Municipal elections will be held across Ontario on October 26, 2026. We’ll be voting for a mayor, our ward councillor, and a school trustee.
The most important way to support a candidate is to vote for them. In the 2022 election, of the 142,218 eligible voters in Burlington, only 39,217, or 27.6 percent, voted.
Other ways to support a candidate include getting a lawn sign, volunteering to help with their campaign, and donating to their campaign fund.
What are the rules on campaign donations?
1 – Who can make a contribution?
“Any person who is a resident of Ontario can make a contribution to a candidate’s campaign or contribute to a third-party advertiser to help fund their advertisements.”
2 – Who can’t?
People or groups listed here are not eligible to make contributions.
- Groups such as clubs, associations or ratepayers’ groups.
- A corporation.
- A trade union.
- An individual who is not normally a resident in Ontario.
- A federal political party, constituency association, or a registered candidate in a federal election.
- A provincial political party, constituency association, or a registered candidate or leadership contestant.
- A federal or provincial government, a municipality or a school board.
3 – What is a “Third Party Advertiser”?
“A third-party advertiser is an advertiser that supports, promotes or opposes a candidate, or supports, promotes or opposes a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to a question on the ballot.”
“The meaning of ‘third-party’ in this context is a person or entity who is not a candidate.”
“If you want to spend money on third-party advertisements during the election, you must register first with the municipal clerk, and you must file a financial statement.”
4 – What is the contribution Limit?
In Burlington, “You may contribute a maximum of $1,200 to a single candidate”.
“You may also contribute a maximum of $1,200 to a third-party advertiser.“
You may contribute to more than one third-party advertiser, up to $5,000 per municipality.
“You may not contribute more than $5,000 in total to candidates running for offices on the same council or school board, or to third-party advertisers who are registered in the same municipality.”
5 – How much can a candidate donate to their own campaign?
In Burlington, assuming there are at least 142,218 eligible voters, a candidate and their spouse may collectively donate the $25,000 maximum amount to their own campaigns.
6 – What happens if a candidate has money left over?
“If your campaign ends with a surplus, you can withdraw the value of contributions that you and your spouse made from the surplus. If you still have a surplus once you have withdrawn your contributions, the remaining surplus must be turned over to the clerk.”
Money turned over to the clerk is recorded as revenue by the city.
7 – Are donations to municipal elections tax-deductible?
Unlike donations to provincial and federal candidates, donations to municipal candidates are not tax-deductible. For the 2022 election, our council passed a bylaw authorizing donation rebates; no such program has been announced for this election.
8 – Are there spending limits?
Yes, and the limits are based on the number of eligible voters. In 2022, Burlington had 142,218 eligible voters, which is used in these calculations.
- Candidates for mayor can spend $7,500 + 85 cents per voter – the limit is $128,385.
- Candidates for council can spend $5,000 + 85 cents per voter – the limit is $125,885.
- Third-party advertisers can spend $7,500 + .05 cents per voter – the limit is $14,610. There is no limit on the number of third-party advertisers.
9 – What rules are in place to maintain the integrity of the system?
“Contributions greater than $25 may not be made in cash. All contributions above $25 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds came from.”
“If the total value of the contributions you’ve made to a candidate or to a third-party advertiser is greater than $100, your name and address will be recorded in the candidate’s or third-party advertiser’s financial statement. The financial statement is a public document.”
Full audits are conducted only if an eligible voter requests one and the Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee determines it is required.
It is worth noting that candidates can contribute up to $25,000 to their own campaigns. The rules don’t require documentation on the source of the funds.
How else can you support your candidate?
Lawn signs, door-to-door campaigning, buttons, and more options are available. The most important thing you can do is vote!
The details for the people not running for office are here:
The details for candidates are here:
The details for third-party advertisers are here:
https://www.ontario.ca/document/2026-third-party-advertisers-guide/finance-rules
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If corporations are not allowed to make political donations to candidates then how do some councillors receive significant / multiple donations from land development companies?