Third Party Advertisers

Person on laptop with icons of an envelope, a magaphone, document and charts You can register as a third party advertiser between May 1 to October 23, 2026.

A third party advertisement is an ad that supports, promotes, or opposes a candidate, or a "yes" or "no" answer to a question on the ballot.

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.

Third party advertisers who wish to spend money on advertisements during the election must register with the Municipal Clerk and must file a financial statement.

Please review the 2026 Municipal Elections Guide for Third Party Advertisers for more information.

You're eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

An individual resident of Ontario
A corporation carrying on business in Ontario
A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

A group, association or business that is not a corporation
A federal or provincial political partyThe
Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board

Types of Third Party Advertisers

Corporations

If you’re registering on behalf of a corporation you must provide:

Proof that the corporation operates in Ontario and that you are the director. This could include a corporate search or incorporating documents.
A piece of government-issued identification

If the corporation has more than one director, provide a resolution from the board authorizing you to act as the corporation’s representative.

If the same people or person own or control multiple corporations, or if one corporation controls another, only one corporation can register as a third party advertiser.

Individuals

If you’re registering as an individual, you must provide a piece of identification that proves your identity and that you live in Ontario.

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
How they would be able to demonstrate that they were not working in co-ordination with the candidate

Trade Unions

If you are registering on behalf of a trade union, you must provide:

Proof union exists
Proof you have been appointed to act on the trade union’s behalf

Registration Process

An individual, corporation or trade union must complete and file the Notice of Registration (Form 7), as established by the Province of Ontario. Instructions for opening the form:

Notice of Registration (Form 7): Open link, download the form to your computer, then open the form from your downloads with Adobe program.

Applicable election forms can also be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Central Form Repository.

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

Notice of Registrations (Form 7) can be filed from May 1, 2026 to October 23, 2026. During this period, the Municipal Clerk and Deputy Clerk are generally available for drop-in questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

You must book an appointment to file your registration. To book an appointment, call (905-885-4544) or email. This is in order for staff to review the contents of the Third Party Advertiser Information Package with you, and answer any questions that you may have.

There is no registration fee for third party advertisers.

Third Party Advertisers – FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for Third Party Advertisers
Question	Answer
What is a Third Party Advertisement?	A third party advertisement is a message in any medium (billboard, newspaper, radio, etc.) that supports or opposes a candidate or a “yes” or “no” vote on a question on the ballot. Third party advertising does not include issues-based advertising so groups that do public outreach can continue their issued-based advocacy work throughout the municipal election period.
What is the campaign period for third party advertisers?	The campaign period begins on the day the individual, corporation or trade union registers with the municipality and ends on December 31 in the case of a regular election.
What information must third party advertisers include?	Registered third parties must identify themselves and provide mandatory information on all advertising. Third party advertisements must contain the following information: Name of the registered third party advertiser; Municipality where the third party advertiser is registered; and Telephone number, mailing address or email address at which the registered third party advertiser may be contacted regarding the advertisement.
What is a contribution?	A contribution shall not be made to or accepted by an individual, corporation or trade union in relation to third party advertisements that appear during an election in a municipality, or made to or accepted by an individual acting under his, her or its direction, unless the individual, corporation or trade union is a registered third party in relation to the election in the municipality. No contribution shall be made to or accepted outside the campaign period.
Do third party advertisers have to file a financial statement?	Yes. Each third party advertiser who registers in a Municipal Election must file a Financial Statement with the Municipal Clerk. These statements are made public. The prescribed Financial Statement (Form 8) issued can be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Central Form Repository.