Elections for municipal government are held every four years on the  fourth Monday of October*. Prior to the vote in 2006, the period between elections had been 3 years. For example, 2000, 2003 and 2006 were municipal election years.

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario legislation (Bill 81, Schedule H), passed in 2006, set the length of terms in office for all municipal elected officials at four years.

*Passage of the Good Government Act, 2009 means new municipal elections rules to take effect. Among them, elections will now be held on the fourth Monday of October. The next municipal election will be held on October 25, 2010.

Where the polling day falls on a holiday, polling day shall be the next succeeding day that is not a holiday. 

Think about all the services your municipal government is responsible for providing. 

Roads. Public transit. Child Care. Local policing. Water and sewers. Ambulances. Parks. Recreation. 

Learn who in your community best represents your position on the issues that mean the most to you and your family. 

Who can vote in the elections?

Anyone can vote in a municipal election who, on the day of the election, is:

• 18 years of age or older
• a Canadian citizen; and
• either a resident of the municipality or a property owner or tenant or the spouse or same sex partner of an owner or tenant in the municipality during a specified time just before the election. 

If you are on the voters list, you should receive a card in late October telling you that you are eligible to vote. If you think you are eligible to vote, but have not received your card by the end of October in an election year, call your municipality to find out what to do in order to vote. Often, municipalities will publish this kind of information in the local newspaper. 

Who can be a candidate?

Generally, anyone who is eligible to vote may be a candidate for a position on a municipal council. 

When you think about candidates for federal or provincial elections, you usually think about the political party that each candidate represents. In municipal elections in Ontario, candidates are not elected to represent a political party. 

Some statistics about the 2006 municipal elections

Sites of Interest:

AMCTO's Municipal Election Management
Kingston Electors 
City of London Municipal elections 2010
Municipal World's Ontario Municipal Elections
Toronto Elections
Women’s Municipal Campaign School, City of Kitchener—Council Chambers

For more information on municipal elections in Ontario, visit the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing site on Municipal Elections