Third Party Advertisers

Person on laptop with icons of an envelope, a magaphone, document and chartsYou can register as a third party advertiser between March 6 to May 31, 2024 for the 2024 Municipal By-election (Ward 2 - Rural)

Icon of a megaphone

Third party advertising is when an individual, corporation or trade union pays for advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate or issue. These types of ads are paid for by a third party group, not the candidates themselves. 

Any eligible individual, corporation or trade union that intends to spend money on advertising must register as a third party advertiser.

Third party advertisers must register with the Municipality in order to advertise during the municipal election.

Please review the 2022 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 party
  • The 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 register with the municipal clerk to be a third party advertiser in a municipality. Being registered in a municipality allows the third party to advertise to the voters in that municipality. A third party advertiser can support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local council, school trustee and candidates running for offices on an upper tier council.

Third party registrations may be filed in the Municipality of Port Hope Municipal Clerk Office, 56 Queen Street. A third party must be qualified at the time of filing the registration.

To advertise in more than one municipality, you must register in each municipality you want to advertise. 

There is no registration fee for third party advertisers. 

Third Party Advertisers – FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for Third Party Advertisers
QuestionAnswer

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 part 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.