Information for Candidates

Microphone A candidate may file their nomination papers as of May 2, 2022 at 8:30 am. The last day to file is Nomination Day on August 19, 2022, closing at 2:00 pm.

The upcoming Municipal Election to elect a Mayor, Ward Councillors and School Board Trustees will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022. This four (4) year Term of Office starts November 15, 2022 and will end on November 14, 2026.

Any individual looking to run for Municipal Office or for a School Board Trustee must be considered an eligible candidate and complete the prescribed nomination procedures. Please note that individuals filing a nomination and/or their agents will be required to provide identification that shows name and qualifying address.

We strongly encourage you to call or email us in order to book an appointment to file your nomination papers.

Nominations for Office

Positions for Which a Person may File a Nomination Paper at the Municipal Office:

Positions Available

Municipal Office

Mayor (1) Elected At Large
Councillors (6)
- 2 Councillors - Ward 2 (RURAL)
- 4 Councillors - Ward 1 (URBAN)

School Board Trustees

English Language School Trustee
Two (2) Trustees to be elected for the combined area of Alnwick/Haldimand Township, Town of Cobourg, Hamilton Township and the Municipality of Port Hope.
Nominations shall be filed in the Town of Cobourg Municipal Clerk’s Office, 55 King Street, West, Cobourg.
English Separate School Trustee
One (1) Trustee to be elected for Northumberland County.
Nominations shall be filed in the Town of Cobourg Municipal Clerk’s Office, 55 King Street, West, Cobourg.
Conseil Scolaire Viamonde - French Public School Trustee
One (1) Trustee to be elected by French Public electors in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Counties of Northumberland, and Peterborough and Cities of Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Quinte West
Nominations shall be filed in the City of Oshawa Municipal Clerk’s Office, 50 Centre Street South, Oshawa
Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir - French Language Separate School Trustee
One (1) Trustee to be elected by all French Catholic Electors in the areas of the Region of Durham, County of Haliburton, County of Northumberland, County of Peterborough, City of Peterborough, City of Kawartha Lakes, and City of Quinte West.
Nominations shall be filed in the City of Oshawa Municipal Clerk’s Office, 50 Centre Street South, Oshawa.

To qualify as a candidate you must be:

A Canadian citizen;
At least 18 years old;
A resident in the Municipality of Port Hope, or;
A non-resident of the Municipality of Port Hope and you or your spouse own or rent property in the municipality;
Not legally prohibited from voting; and
Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office.

You are not eligible to run as a candidate if you are:

A judge of any court;
A member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations or the Clerk will not certify the nomination;
A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election.

Nomination Process

To run for Mayor or Ward Councillor for the 2022 Municipal Election, you must file a nomination paper with the Office of the Municipal Clerk, located at 56 Queen Street. If you’re running as a candidate for Mayor or Ward Councillor, you must gather at least 25 endorsements from eligible voters in Port Hope.

We strongly recommend that you call or email to make an appointment for filing your nomination, so that staff can review the contents of the Candidate Information Package with you, and answer any questions that you may have.

Note: Those wishing to run for school board trustee must file their nomination with the Town of Cobourg Municipal Office, located at 55 King Street West, Cobourg. If you’re running for school board trustee, you don’t need to provide endorsements. Those wishing to run for French school board trustee must file their nomination with the City of Oshawa Municipal Office, located at 50 Centre Street South.

How to file a nomination

A potential candidate must file nomination papers along with the filing fee prior to receiving any campaign contributions and/or expending any funds on a campaign.

Nominations must be filed in person with the Office of the Municipal Clerk. Please call 905-885-4544 or email us in order to book an appointment.

To file a nomination, you must provide:

completed nomination paper (see required forms below);
at least 25 declaration of endorsements from eligible voters (mayor and councillor candidates only). We strongly recommend that you collect more than 25 endorsements to ensure that you have the required amount of endorsements to certify your nominations (see Form 2 below);
current, acceptable identification;
nomination filing fee ($200 for mayoral candidates, $100 for councillor candidates, paid by cash or debit card, certified cheque or money order). Nomination fees are refunded to candidates once financial statement is filed, in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act.

If an agent is filing a nomination on your behalf, the agent must provide the above documents as well as their own identification. The agent must also provide a letter authorizing them to file a nomination on your behalf with your original signature.

Candidate Information packages will be made available at the Municipal Clerk's Office before May 2022. These packages will include additional forms that may need to be filled out at the time of filing the nomination.

Please call or email to make an appointment prior to filing your nomination.

Required Forms and Resources

If you are having issues accessing these forms, please open and download the form from your browser. Once downloaded, you will need to view the document on Adobe Reader 8 or higher.

Campaigning: Spending, Advertising and Financial Statements

Campaign Spending

You cannot spend money to campaign, or ask for or accept contributions before filing nomination forms.

There are limits to how much you can spend during a campaign. More information will be available when nominations open in 2022.

Financial Statements

All candidates must disclose their campaign finance information to the Municipality by filing a financial statement with the Clerk’s Office.

For more information, check the Ministry of Municipal Affairs Candidates’ Guide.

All financial statements filed with the Municipality are available to the public according to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

Campaign Signs

There are rules about the placement and use of campaign signs. For more information, read the Sign By-law. If you need an accessible version of this PDF, please contact us.

2022 Municipal Elections – Candidate Information Session

The 2022 Municipal Candidate Information Session took place on April 27, 2022. The session, presented by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, provided an overview of the following:

Roles and responsibilities of elected officials, staff and third party advertisers
Eligibility rules
Nomination process
Campaign finances
Compliance audit
Voters’ list and voting proxy
Scrutineers
Recounts
Resources

To view the recording of the session, see the below video:

View the slide deck from the presentation.

Candidates – FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for candidates
Question	Answer
How can I file my Nomination Papers?	Please contact the Office of the Municipal Clerk to pick up a Candidate Information Package prior to filing your nomination. You are requested to book an appointment with the Deputy Clerk in order to file your nomination papers. Please contact 905-885-4544 to book an appointment or email elections@porthope.ca
When can I put up my Election signs?	As per By-law 17/2005, "Election signs are permitted in any Zone following declaration of a Provincial or Federal election or within 8 weeks prior to the date of a municipal election. All Election Signs shall be removed by the candidate or the agent of the candidate within 1 week following the date of the election." For candidates, that date is August 26, 2022. So you may not erect any election signs prior to this date. Please also review Section 88.3(2) of the Municipal Elections Act for more information.
When can I start campaigning?	Once you have filed your nomination papers you can start campaigning. Please remember to contact the Municipality of Port Hope to make an appointment to file your nomination papers.
Can I attend events in order to campaign?	You may attend some events in order to campaign. Please ensure you review the Use of Corporate Services for Election Purposes Policy (provided in the Candidate Information Package) to ensure compliance.
Who can make a contribution to my campaign?	Please refer to Section 88.8(3) of the Municipal Elections Act. You can accept contributions only from individuals who are normally residents in Ontario. If your spouse is not normally a resident in Ontario, they can still make contributions to your campaign.
Who cannot make a contribution to my campaign?	Please refer to Section 88.8(4) of the Municipal Elections Act. The following individuals and organizations are not permitted to make contributions to municipal council and school board campaigns: a corporation a trade union an individual who is not normally 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
Can I receive a donation via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)?	Section 88.8(8) of the Municipal Elections Act states, “A contribution of money that exceeds $25 shall not be contributed in the form of cash and shall be contributed in a manner that associates the contributor’s name and account with the payment or by a money order signed by the contributor.” Therefore, so long as the electronic fund transfer meets this stipulation and associates the contributor’s name and account with the payment, an EFT can be accepted.
How much can I personally contribute to my campaign?	Please refer to Section 88.9.1 of the Municipal Elections Act for the calculation of maximum contribution to a candidate’s own campaign. There is a self funding limit of $0.20 per eligible elector, plus a base amount. For more information, contact the Office of the Municipal Clerk.
What is the maximum amount an individual can contribute to my campaign?	Please refer to Section 88.9 of the Municipal Elections Act. A contributor shall not make contributions exceeding a total of $1,200 to any one candidate in an election. A contributor shall not make contributions exceeding a total of $5,000 to two or more candidates for office on the same council or local board. This does not apply to contributions made to a candidate’s own election campaign by the candidate or his or her spouse.

Lead Where You Live guide

The Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) has developed a guide for people interested in running in the 2022 Municipal Election. The Lead Where You Live guide is available for purchase online. For more information about the guide, please visit the AMO website or call 1-877-426-6527.

We all win logo

We all win when there are more diverse voices at council

The AMO We All Win campaign promotes the understanding that municipal governments serve the public better when they reflect the diversity of their communities. Having the voice of diverse genders and identities, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities is key to building inclusive and sustainable communities across the province.