For Candidates & Third-Party Advertisers

Candidates

Do you want to run for Municipal Council?

Qualified persons wishing to serve on Municipal Council or as a School Board Trustee may file a Nomination Form with the Clerk from Friday, May 1, 2026, until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026. Information packages will be available on the Municipal website and at the Municipal Office.

The term of office for Council is from November 15, 2026 to November 14, 2030. The Council of the Municipality of Brockton consists of:

Mayor
Deputy Mayor
5 Councillors

Information Workshop for Candidates

Candidates wishing to run for Election are invited to attend a Candidate Information Workshop which will be held in-person at the Bruce County Office, located at 30 Park Street, Walkerton or virtually on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., to learn more about being on Council. Visit EventBrite to register for either the in-person or online session.

Candidate Eligibility

You are eligible to run as a candidate in the Municipal Election as long as you meet the following requirements:

Are a resident of the municipality or a non-resident owner or tenant of land in the municipality or the spouse of such non-resident owner or tenant;
Are a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old;
Are not legally prohibited from voting; and not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office.

In municipal elections, candidates are not elected to represent a political party such as Federal or Provincial elections.

Before filing your nomination, please review the 2026 Candidates Guide. Every person who wants to be a candidate must file nomination papers prior to receiving any campaign contributions and/or expending any funds on a campaign.

To file your nomination you must submit the following to the Clerk:

Nomination Paper
Endorsement of Nomination including at least 25 signatures
Nomination Fee of $200 for Mayor and $100 for all other positions

You will be required to show identification to prove that you are eligible to be nominated.

View the Candidate Information Package tab for additional information.

Candidate Information Package

Forms to Complete and Return to Clerk's Office

Form 1: Nomination Paper
Form 2: Endorsement of Nomination
Form 4: Financial Statement Auditor's Report Candidate
Form 5: Financial Statement Subsequent Expenses
Declaration of Proper Use of Voters' List
Declaration of Qualifications
Estimated Maximum Campaign Expenses
Freedom of Information Release

Candidate Information

2026 Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Candidates' Guide for Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections
2026 Municipality of Brockton Brockton Municipal and School Board Elections Candidates’ Guide
2026 Municipality of Brockton Election Accessibility Plan
2026 Municipality of Brockton Election Procedure Manual
Notice of Corrupt Practices and Penalties
Municipality of Brockton Use of Corporate Resources Policy
Acceptable Voter Identification O. Reg 304/13

Third-Party Advertisers

An individual, corporation or trade union must register with the municipal clerk to be a third-party advertiser in a municipality. A Third Party Advertiser can file their notice of registration with the Clerk from May 1, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. until Friday, October 23, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. A third-party advertiser cannot raise or spend money on their campaign, nor begin advertising, until their registration is certified by the Clerk. Upon receiving a third-party advertiser’s nomination, the Clerk will provide them with their preliminary spending limits.

Third-party advertising refers to advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate, or support, promote or oppose a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot. The meaning of “third-party” in this context means a person or entity who is not a candidate.

Third-party advertising is separate from any candidate’s campaign, and must be done independently from a candidate. Any advertisements or materials that are made and distributed by a candidate, or under a candidate’s direction, are part of the candidate’s campaign.

Third-party advertising is a way for those outside of the candidate’s campaign to express support of or opposition to candidates (or a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot) and to try to persuade voters to vote a certain way.

A third-party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that promotes, supports or opposes a candidate, or a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot. Advertisement includes traditional ads as well as materials such as brochures or signs.

Third Party Advertiser Eligibility

Only those who have registered can spend money on third party advertising. The following are eligible to register as a third party advertiser:

any person who is a resident in Ontario
a corporation carrying on business in Ontario
a trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

If two or more corporations are owned or controlled by the same person or people, or if one corporation controls another, they are considered to be a single corporation. If the same person or people own or control multiple corporations, only one of those corporations may register to be a third party in a municipality.

There is no restriction against family members or campaign staff of candidates registering to be third party advertisers. However, third party advertising must be done independently of the candidate. If a person with close ties to a candidate wishes to register they should consider how these activities may look to the public and how they would be able to demonstrate that they were not working in co-ordination with the candidate.

Who is Ineligible to Be a Third Party Advertiser?

A candidate running for any municipal council or school board office cannot register to be a third party advertiser in any municipality.

Groups, associations or businesses that are not corporations are not eligible to register and may not spend money on third party advertising in municipal elections. For example, neighbourhood associations, clubs or professional associations cannot register and cannot make contributions to third party advertisers. Members may register as individual third party advertisers and may contribute individually.

Federal and provincial political parties cannot register to be third party advertisers. Political parties are not permitted to be financially involved in municipal elections.

How to Register as a Third Party Advertiser

An individual or a representative of a corporation or trade union must file a Form 7: Notice of Registration Third Party with the Municipal Clerk in person or by an agent. It must have an original signature – the form may not be a copy, and may not be scanned and submitted electronically. There is no registration fee.

The Municipal Clerk must be satisfied that that the individual, corporation or trade union is eligible in order to certify the registration, and may require that identification or additional documents be provided.

A person who is filing as the representative of a corporation or a trade union should make sure that they can provide proof that they are authorized to act on the corporation or trade union’s behalf.

Being registered in a municipality allows the third party to advertise to the voters in that municipality. A third party advertiser can support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local council and school trustee.

Third-party advertisers do not need to decide before they register which candidate or candidates they want to support or oppose, and they do not have to tell the clerk what their intentions are.

A third party can only advertise to voters in the municipality where they are registered. There is no limit on the number of municipalities where a third party can register. If a third party wants to advertise to voters in more than one municipality they must register in each municipality where they wish to advertise.

Third Party Advertiser Information

Forms to Complete and Return to Clerk's Office

Third-Party Advertiser Information