On Oct. 24, 2022, Niagara residents will elect new local municipal councils and Regional Council representatives. Regional Council acts as the final decision-making body for Niagara Region and serves as the Board of Health.
Residents will also vote for school board trustees. School board trustees are representatives that help the school board fulfil its duties under the Education Act.
Voting on Election Day is just one of the ways you can vote in Niagara. To make voting easier for all voters, options such as advance voting will be available.
To learn the different ways your city / town is accepting votes for the upcoming election, visit their website.
You can vote in the municipal election if you're a Canadian citizen and:
For information about candidates, advance polls and alternative voting options, visit your local municipality.
You're prohibited from voting if you're:
If you're a student and consider your "home" to be the place where you live when you're not attending school, which means you plan on returning there, then you're eligible to vote in both your "home" municipality and in the municipality where you currently live while attending school.
If you're a student attending school in another city, check with the clerk of that municipality to find out what your voting options are.
As a student and a resident of Niagara, if you're unable to vote in the municipal election, you may appoint another elector as proxy to vote on your behalf.
From May 2 to Aug. 19, candidates interested in running in the 2022 municipal or school board elections can file their nomination papers with the clerk of the appropriate municipality. The following information applies to candidates looking to file nomination papers:
Nomination papers can be picked up at any municipal clerk's office or downloaded:
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in partnership with Niagara's municipalities, is hosting an information session on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham.
This session will focus on financial filing requirements for candidates running in the 2022 municipal election.
The event is free and can only be attended in-person. The event will not be livestreamed.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs hosted a free candidate information session on Thursday, April 28 at the Meridian Community Centre in partnership with Niagara's municipalities. The session provided potential candidates with an opportunity to become familiar with:
To learn more, watch the livestreamed recording of the meeting.
Key date information applies to candidates or returning officer / municipal clerk.
Item | Date / Period | Municipal Elections Act Reference |
---|---|---|
Nomination period starts | Monday, May 2 | s. 33(4) |
Nomination day | Aug. 19 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. |
s. 31 |
Withdrawal of nominations | Aug. 19 Before 2 p.m. |
s.36(a) |
Certification of nominations | Aug. 22 Before 4 p.m. |
s.35 (1) (2); 35 (5) Before 4 pm on August 22 |
Filing of notice of registration as third party advertiser with municipal clerks (not Niagara Region) | May 1 - Oct. 19 | s.88.6 (7) |
Declaration of acclamations | Aug. 22 After 4 p.m. |
s.37 (1) |
Proxy applications may be filed with municipal clerks | Aug. 22 - 24 | s.44 (6) |
Voting day | Oct. 24 | s.5 |
Declaration of results posted on website including number of declined and rejected ballots | As soon as possible after voting day - Oct. 25 | s.55 (4.1); s. 55 (4.1)2 |
Term of office starts | Nov. 15 | s.6 |
Regional Council inauguration | Dec. 1 | - |
First Regional Council Meeting | Dec. 8 | - |
Definition of Third Party Advertising means an advertisement in any medium that has the purpose of promoting or supporting or opposing a candidate(s) or a "yes" or "no" answer to a question on the ballot.
It does not include:
Registrations will be accepted by municipal clerks between the first day for filing nominations (May 2) and the Friday before voting day (October 21, 2022) in a regular election.
The following are NOT permitted to register:
Contributions cannot be made or accepted unless registered as a third party. Same contribution limits as those for candidates: $1,200 per registered third party and maximum of $5,000 total for registered third parties in the same municipality.
Expenses are subject to a maximum expense limit (a prescribed formula based on the number of electors entitled to vote). Must record expenses and file a financial statement.
Third party advertisers are subject to compliance audits in the event an application is filed with the Compliance Audit Committee.
The municipality may require any person who contravenes the provisions for third party advertisers or caused / permitted the contravention, including the owner or occupier of the land on which the contravention occurred, to remove or discontinue the advertising.
There are similar penalties as those for candidates for financial statement default.