Elections

Voting Day is October 26, 2026.

The nomination period for candidates begins May 1, 2026.

The deadline for filing of nominations is Nomination Day, August 21, 2026 by 2 p.m.

Candidates for the Office of Mayor and Councilor must, by the day on which the nomination paper is filed, be:

• A Canadian citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident of the Town of Blind River, or an owner or tenant of land in the Town of Blind River, or the spouse of the owner or tenant
• Not legally prohibited from voting
• Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

The following are disqualified for office on Blind River Council:

• A Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario or the Senate or House of Commons of Canada who has not resigned from such office as of the close of nominations. If, at the close of nominations, proof of resignation has not been provided, the nomination shall be rejected by the Clerk
• A judge of any court
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement in the last municipal election or by-election

Town of Blind River employees who wish to seek office on Blind River Council must take an unpaid leave of absence prior to filing nomination papers. Proof of leave must be provided to the Office of the Clerk at the time their nomination is submitted.

To run for office as a School Board Trustee with any of the four school boards, a candidate must as of the date they file their nomination, be:

• A Canadian citizen
• at least 18 years of age
• a resident in the area of jurisdiction of the board
• not legally prohibited from voting
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

The following are disqualified from seeking office as a School Board Trustee:

• A clerk, treasurer, deputy-clerk or deputy-treasurer of any municipality within the area of jurisdiction of the school board except those on an unpaid leave of absence
• a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario or the Senate or House of Commons of Canada who has not resigned from such office as of the close of nominations. If, at the close of nominations, proof of resignation has not been provided, the nomination shall be rejected by the Clerk
• a candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement in the last municipal election or by-election

Employees of any school board are disqualified from being elected as School Board Trustee or from holding office on any school board, except during a leave of absence. The employee must be on a leave of absence before filing their nomination papers and must provide proof of their leave of absence to the Office of the Clerk at the time their nomination is submitted.

You can begin campaigning once you have filed your complete nomination package with the Clerk. The Municipal Elections Act prohibits any form of campaigning prior to the candidate's nomination papers having been filed with the Clerk.

NO. If you are a current member of council seeking re-election, you are not permitted to use any corporate resources provided to you for your term. This includes municipal issued cell phone, iPad and email address. A copy of the Use of Corporate Resources Policy was provided in the Candidates Package.

You may file new nomination papers by August 21, 2026 at 2 p.m. to switch the office you are running for.

Candidates may withdraw their nomination no later than 2 p.m. on August 21, 2026.

Expense limits are based on the office you campaign for. The formula for calculating expense limits are as follows:

• Head of Council (Mayor): $7,500 plus $0.85 per eligible elector ($7,500 + $2,795.65* = $10,295.65)
• Councilor or School Board Trustee: $5,000 plus $0.85 per eligible elector ($5,000 + $2,795.65* = $7,795.65)

*2022 Registered Voters = 3289

The limit placed on the amount of expenses that may be incurred for parties and other events which occur after voting day is set at 10% of the general spending limit for candidates.

The refundable filing fee, paid to the Clerk at the time of nomination, are as follows:

• $200 for the Head of Council (Mayor)
• $100 for Councilor and School Board Trustee

The filing fee will be refunded if your campaign financial statement has been received by the filing deadline.

As of 2018, contributions to candidates may only be received from individuals. Corporations and trade unions may no longer contribute to candidates for municipal or school board offices. Legislation has provided for registered third parties, which will permit corporations and trade unions to raise and spend funds in respect to elections. Please see below for details on registered third parties and associated advertising.

The following contribution limits are imposed on individual contributions to candidates:

• An individual shall not contribute more than $1,200 to any one candidate; and
• A contributor shall not make contributions exceeding $5,000 to two or more candidates for office on the same council or local board.

A candidate and their spouse may not contribute an amount which exceeds the lesser of the following:
The amount calculated by adding:

• For a candidate for the office of Mayor, $7,500 plus $0.20 for each elector entitled to vote for the office ($7,500 + $689* = $8,189) or
• For a candidate for office other than Mayor, $5,000 plus $0.20 for each elector entitled to vote for the office ($5,000 + $689* = $5,689);
• and $25,000

*2022 Registered Voters = 3289

Fundraising shall not take place for a person who is not a candidate (this means that an individual must submit their nomination before raising funds to support a campaign for office). Fundraising may not take place outside of the campaign period (May 1 to December 31 in an election year).
The following also applies to fundraising:

• An amount charged for admission to a fundraising function is considered a contribution.
• If goods and services are sold for more than their market value at a fundraising function, the difference between the amount paid and the market value is considered a contribution. However, if the amount received for the goods or services is $25 or less, the amount is not a contribution.
• An amount of $25 or less that is donated at a fundraising function is NOT considered a contributions.
• The amount received for goods and services sold at a fundraising function, if the amount is $25 or less, is NOT considered a contribution.

YES. However, you will need to account for their current day cost for this campaign period on your financial statement as an expense.

Yes

If you have been elected and you fail to submit your campaign financial statements you will forfeit your seat and are unable to run or be appointed to Council until the next regular election (October 2026). This will result in the candidate being ineligible to receive their nomination fee refund.

Registered third parties are individuals, corporations or trade unions which register with the Clerk for the purposes of conducting advertising promoting, supporting or opposing a candidate (or candidates) for office at the municipal or school board level.

See the 2026 Third Party Advertisers' Guide in your Candidate Package.

The Town of Blind River's Sign By-law provides for the regulation of election signage within the Town of Blind River. A copy of the by-law is included in your candidate's package.

Any election signs found to be on municipal property will be removed by Town Staff and returned to Town Hall. Candidates will be notified and are to attend Town Hall to collect their signs.

All candidates are to seek permission from the property owner before placing any signage.

The permissible size of signs at a campaign headquarters will depend on the content of the sign as well as the type of sign. Candidates should consult with the Town's Planning and Building department and Sign By-law 18-33, as amended, to determine which regulations apply. The submission of a sketch with all relevant dimensions and locations noted will assist the Planning and Building Department in providing advice.

The external identification signage associated with the campaign offices are business premises signs that require sign permits. These signs must comply with all relevant sections of the Town's Sign By-law.

The Voter's List will be available for pick up by candidates in September. The Clerk will provide hard copies of the electors list to those certified candidates who request one.

Throughout the voting period, the Voter's List will continue to be made available to Candidates and will be updated daily.