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Information on third party advertising in Ontario municipal elections and how to register as a third party advertiser if you are an individual, corporation, or trade union that plans to spend any money on advertising that promotes, supports, or opposes a candidate in the Ward 22 by-election.
A third party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that has the purpose of promoting, supporting or opposing a candidate in an election.
Individuals, corporations, or trade unions who wish to conduct third party advertising in the Ward 22 by-election must be registered with the City Clerk.
Third party advertisements do not include:
Individuals, corporations, and trade unions can register as third party advertisers and can also make contributions to other registered third party advertisers.
All third party advertisers are required to register with the City Clerk of the municipality where they want to advertise. This registration must be certified by the Clerk before they can accept any contributions or spend any money on advertising. There is no cost to register as a third party advertiser.
There are limits to the amount of money that a registered third party advertiser can spend on their campaign.
Candidates cannot register as a third party advertiser, nor can they direct a third party advertiser.
If a person, corporation, or trade union wishes to spend money on advertisements that promote, support, or oppose a candidate in the City of Toronto Councillor, Ward 22 by-election, they must first file a Notice of Registration with the City Clerk. The first day to register as a third party advertiser will be October 29, 2020.
A third party advertiser cannot raise or spend money on their campaign until their registration has been certified by the City Clerk.
The third party advertiser registration period opens on Thursday, October 29, 2020 and closes on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
The Notice of Registration must be filed in person, and can be filed Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Election Services Office at 89 Northline Road.
You are eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:
You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:
To become a third party advertiser you must first file a Notice of Registration in person or by an agent. This Notice of Registration must be certified by the City Clerk before any money can be raised or spent on advertising. There is no fee required to register as a third party advertiser.
If you are filing as an individual registrant, you must present original acceptable identification showing your name, qualifying Ontario address and signature. This can be one piece of ID or a combination of two pieces of ID.
If you are filing as an agent of an individual registrant, or, as the official representative of a corporation or trade union registrant, you must present original acceptable identification showing your name and signature.
Before spending any money or accepting any contributions, you must visit a financial institution to open a bank account for your campaign.
All contributions must be deposited into your campaign account and all expenses must be paid from your campaign account. Do not use a personal bank account for third party advertising campaign purposes.
When opening your bank account, present the financial institution with a copy of your certified Notice of Registration and the Letter to Banks
All registered third party advertisers in the Councillor, Ward 22 by-election are subject to limits on the amount of money they can spend on their advertising campaign.
Registered third party advertisers can accept contributions from individuals, corporations, and trade unions. However, there are limits to the amount of money that these contributors can give.
Third party advertisers should make sure that their contributors are aware of these contribution limits.
There is no limit on how much a registered third party advertiser (and, if the third party advertiser is an individual, their spouse) can contribute to their own advertising campaign.
Third party advertisers have access to a portal called MyCampaign that allows them to access campaign information. Third party advertisers can also provide contact information through MyCampaign that will be posted on the City’s website.
The Electronic Financial Filing System (EFFS) is a system that allows third party advertisers to input and track all contributions and expenses. The system will provide contribution receipts and can produce the required financial statement. An EFFS manual is available in MyCampaign.
Election signs and campaign office signs are subject to rules under the City’s Election Sign By-law and the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. For information about when, where and how signs may be displayed, visit the Municipal Licencing and Standards web page Election Signs and the quick reference guide on Election Sign Placement.
For candidate who have questions relating to election signs email: electionsigns@toronto.ca
For election sign complaints call 311.
Third party advertisers must identify themselves and provide mandatory information on all advertising beginning October 29, 2020 until the close of voting on Election Day. Third party advertisements must contain the following information:
Third party advertising must be done independently of candidates, who are not able to direct a third party advertiser. If a candidate wishes to purchase or direct their own election campaign advertising, they must follow rules under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 at identify themselves on their advertisements.
Registered third party advertisers are prohibited from using the City of Toronto’s logo, graphics or any other item of City intellectual property for any campaign-related purpose or material including, but not limited to, signs, printed or electronic publications, flyers, brochures, e-mails, websites, posters, and promotional items.
It is the responsibility of the registered third party advertiser to protect any personal information collected from the purpose of filing election forms (e.g., financial statements) until such time the forms are filed with the City Clerk. Once filed, all documents and materials submitted to the City Clerk are subject to access and privacy provisions of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and other applicable legislation.
View the full list of election related by-laws, legislation, policies and procedures.
The campaign period begins on the day the City Clerk certifies third party advertiser’s Notice of Registration and ends on March 1, 2021. A registered third party advertiser cannot raise or spend any money after this date unless they file a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period – Form 6 to extend their campaign.
Registered third party advertisers who believe they will have a deficit can file a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period – Form 6 by 4:30 p.m. on March 1, 2021 to extend their campaign until September 1, 2021 in order to continue raising money.
Third party advertisers who extend their campaign must file two financial statements: an initial statement and a supplementary statement.
If a third party advertiser’s initial filing is accompanied by the required Auditor’s Report, their supplementary filing must have a new Auditor’s Report attached. (see Auditor’s Report section).
All registered third party advertisers must file an initial financial statement by 2 p.m. on March 31, 2021
Registered third party advertisers who submitted a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period – Form 6 to extend their campaign must also file a supplementary financial statement by 2 p.m. on October 1, 2021
Registered third party advertisers who miss a filing deadline can still submit their statement up to 30 days later provided that they pay a $500 late filing fee.
An auditor’s report must be attached to the registered third party advertiser’s financial statement at the time of filing if their campaign raised or spent more than $10,000. This is required for your initial and supplementary financial filings.
The auditor must be licensed under the Public Accounting Act, 2004.
If a registered third party advertiser’s campaign ends with a surplus, they can withdraw the value of contributions that they made to their own campaign. If the registered third party advertiser is an individual, they can also refund the value of any contributions made by their spouse.
Any remaining surplus must be paid to the City Clerk when the financial statement is filed. The surplus can be paid via cash, certified cheque or money order payable to ‘Treasurer, City of Toronto’.
Registered third party advertisers who submit a financial statement and later identify an error may withdraw their original statement and submit a new one by 2 p.m. on the filing deadline date.
If the withdrawn financial statement was accompanied by an auditor’s report, the corrected financial statement must be accompanied by a new/updated auditor’s report.
If the corrected financial statement identifies an additional surplus amount, the difference must be paid to the City Clerk at the time the corrected financial statement is filed. If the surplus amount is lower, the City Clerk will remit any difference owing with interest.
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, an individual, corporation, or trade union will not be eligible to register as a third party advertiser until after the 2022 municipal if:
Other penalties are listed in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
The third party advertisers listed below are in default of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. This means that they cannot register as a third party advertiser in any municipality until after the next general election.
| Last Name/Single Name | First Name | Reason for Default |
|---|---|---|
| Assefa | Teferi | Did not file required financial statement |
| Bala | Abdulmajid | Did not file required financial statement |
| Schoch | William | Did not file required financial statement |