank accounts. That's going to be something else I want to start thinking 694 00:49:59,960 --> 00:50:03,920 about now. But again, the campaign bank accounts 695 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:07,680 only required if you're spending or raising money. If you don't spend any 696 00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:11,760 money, you don't raise any money, you don't have to open up a campaign bank 697 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:17,520 account, but you do have to file that financial form. So keep that in mind. 698 00:50:15,920 --> 00:50:20,160 So record keeping, of course we've kind of been referencing record keeping 699 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:24,160 throughout this part of the presentation. These next few slides 700 00:50:22,120 --> 00:50:28,360 going to talk about it a bit more. You are required to keep accurate, complete 701 00:50:26,720 --> 00:50:32,560 financial statements during the course of your campaign. 702 00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:37,440 All contributions and all expenses do need to be accounted for and they do 703 00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:42,160 need to be disclosed and reported by you on that relevant financial form. So 704 00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:45,080 again, that is form four. Uh 705 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:48,200 all candidates and third-party advertisers 706 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:53,280 are required to keep your campaign financial records until after the 707 00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:58,760 council in the 2030 election it has been sworn in and takes office. So that's 708 00:50:55,680 --> 00:51:02,320 going to be around November 15th, 2030, give or take. 709 00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:05,600 These rules apply around record keeping, financial statements, all that kind of 710 00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:09,440 good stuff do apply whether you're elected or not. 711 00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:13,880 Just like you have to keep your campaign finance records until 2030, the clerk 712 00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:20,280 also must keep all their campaign finance records until after the 2030 713 00:51:16,640 --> 00:51:20,280 council has been sworn in. 714 00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:26,160 So record keeping, maybe just some best practices that you might want to keep 715 00:51:24,720 --> 00:51:30,280 aware of as you go through your campaign. As I've kind of mentioned a 716 00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:34,520 few times, receipts they're valuable. Keep them safe, keep 717 00:51:32,320 --> 00:51:38,480 them secure. You're going to need them. It may be a good practice to have a 718 00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:43,720 receipt that is, you know, a multi-part form, one that you can easily give to 719 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:47,200 your contributor and one or maybe more for you to keep for your records. Might 720 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:50,840 also help if those receipts are sequentially numbered. Again, it's maybe 721 00:51:48,920 --> 00:51:53,800 just going to help you stay organized. Uh again, you're going to want to or if 722 00:51:52,560 --> 00:51:57,760 you are going to be opening up a bank account, may want to look at one that 723 00:51:55,480 --> 00:52:01,680 provides monthly statements and provides for canceled checks. 724 00:51:59,800 --> 00:52:05,120 Uh it may also be a good idea to produce duplicate deposit slips for every 725 00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:10,000 deposit that'll list the names of the contributors uh and the amounts you've 726 00:52:07,240 --> 00:52:14,040 received from each of them. You may also want to uh maintain a petty 727 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:17,440 cash fund to handle those minor expenses you run into throughout the course of 728 00:52:15,520 --> 00:52:22,360 the campaign and then also obtain invoices uh for any payments you're 729 00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:27,000 making from that petty cash fund. At any time, the cash that you have on hand in 730 00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:31,640 that petty cash fund plus the total amount of invoices should equal the 731 00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:36,480 original amount you started with. Uh the the fund can be replenished 732 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:41,160 periodically, uh but it has to be done by, you know, a check drawn from your 733 00:52:39,080 --> 00:52:44,760 campaign bank account and it should be in an amount equal to the total amount 734 00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:48,360 of invoices that you've issued for your petty cash fund. 735 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:53,200 Now, as I mentioned, you might find it useful to look over that form 4 now uh 736 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:56,680 so you become, you know, familiar with what information's going to be needed to 737 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:59,000 report on at the end of your campaign in October. 738 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:04,760 Uh and again, just to really make it clear, 739 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:09,680 you are required to maintain uh certain campaign records both as it relates to 740 00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:15,160 your finances and your advertisements. Uh specifically for the advertisement, 741 00:53:11,760 --> 00:53:18,880 that's again laid out in section 88.3 uh of the Municipal Elections Act. We'll 742 00:53:17,120 --> 00:53:24,320 talk about it a bit more in the next uh future slide. Uh however, you do need to 743 00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:27,800 keep them for a period of 4 years. And that slide is now as it comes to 744 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:32,320 campaign advertisements. Uh now, just so you're aware, the period 745 00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:37,040 for third-party advertisers uh to run advertisements is from May 746 00:53:34,920 --> 00:53:40,520 1st, 2026, so the first day of nominations if they do register, uh 747 00:53:39,080 --> 00:53:44,760 until the close of voting on October 26th, 2026. 748 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:48,880 Uh now, when it comes to advertisements and this applies to both third-party 749 00:53:46,320 --> 00:53:54,120 advertisers and candidates, you are required to identify yourselves on signs 750 00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:58,360 and campaign advertisements. And then again, that is in section 88.3 for 751 00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:03,560 candidates. Third-party advertisers, just so you 752 00:53:59,880 --> 00:54:03,560 know, it's section 88.4. 753 00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:09,920 Now this slide talks about the record keeping requirements for campaign 754 00:54:07,320 --> 00:54:15,000 advertisements. So the broadcaster or publisher of a third-party or candidate 755 00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:19,880 advertisement shall, so shall is a really key word there. Shall means must. 756 00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:24,720 So shall maintain records containing the following information for a period of 4 757 00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:29,520 years after the date the advertisement appears 758 00:54:26,560 --> 00:54:33,880 and shall, so again, another shall, must permit the public to inspect the records 759 00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:37,560 during normal business hours. So that information's going to be the 760 00:54:35,040 --> 00:54:42,360 name of the candidate or the third-party advertiser, the name, business address 761 00:54:40,720 --> 00:54:46,320 and telephone number of the individual who deals with the broadcaster or the 762 00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:50,120 publisher under the direction of either the candidate or the third-party 763 00:54:47,680 --> 00:54:54,080 advertiser. Also need to maintain a copy of that advertisement 764 00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:57,840 or the means of reproducing it for inspection and then finally a statement 765 00:54:56,400 --> 00:55:00,520 of the charge that was made for its appearance. 766 00:55:00,880 --> 00:55:05,800 And now the best part, everybody loves this part of the presentation, the 767 00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:09,240 financial statement. Talked about it up quite a lot already through the 768 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:12,760 presentation. The requirement to file a financial statement, this is a really 769 00:55:10,680 --> 00:55:16,240 key piece. Not doing this could result in some penalties that we'll talk about 770 00:55:14,600 --> 00:55:20,600 in a future slide. However, this is laid out in section 771 00:55:17,680 --> 00:55:24,760 88.25 of the Municipal Elections Act, which does state that all candidates are 772 00:55:22,560 --> 00:55:29,440 required to file a form four financial statement with the clerk regardless of 773 00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:32,560 how much or how little you spent or fundraised. 774 00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:36,040 The deadline to file your financial statement, so this is a key date you're 775 00:55:34,080 --> 00:55:42,600 going to want to remember, is March 30th, 2027 by 2:00 p.m. 776 00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:48,840 Not close of business, not, you know, the next business day. It's March 30th, 777 00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:52,280 2027 before 2:00 p.m. If you do feel you can't meet that 778 00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:56,200 deadline, you do have to apply to the courts for an extension and you're going 779 00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:59,320 to need to do that prior to the March 30th deadline. 780 00:55:57,720 --> 00:56:04,160 Now, as I've kind of mentioned a few times, just want to stress it, if you 781 00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:08,440 file a nomination, you must file a Form 4. Even if you withdraw your nomination 782 00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:12,560 or you're acclaimed into your office, doesn't matter, you still need to file a 783 00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:16,880 Form 4. You don't raise, don't spend any money, that's fine. You still need to 784 00:56:14,680 --> 00:56:21,760 file a Form 4. Uh you can now or can however though 785 00:56:19,640 --> 00:56:25,480 resubmit a financial statement. If you do notice you made some errors, you can 786 00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:29,960 always resubmit a financial statement up to that filing deadline. 787 00:56:27,600 --> 00:56:34,680 And then the clerk is required to make public a report of which candidates did 788 00:56:31,960 --> 00:56:40,080 file and which candidates didn't file. Uh so people will be aware if you didn't 789 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:40,080 meet those obligations. 790 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:47,200 Now, with the financial statement, just some more information there. You can 791 00:56:44,600 --> 00:56:50,800 file your financial statement at any time after the close of voting or at any 792 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:54,000 time during the campaign period, although it would close your campaign. 793 00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:59,880 Just so you know that date there on the slide, December 31st, 2026, that's the 794 00:56:57,120 --> 00:57:03,880 official end of the campaign period. Uh so you can't campaign any time past 795 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:09,840 that. However, you do have up until March 30th, 2027 to file 796 00:57:07,400 --> 00:57:12,600 your financial statement. So it's maybe, you know, it's a good practice though if 797 00:57:11,200 --> 00:57:16,120 you didn't you know, have very many expenses, 798 00:57:14,200 --> 00:57:19,800 didn't raise very much money, uh or, you know, you were acclaimed into 799 00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:23,680 your office, maybe good idea to get it in as soon as you can. Just helps, 800 00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:26,720 uh you know, move things along when you have those types of campaigns where it's 801 00:57:25,320 --> 00:57:30,480 just little or no expenses have been incurred. 802 00:57:28,680 --> 00:57:34,000 Now, clerks are required to report whether candidates have met their 803 00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:37,560 financial filing obligations and they will publish that report either 804 00:57:35,760 --> 00:57:40,760 on the municipal website or in another electronic form that the 805 00:57:39,200 --> 00:57:47,680 public can access. This will be done by April 30th 2027 806 00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:50,760 in the case of a regular election. There is a similar requirement for 807 00:57:49,160 --> 00:57:56,880 third-party advertisers. The clerk will also make public a report as soon as 808 00:57:53,880 --> 00:58:00,320 possible after April 30th 2027 providing a list of all third-party 809 00:57:58,320 --> 00:58:04,080 advertisers that have or haven't filed their required 810 00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:08,040 financial statements and in the case of third-party advertisers also an 811 00:58:05,640 --> 00:58:12,520 auditor's report. Now similar to the nomination forms, clerks can determine 812 00:58:10,480 --> 00:58:17,000 the conditions for electronic filing of financial statements. So you will want 813 00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:19,800 to check with your local municipal clerk to see if that is an option for you. 814 00:58:18,720 --> 00:58:23,920 Otherwise, you'll have to attend the office 815 00:58:20,920 --> 00:58:23,920 to file that form. 816 00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:29,200 Another slide about financial statements cuz 817 00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:34,680 that's how critical they are. Now if you do have expenses or 818 00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:38,000 contributions that exceed $10,000, you do need to appoint an auditor to 819 00:58:36,480 --> 00:58:41,320 fill out an auditor's report as well that you'll submit with your financial 820 00:58:39,120 --> 00:58:46,160 statement. Now that auditor does have to be licensed under the public accounting 821 00:58:43,720 --> 00:58:50,360 act. So just cuz you have maybe a friend or a family member that's you know like 822 00:58:47,680 --> 00:58:53,640 really good with numbers. It's great but they can't do your auditor's report if 823 00:58:51,760 --> 00:58:57,960 you find yourself in this situation. It does have to be a licensed professional 824 00:58:55,480 --> 00:59:01,480 under that public accounting act. And you also want to be aware those public 825 00:59:00,000 --> 00:59:06,360 pardon me those campaign financial statements are public documents. So they 826 00:59:04,440 --> 00:59:09,480 are subject to public inspection if somebody did request them. 827 00:59:14,720 --> 00:59:22,240 Now when it comes to your financial statements, the nomination filing fee 828 00:59:18,760 --> 00:59:27,320 it's refundable but only if you file your financial statement on time. 829 00:59:24,800 --> 00:59:33,400 If you do miss that filing deadline, which again March 30th, 2027, you do 830 00:59:30,560 --> 00:59:35,960 have a 30-day grace period. However, you have to pay a $500 late filing fee, 831 00:59:35,280 --> 00:59:38,960 which is going to go to the municipality, 832 00:59:37,440 --> 00:59:42,920 and you wouldn't be you know, you wouldn't be getting your 833 00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:45,560 nomination fee back. Now, just a quick note for everybody cuz 834 00:59:44,680 --> 00:59:48,480 I know you're all going to look at the Municipal Elections Act after this. 835 00:59:47,560 --> 00:59:52,320 You're going to be going through there and you're going to notice the Municipal 836 00:59:49,600 --> 00:59:55,680 Elections Act says that you need to file your financial statement in the last 837 00:59:53,840 --> 00:59:59,360 Friday on the last Friday in March following the regular election. And you 838 00:59:57,720 --> 01:00:03,160 say, "Well, it's you said Tuesday, March 30th." So, the last Friday in March in 839 01:00:01,840 --> 01:00:06,840 2027 is actually going to be Good Friday, so that's a holiday. And of 840 01:00:04,920 --> 01:00:12,320 course, Monday, that's Easter Monday, so also offices are closed, which is why it 841 01:00:09,120 --> 01:00:15,880 goes to Tuesday, March 30th, 2027 before 2:00 p.m. 842 01:00:14,400 --> 01:00:19,800 Now, as I mentioned, if you do choose to file within that 30-day grace period, 843 01:00:18,160 --> 01:00:22,720 you're going to pay $500 as a late filing fee, which is going to go to the 844 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:26,280 municipality, and you're not going to get your nomination fee back. However, 845 01:00:24,800 --> 01:00:30,200 if you did apply to the courts for an extension and were granted an extension, 846 01:00:28,680 --> 01:00:34,200 as long as you meet the conditions of that extension, you 847 01:00:32,160 --> 01:00:38,640 file your financial statement, you could get your your nomination fee back. 848 01:00:37,360 --> 01:00:42,120 And then again, I know I mentioned on an earlier slide, but just remember, you 849 01:00:40,520 --> 01:00:45,560 can correct an error on your financial statement if you do notice one. You have 850 01:00:43,520 --> 01:00:49,720 up until the filing deadline, March 30th, 2027 to do that. 851 01:00:50,160 --> 01:00:56,160 So, campaign surplus, which we kind of referenced earlier when it comes to the 852 01:00:54,480 --> 01:00:59,720 self-contribution limit, and you know, if you find yourself in a surplus 853 01:00:58,440 --> 01:01:02,200 situation. So, when you're filing that financial 854 01:01:00,920 --> 01:01:07,960 statement, you add up all your totals, you notice you have a surplus. You must 855 01:01:04,520 --> 01:01:11,600 pay that entire amount to the clerk. With one caveat. 856 01:01:09,400 --> 01:01:15,480 Prior to paying over that amount, those surplus funds to the clerk, you are 857 01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:20,440 entitled to a refund of any contributions that you yourself or your 858 01:01:17,600 --> 01:01:24,080 spouse made to the campaign, not anybody else's contributions, just those 859 01:01:22,120 --> 01:01:27,240 self-contributions. The amount that may be refunded is the 860 01:01:25,760 --> 01:01:30,680 lesser of the amount of the relevant contribution or the amount of the 861 01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:34,080 surplus. Now, the clerk is required then, if you 862 01:01:32,480 --> 01:01:37,760 do have surplus monies, they will place those monies in trust 863 01:01:35,880 --> 01:01:42,160 for you to use if you do need them for a compliance audit. And the same is true 864 01:01:39,880 --> 01:01:47,160 for third-party advertisers. If neither you 865 01:01:44,120 --> 01:01:51,640 or you know, a third-party advertiser do need those surplus funds for a 866 01:01:49,520 --> 01:01:55,160 compliance audit, the municipality is going to keep them 867 01:01:52,920 --> 01:01:57,760 or the school board if you did run for a trustee. 868 01:02:00,280 --> 01:02:07,200 So, next section we go into compliance and enforcement. However, this is really 869 01:02:05,880 --> 01:02:11,640 kind of just an extension of the campaign finance section cuz what we're 870 01:02:09,640 --> 01:02:14,880 going to talk about are compliance audits. 871 01:02:12,840 --> 01:02:20,120 So, each municipality is going to establish a compliance audit committee. 872 01:02:17,680 --> 01:02:24,440 If an eligible elector does believe on reasonable grounds that, you know, you 873 01:02:22,280 --> 01:02:29,120 as a candidate have contravened the election finance rules, 874 01:02:26,880 --> 01:02:33,240 they may apply for a compliance audit of your campaign finances. 875 01:02:31,120 --> 01:02:37,840 The application must be in writing and must set out the reasons why they 876 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:41,760 believe you contravened the rules. An application for a compliance audit 877 01:02:40,080 --> 01:02:46,080 must be submitted to the municipal clerk who conducted the election and it does 878 01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:50,440 have to happen within 90 days after the later of the deadline to file 879 01:02:47,760 --> 01:02:55,480 the campaign financial statement which could include any applicable extension 880 01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:59,440 which will be covered in just a note. And in this situation, that's section 881 01:02:57,680 --> 01:03:02,680 88.23 subsection 3 of the Municipal Elections 882 01:03:01,520 --> 01:03:06,120 Act. Now, if the compliance audit committee 883 01:03:04,160 --> 01:03:09,560 does get an application, they will consider that application and decide 884 01:03:08,000 --> 01:03:14,240 whether to grant or reject the application and you may appeal that 885 01:03:12,480 --> 01:03:19,480 decision to the Superior Court of Justice. You have to do that within 15 886 01:03:16,720 --> 01:03:24,520 days after the decision is made. Now a person who does not want to or is 887 01:03:22,080 --> 01:03:29,760 not able to apply to to the compliance audit committee may decide to commence 888 01:03:27,120 --> 01:03:34,600 legal action just on their own and they would be able to do that up to 889 01:03:31,920 --> 01:03:37,280 November 15th, 2030. That's again when the next 890 01:03:35,640 --> 01:03:40,600 election takes place when the next council will be sworn in. 891 01:03:40,760 --> 01:03:45,440 What happens if a compliance audit is granted? 892 01:03:43,880 --> 01:03:50,240 So if the committee does grant the application, it will appoint an auditor 893 01:03:47,960 --> 01:03:54,360 to to conduct a compliance audit of your campaign finances. The auditor is 894 01:03:52,720 --> 01:03:56,880 entitled to have access to all of your financial records related to the 895 01:03:55,640 --> 01:04:00,120 campaign. The auditor will then produce a report 896 01:03:58,800 --> 01:04:03,080 which you are going to be entitled to receive. 897 01:04:01,400 --> 01:04:07,520 The compliance audit committee committee will meet to discuss this auditor's 898 01:04:05,200 --> 01:04:11,720 report. If the report concludes that there is an apparent convention of the 899 01:04:09,640 --> 01:04:14,920 municipal elections act, the committee will decide whether to commence legal 900 01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:18,760 action. Now you know important note here is that 901 01:04:17,160 --> 01:04:23,160 the compliance audit committee doesn't have any authority to set penalties. 902 01:04:21,360 --> 01:04:28,920 Only the court can decide if you contravene the act and if so which 903 01:04:25,680 --> 01:04:33,800 penalties are going to apply. There are however some automatic 904 01:04:30,320 --> 01:04:37,880 penalties you may want to be aware of. There are three of them in the municipal 905 01:04:35,520 --> 01:04:41,320 elections act where penalties apply automatically. 906 01:04:39,640 --> 01:04:45,040 So if you do fail to file that financial statement 907 01:04:42,640 --> 01:04:49,640 before or pardon me by the end of that 30-day grace period or fail to apply to 908 01:04:47,480 --> 01:04:53,240 the courts for an extension before March 30th, 2027, 909 01:04:51,800 --> 01:04:57,480 you could be subject to an automatic penalty. If your financial statement 910 01:04:55,440 --> 01:05:01,600 shows that you exceeded your spending limit, you could be subject to an 911 01:04:59,080 --> 01:05:05,800 automatic penalty. And finally, if you do fail to turn over your surplus to the 912 01:05:03,680 --> 01:05:09,160 clerk when you file that financial statement, you could be subject to an 913 01:05:07,640 --> 01:05:13,080 automatic penalty. The penalty could be that you forfeit 914 01:05:10,840 --> 01:05:17,520 your office if you did win the election and then you would become ineligible to 915 01:05:14,600 --> 01:05:22,520 be to run or be appointed to fill a vacancy until after the 2030 election. 916 01:05:23,440 --> 01:05:29,080 There are some other penalties other penalties you may want to be aware of. 917 01:05:27,080 --> 01:05:32,920 If you are convicted under of an offense under the Municipal Elections Act, you 918 01:05:31,160 --> 01:05:36,560 could be subject to a fine of up to $25,000, 919 01:05:34,560 --> 01:05:41,040 ineligibility to vote or run in the next general election, 920 01:05:38,120 --> 01:05:44,200 up to 6 months in prison and forfeiture of your elected office if the judge 921 01:05:42,800 --> 01:05:47,680 finds that you committed the offense knowingly. 922 01:05:45,600 --> 01:05:51,880 I did previously indicate that if you are convicted of exceeding the spending 923 01:05:49,280 --> 01:05:55,240 limit you will automatically lose your seat if you did win 924 01:05:53,840 --> 01:05:59,440 that election. In addition, 925 01:05:56,800 --> 01:06:03,360 you may also be fined by the amount by which you exceeded that spending limit. 926 01:06:04,240 --> 01:06:12,000 So, into the voters list which I think I'm going to hand back to Jody here 927 01:06:08,720 --> 01:06:12,000 to take us through this section. 928 01:06:12,880 --> 01:06:19,720 All right. So, Elections Ontario is a non-partisan office of the Legislative 929 01:06:17,480 --> 01:06:24,720 Assembly of Ontario responsible for ministering provincial elections led by 930 01:06:22,160 --> 01:06:29,120 the Chief Electoral Officer. Elections Ontario is governed by the Election Act 931 01:06:26,920 --> 01:06:33,560 and the Election Finances Act. Elections Ontario does not administer 932 01:06:31,360 --> 01:06:38,200 local elections, but they do have a role to play in providing up-to-date voter 933 01:06:35,640 --> 01:06:43,280 list information to local partners. Since January 1st of 2024, the Chief 934 01:06:40,800 --> 01:06:47,400 Electoral Officer, Elections Ontario, has taken over the responsibility of 935 01:06:45,160 --> 01:06:51,600 preparing voters list from MPAC and will manage a permanent register of electors 936 01:06:49,720 --> 01:06:55,440 for both provincial and municipal elections. 937 01:06:53,480 --> 01:07:00,000 The voters list for each municipal election will be prepared using data 938 01:06:57,880 --> 01:07:03,360 from the permanent register of electors, the register 939 01:07:01,280 --> 01:07:06,560 maintained by Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario works with local 940 01:07:04,920 --> 01:07:09,920 partners to provide them with the most up-to-date voters list to support their 941 01:07:08,480 --> 01:07:13,360 elections. Voters across the province can update 942 01:07:11,480 --> 01:07:17,160 their information in the register for local and provincial elections. 943 01:07:17,640 --> 01:07:23,520 So, the voters list. The voters list becomes a public document on September 944 01:07:20,880 --> 01:07:28,120 the 1st, 2026. As a candidate, you can request that the municipal clerk give 945 01:07:25,720 --> 01:07:31,520 you uh the part of the voters list that relates to the office that you are 946 01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:35,880 running for. This request must be in writing. In order to receive the voters 947 01:07:33,880 --> 01:07:39,080 list from the municipal clerk, you must give a written acknowledgement of the 948 01:07:37,840 --> 01:07:42,360 following. You will only use the list for electoral 949 01:07:40,960 --> 01:07:46,040 purposes and not for commercial purposes. You are bound by the 950 01:07:44,280 --> 01:07:49,840 restrictions set out in the Municipal Elections Act relating to handling of 951 01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:53,480 the voters list. You will only share the list with 952 01:07:51,240 --> 01:07:57,760 others, such as campaign workers, after obtaining a similar written 953 01:07:54,640 --> 01:07:57,760 acknowledgement from them. 954 01:07:59,120 --> 01:08:04,600 So, candidate restrictions. You are the only person who may share the voters 955 01:08:02,480 --> 01:08:08,320 list. If you have given someone a copy, they are not allowed to share it 956 01:08:06,120 --> 01:08:12,000 further. You must keep track of who you have shared the voters list with. If you 957 01:08:10,520 --> 01:08:17,160 give someone a physical copy of the list, they must return uh the copy to 958 01:08:14,640 --> 01:08:20,759 you. If you share an electronic copy, they must destroy the copy and provide 959 01:08:18,880 --> 01:08:24,359 you with written acknowledgement that the copy has been destroyed. 960 01:08:22,759 --> 01:08:28,839 You cannot keep copies of the voters list after your campaign has ended. On 961 01:08:27,120 --> 01:08:32,880 or before the day your campaign ends, you must destroy the copy of the voters 962 01:08:30,799 --> 01:08:36,520 list that you received from the clerk. Have any printed copies that you shared 963 01:08:34,600 --> 01:08:39,359 with other people return to you and destroy them. 964 01:08:37,640 --> 01:08:43,480 Ensure you have received a written acknowledgement from anyone who received 965 01:08:41,040 --> 01:08:47,440 an electronic copy of the list that the electronic copy has been destroyed. 966 01:08:47,880 --> 01:08:52,279 So, a written acknowledgement. Before you share the voters list with someone, 967 01:08:51,359 --> 01:08:55,880 you must obtain a written acknowledgement from that person. That 968 01:08:54,400 --> 01:09:00,400 written acknowledgement must confirm the following. They will only use the list 969 01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:04,480 for electoral purposes and not for for purposes. They will not share or give 970 01:09:02,359 --> 01:09:08,040 copies of the list to anyone else. If they receive a physical copy of the 971 01:09:06,000 --> 01:09:11,520 list, they will return it to you. If they received an electronic copy of 972 01:09:09,880 --> 01:09:14,359 the list, they will destroy that copy and give you a written acknowledgement 973 01:09:12,839 --> 01:09:17,279 that the electronic copy has been destroyed. 974 01:09:15,720 --> 01:09:21,160 The written acknowledgement should set out the dates by which people must 975 01:09:19,279 --> 01:09:24,880 return physical copies or give you written confirmation that the electronic 976 01:09:22,920 --> 01:09:28,080 copies have been destroyed. You must keep the records of the written 977 01:09:26,640 --> 01:09:32,680 acknowledgements that you have received until November 15th of 2030 when the 978 01:09:30,600 --> 01:09:37,480 next council or school board uh takes office. You must also keep any written 979 01:09:35,600 --> 01:09:40,640 confirmations that electronic copies of the list have been destroyed. 980 01:09:41,080 --> 01:09:48,279 Okay, so uh scrutineers, recounts, key dates, and resources. 981 01:09:45,960 --> 01:09:53,080 So, scrutineers, only a candidate may appoint scrutineers to represent them 982 01:09:50,440 --> 01:09:55,960 during the voting and the vote uh the counting of votes, including during a 983 01:09:54,760 --> 01:09:59,280 recount. Third-party advertisers cannot appoint 984 01:09:58,000 --> 01:10:03,920 scrutineers. In the traditional election where voting 985 01:10:01,440 --> 01:10:08,000 takes place at a poll, the DRO is in charge of the activity in the voting 986 01:10:05,880 --> 01:10:12,120 place, and the DRO may ask the scrutineer to leave if the DRO believes 987 01:10:10,400 --> 01:10:15,360 the scrutineer is not complying with the legislation. 988 01:10:13,720 --> 01:10:19,640 Under section 48 of the Municipal Elections Act, in a voting place, no 989 01:10:17,360 --> 01:10:24,640 person shall attempt directly or indirectly um sorry, no person shall 990 01:10:22,920 --> 01:10:28,040 attempt to directly or indirectly to influence how the vote the elector is 991 01:10:26,920 --> 01:10:31,640 voting. Candidates and scrutineers should 992 01:10:29,640 --> 01:10:35,880 respect that the DRO must ensure fairness, access, privacy, and security 993 01:10:34,200 --> 01:10:40,080 of the vote. Uh so, just a tip, check with the clerk 994 01:10:37,880 --> 01:10:44,440 to see if a list of scrutineers' rights is being given to election staff at the 995 01:10:41,920 --> 01:10:47,240 poll. If so, use the list or prepare your own to give to each of your 996 01:10:45,720 --> 01:10:51,680 scrutineers so they can learn their rights. These rights are spelled out in 997 01:10:49,280 --> 01:10:54,560 section 47 sub five of the Municipal Elections Act. 998 01:10:54,600 --> 01:10:59,320 Recounts. A recount is automatic if the vote is 999 01:10:58,000 --> 01:11:03,800 tied. Councils have the option of establishing 1000 01:11:01,360 --> 01:11:08,280 policies prior to the election that also allow for an automatic recount. 1001 01:11:06,160 --> 01:11:12,640 Council still retains the option to pass a resolution for a recount within 30 1002 01:11:10,880 --> 01:11:16,920 days after the clerk has declared the results of the election. 1003 01:11:14,760 --> 01:11:23,560 An eligible elector can apply to the courts for a recount within 30 days of 1004 01:11:19,160 --> 01:11:23,560 the clerk's declaration of the results. 1005 01:11:24,600 --> 01:11:31,480 So, some key dates. Voting day is Monday, October 26th, 2026 between 10:00 1006 01:11:29,280 --> 01:11:35,280 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. unless reduced hours are set by the clerk for retirement 1007 01:11:33,280 --> 01:11:40,120 homes and certain institutions or the clerks decide uh decides to open voting 1008 01:11:37,800 --> 01:11:43,800 places earlier than 10:00 a.m. The campaign period, so the time when a 1009 01:11:41,880 --> 01:11:48,400 candidate can accept contributions and incur election expenses, runs from the 1010 01:11:46,280 --> 01:11:53,720 date the nomination is submitted up until December 31st, 2026. 1011 01:11:51,520 --> 01:11:57,840 The campaign period, so the time the third-party advertiser can 1012 01:11:55,560 --> 01:12:01,720 uh incur expenses, begins on the date their registration is certified. 1013 01:11:59,920 --> 01:12:06,520 Earliest is May 1st, so this Friday, until December 31st, 2026. 1014 01:12:04,600 --> 01:12:11,640 The deadline for filing of the campaign financial statement in the clerk's 1015 01:12:07,760 --> 01:12:14,720 office is Tuesday, March 30th of 2027, no later than 2:00 p.m. 1016 01:12:13,480 --> 01:12:18,440 All candidates and third-party advertisers must file the statement 1017 01:12:16,360 --> 01:12:21,880 regardless of how much they spent or received in contributions. 1018 01:12:22,480 --> 01:12:28,560 So, resources. So, the first few links uh will take you to the E-Laws website 1019 01:12:26,560 --> 01:12:32,200 where all provincial legis- legislation is available, including the associated 1020 01:12:30,360 --> 01:12:35,920 regulations. Uh you will want to be familiar with the 1021 01:12:33,840 --> 01:12:39,600 Municipal Elections Act, the Municipal Act, Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, 1022 01:12:38,360 --> 01:12:43,320 and if you're running for a school board, the Education Act. 1023 01:12:41,560 --> 01:12:47,000 The second link is to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website. 1024 01:12:45,640 --> 01:12:52,120 From this site, you will be able to access the 2026 Voters' Guide, the 2026 1025 01:12:50,080 --> 01:12:57,120 Candidates' Guide, and the 2026 third-party advertisers' guide. 1026 01:12:54,720 --> 01:13:02,240 And then the final link there is for the Municipal World website. If you click on 1027 01:12:59,240 --> 01:13:06,680 the icon bookshop, it illustrates a list of books that are related to running for 1028 01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:11,440 municipal office and they're available for purchase online. 1029 01:13:09,400 --> 01:13:15,480 And that brings us to the end of our presentation. So we'll take any 1030 01:13:13,240 --> 01:13:19,120 questions if you have any and up there on the screen is actually our contact 1031 01:13:17,320 --> 01:13:22,720 information. So I am the municipal advisor for the County of Middlesex, so 1032 01:13:21,120 --> 01:13:26,560 feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions like after the session. 1033 01:13:25,120 --> 01:13:30,440 You can also reach out to Spencer. He's a senior municipal advisor, so 1034 01:13:28,920 --> 01:13:34,680 feel free to contact either one of us. But with that, we'll turn it over if 1035 01:13:31,520 --> 01:13:34,680 anybody has any questions. 1036 01:13:35,520 --> 01:13:42,040 Yes. Yes, my question is around the 1037 01:13:40,280 --> 01:13:46,440 requirements. I noticed last week through the 1038 01:13:44,280 --> 01:13:49,680 it was at home but I thought the association of the municipality of 1039 01:13:48,080 --> 01:13:52,880 Ontario for 1040 01:13:50,680 --> 01:13:57,240 nominations for the board. I also know that in the Corporations Act 1041 01:13:54,880 --> 01:14:01,320 of Ontario, you cannot serve as a board and the director on the 1042 01:13:59,440 --> 01:14:03,720 board if you've been bankrupt. So I'm not sure if you can speak to 1043 01:14:02,520 --> 01:14:07,720 this, but that's not a criteria here and I just 1044 01:14:05,840 --> 01:14:11,640 wondered like one of our responsibilities of the council is a 1045 01:14:09,400 --> 01:14:15,560 fiduciary responsibility. So I wondered if you could speak to that. 1046 01:14:14,240 --> 01:14:19,000 So that like the eligibility requirements don't 1047 01:14:16,800 --> 01:14:24,040 include those, you know, any bankruptcies or even having been 1048 01:14:22,040 --> 01:14:28,360 convicted of an offense, criminal offense. Of course, if you're serving 1049 01:14:25,720 --> 01:14:31,480 time in an institution, you know, so a provincial or maybe a federal 1050 01:14:29,720 --> 01:14:35,560 correctional institution, you obviously wouldn't be eligible 1051 01:14:33,040 --> 01:14:39,480 to run or serve on council. However, declaring bankruptcy by itself 1052 01:14:37,760 --> 01:14:43,600 is not, you know, would make you ineligible to 1053 01:14:42,000 --> 01:14:46,080 run for council. Yes, question. 1054 01:14:49,680 --> 01:14:54,720 Yes. >> Yeah. 1055 01:14:53,520 --> 01:14:58,160 Definitely. It's an interesting thing AMO that by itself that like it's a 1056 01:14:56,320 --> 01:15:00,560 separate organization, right? So, it has no, you know, 1057 01:14:59,720 --> 01:15:03,720 uh connection to the province in that 1058 01:15:01,840 --> 01:15:06,560 sense. Uh so, yeah, they can certainly make 1059 01:15:04,720 --> 01:15:11,240 their own rules as to would serve on board. Oh, yeah. No, it's it's an 1060 01:15:09,320 --> 01:15:14,160 interesting observation. Any other questions? 1061 01:15:17,280 --> 01:15:20,560 Okay. Well, I know if you're anything like me, you're going to be driving home 1062 01:15:19,680 --> 01:15:24,320 tonight and you're thinking, "Oh, I really want to ask this." So, again, 1063 01:15:22,320 --> 01:15:27,920 don't hesitate. Reach out to us anytime. It's fine. Uh as I always like to say, 1064 01:15:26,440 --> 01:15:30,800 it's free to contact us. I'm not going to charge you anything. Uh and the very 1065 01:15:29,800 --> 01:15:34,000 worst thing you're ever going to hear me say is no. 1066 01:15:32,240 --> 01:15:36,600 Uh so, yeah, don't hesitate. That's what we're here for. 1067 01:15:36,760 --> 01:15:40,000 Oh. Thank you. 1068 01:15:42,800 --> 01:15:45,960 Yeah. Thank you. 1069 01:15:44,560 --> 01:15:47,600 Sorry. Thank you. 1070 01:15:47,040 --> 01:15:50,360 Uh for everyone I haven't met yet, my name 1071 01:15:48,880 --> 01:15:54,280 is Marcy Vinich and I'm the director of legislative services and clerk for 1072 01:15:52,400 --> 01:15:57,920 Middlesex County. Uh I just want to thank uh the ministry staff for being 1073 01:15:55,760 --> 01:16:00,840 here, Spencer and Jody. That was awesome and very informative. 1074 01:15:59,520 --> 01:16:04,440 Uh as a county clerk, I don't have the privilege of running an election, so I 1075 01:16:02,320 --> 01:16:08,680 learned a lot tonight. Um and thank you to Paul Shipway, our CEO, 1076 01:16:06,440 --> 01:16:13,560 and Tiffany Ferrell um for that introductory presentation. We will move 1077 01:16:10,760 --> 01:16:18,520 on to the next portion of our evening. Uh we'll have our clerks booths set up, 1078 01:16:16,400 --> 01:16:22,520 so if anyone has additional questions, we'll be happy to answer those.