Nominations can be filed starting May 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and ending August 21 at 2:00 p.m.

Nominations must be on the prescribed forms and are to be filed with the Clerk or their designate at the Municipal Office, 285 County Road 44, Kemptville, Ontario in the following manner:

• By appointment with the Clerk’s Office, where submitting before Nomination Day
• In person or through an agent;
• From May 1, 2026 to Thursday, August 20, 2026 during regular office hours, and between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm on Friday, August 21, 2026 (Nomination Day);
• With the endorsement of nomination for Council, being at least 25 signatures;
• With the prescribed statement of qualifications, signed by the person being nominated;
• With the prescribed nomination fee of $200.00 for head of Council and $100.00 for all other offices – the filing fee shall be paid by cash, cheque, money order or by debit machine;

With proof of identity and residence as prescribed in O. Reg. 304/13. No electronic transmitted nomination paper will be accepted – original signatures are required. Nomination papers for school boards must be filed at the appropriate municipal office.

No - you do not have to live in the municipality to run for office.

Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, a person is eligible to be nominated for municipal office if they meet the following criteria:

• Are a Canadian citizen;
• Are at least 18 years old;
• Are not legally prohibited from voting; and
• Meet at least one of the following:
  • reside in the municipality;
  • own or rent property in the municipality; or,
  • are the spouse of someone who owns or rents property in the municipality.

This means you can run for office even if you do not live in the municipality, provided you meet one of the property-related eligibility requirements.

All candidates must also be qualified to vote in the municipality at the time of nomination.

There is the requirement that anyone wishing to run for office on a council must submit the signatures of 25 voters supporting the nomination. The individuals providing the signatures will each have to sign a declaration stating that they were eligible to vote in the municipality on the day that they signed the endorsement. If a candidate files a nomination, and then changes their mind and decides to run for a different office on the same council, they are not required to submit new signatures.

The requirement to submit 25 nomination signatures does not apply to candidates running for school board trustee positions.

You should write down your name as you want it to appear on the electronic ballot. The name as it appears on the Nomination Paper is the name to be used on the electronic ballot. If a nickname is to be used, it is subject to the discretion and approval of the Clerk. You do not have to provide all of your names under Given Name(s) on the form. Only provide the one(s) that you want to appear on the ballot.

No. The Clerk is required to certify each nomination after it has been filed. The Clerk will verify the candidate’s name is on the Voters’ List and eligibility. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure they meet all the qualifications and file proper nomination papers. Each candidate is responsible to ensure that their forms are in order. The deadline to certify the nomination papers is past the nomination deadline and this may result in papers being rejected.

The clerk must be satisfied that you are eligible to run in order to certify your nomination. If your nomination is not certified, your name will not appear on the electronic ballot.

You can only start campaigning and erecting signs once your nomination papers have been filed.

It is the responsibility of each candidate to ensure they are qualified to seek the office for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, seek legal advice immediately.

In accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 a person’s residence is “the permanent lodging place to which, whenever absent, he or she intends to return”.

The following rules apply in determining a person’s residence:

• A person may only have one residence at a time
• The place where a person’s family resides is also his or her residence, unless he or she moves elsewhere with the intention of changing his or her permanent lodging place
• If a person has no other permanent lodging place, the place where he or she occupies a room or part of a room as a regular lodger or to which he or she habitually returns.

Campaign provisions have been clarified to allow candidates to access apartment buildings, condominiums, non-profit housing co-ops or gated communities from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. in order to campaign. Landlords and condominium corporations will not be allowed to prohibit tenants or owners from displaying campaign signs in their windows. Here are the excerpts from the legislation:

Access to residential premises

88.1 No person who is in control of an apartment building, condominium building, non-profit housing cooperative or gated community may prevent a candidate or his or her representative from campaigning between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the doors to the apartments, units or houses, as the case may be.

Display of signs at residential premises

88.2 (1) No landlord or person acting on a landlord’s behalf may prohibit a tenant from displaying signs in relation to an election on the premises to which the lease relates.

The legislation regarding the rights of candidates to enter apartment buildings, condominiums, and non-profits for the purposes of canvassing can also be found in:

• Condominium Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, Chapter 19
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, Chapter 17

Currently, provincial legislation requires payment of nomination fees at the time of filing your papers. The fees are $200.00 for the office of Mayor and $100.00 for Councillor and School Board Trustee. Every candidate will be entitled to a refund of the nomination fee if they file their campaign financial statement and, if needed, the auditor’s report by the deadline.

Yes, online and telephone voting does keep a record of the electronic ballot/vote. The ballot/vote are counted as they are deposited into the electronic ballot box. The Clerk is required to keep the ballots/votes for 120 days after the results of the election are declared.

The Municipality will post the names of candidates online and in the Municipal Office reception area as candidates file their nomination papers. Or see the "Meet the Candidate" page.

The Clerk’s Office staff will provide you with a blank copy of the Financial Statement – Form 4 with your nomination package. These forms will also be available upon request with the Clerk’s Office at 613-258-9569 ext 171 or .

Please note it is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure their papers are completed accurately, truthfully, and within the legislated timelines. Failure to submit your financial statement can result in the immediate removal from office if elected, the inability to run in the next municipal election, and other penalties under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

All financial statements are posted online upon their filing with the Clerk.

You must open a bank account exclusively for your campaign if you accept any contributions of money (including contributions from yourself or your spouse) or incur any expenses. You cannot use your personal bank account for campaign finances, even if you are planning a very small campaign. All contributions - including contributions you make to yourself – must be deposited in the campaign bank account.  All expenses must be paid for from the campaign account.

As you prepare to be a candidate in the 2022 Municipality of North Grenville Municipal Election, you should be aware that it is the responsibility of each candidate, through their own determination or with the assistance of a lawyer and/or financial professional, to ensure that the legal and financial requirements related to your candidacy have been met. The Municipality is not able to provide advice to candidates and we encourage you to review the Municipal Elections Act.

No, you still must file your nomination papers in person at the Municipal Office, 285 County Road 44, Kemptville, Ontario.

You must be eligible to run for office at the time of nomination and throughout the election. If you are elected, you must maintain your eligibility during your time in office.

Candidates will sign a declaration swearing that they will destroy the Voters’ List in an acceptable manner. If you would like to return your list to the Clerk’s Office we will ensure the list is destroyed on your behalf.

An employee of a municipality or local board is eligible to be a candidate and to be elected as a member of the council or local board if he or she takes an unpaid leave of absence beginning as of the day the employee is nominated and ending on Voting Day. If the employee is elected to the office, he or she shall be deemed to have resigned from their employment immediately before making the declaration of office.

Please consult legislation in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and the Municipal Act, 2001.

We have a Notice of Withdrawal form that you will be required to complete at the Municipal Office. This must be done before the close of nominations on August 21, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.