Become a Candidate

Nominations are accepted between May 2, 2022 and August 19, 2022 during regular business hours Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays). On August 19, 2022, nominations will be accepted between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All in-person candidate services will only be provided at:

Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
1st floor, west

Walk-ins will be accepted for filing a nomination on August 18 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and August 19 (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.). Please be advised that wait times may be longer than usual.

To file a nomination, you must provide:

1. Nomination paper (English) / Déclaration de candidature (French)
2. At least 25 declarations on Endorsement of Nomination – Form 2 (English) / Appui à une candidature – Formulaire 2 (French) (mayor and councillor candidates only)
3. Current acceptable identification as noted on this page
4. Nomination filing fee (paid by cash, credit or debit card, certified cheque or money order, payable to ‘Treasurer, City of Toronto’)
   • The filing fee is $200 for candidates running for mayor and $100 for candidates running for councillor or school board trustee
   • Nomination fees are refunded after candidates file the required financial statement(s)

Please note that original signatures are required on all forms.

If an agent is filing a nomination on your behalf, the agent must provide the above documents as well as their own identification.

To run for mayor or city councillor, on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be:

1. A Canadian citizen
2. At least 18 years of age
3. A resident of the City of Toronto, or
4. An owner or tenant of land in the City of Toronto, or the spouse of the owner or tenant
5. Not legally prohibited from voting
6. Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

Who Cannot be a Mayoral or Councillor Candidate

The following people are disqualified from being elected as mayor or councillor:

• 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
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election, or failed to provide their surplus to the Clerk in the last municipal election or by-election

City of Toronto Employees

• Employees of the City of Toronto who wish to run for mayor or councillor must take an unpaid leave of absence before filing a nomination paper. Documentation proving the leave of absence is required.

2022 Information for School Board Trustees

To run for any of the four school boards on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be:

1. A Canadian citizen
2. At least 18 years of age
3. A resident in the area of jurisdiction* of the board
4. Not legally prohibited from voting
5. Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

Who Cannot be a School Board Trustee Candidate

The following people are disqualified from being elected as a school board trustee, or from holding office on any school board:

• A clerk, treasurer, deputy-clerk or deputy-treasurer of any municipality within the area of jurisdiction of the school board except those on an unpaid leave of absence
• 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.
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election

School Board Employees

• Employees of any school board in Ontario (including supply teachers) are disqualified from being elected as school board trustee or from holding office on any school board, except during a leave of absence.
• The employee must be on a leave of absence before filing their nomination paper. Documentation proving the leave of absence is required.

Types of School Boards

• Toronto District School Board
• Toronto Catholic District School Board
• Conseil scolaire Viamonde
• Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir

*Areas of jurisdiction

If you wish to run for school board trustee, you must live in the jurisdiction. For the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board the area of jurisdiction is the City of Toronto boundaries.

Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir school boundaries expand beyond the City of Toronto boundaries. Even though the boundaries go beyond the City of Toronto, if you wish to run in the Toronto wards, you must file your nomination paper with the City of Toronto.

2022 School Board Ward Reference Chart

Candidates filing a nomination must present current acceptable identification (ID) showing name, qualifying Toronto address and signature. One piece of ID or a combination of two pieces of ID as specified here will meet the ID requirement.

One piece of ID showing name, qualifying Toronto address and signature:

• Ontario driver’s licence
• Ontario Health Card (photo card with address)
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion)
• Cancelled personalized cheque
• Mortgage, lease or rental agreement
• Insurance policy
• Loan or financial agreement with a financial institution
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

OR

Two pieces of ID:

First piece of ID showing name and signature:

• Ontario driver’s licence
• Ontario Health Card
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion)
• Canadian passport
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Veterans Affairs Canada Health Card
• Social Insurance Number Card
• Old Age Security Card
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Employee Identification card
• Student Identification card issued by a post-secondary institution
• Union Identification card or professional licence card
• Cancelled personalized cheque
• Mortgage, lease or rental agreement for property in Ontario
• Insurance policy
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

Second piece of ID showing name and qualifying Toronto address:

• Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion)
• Income tax assessment notice
• Child Tax Benefit Statement
• Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E
• Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS)
• Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P)
• Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
• Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works
• Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007
• Property tax assessment
• Insurance statement
• Mortgage, lease or rental statement for property in Ontario
• Credit card, bank account, RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement
• CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization which provides services to persons with disabilities
• Hospital card or record
• Document showing campus residence issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution
• Utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a  public utilities commission
• Cheque stub, T4 or pay receipt issued by an employer
• Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

If you no longer wish to be a candidate, you must file a Notice of Withdrawal of Nomination (English) / Retrait de l’avis de candidature (French) in-person on or before 2 p.m. on August 19, 2022. Candidates cannot withdraw after the nomination period has closed.

Candidates who have withdrawn their nomination are still required to file a financial statement.

If you wish to run for a different office after filing a nomination, you must:

• file the Notice of Withdrawal of Nomination (English) / Retrait de l’avis de candidature (French) for the old office
• file a Nomination paper (English) / Déclaration de candidature (French) for the new office, and
• pay the nomination filing fee for the new office.

Campaign Finances

• Each campaign is separate and contributions and expenses cannot be transferred from one campaign to the other.
• You must open a separate bank account for each campaign.
• Contribution limits apply to all campaigns.

Financial Statement

You will be required to file a Financial Statement – Form 4 (English) / État financier – Rapport du vérificateur Candidat – Formulaire 4 (French) for each campaign.

• Withdrawn campaigns will show all financial activity from the day the nomination paper is filed until the day the withdrawal is filed.
• A current campaign will show all financial activity from the day the nomination paper is filed until the end of the campaign period (January 3, 2023).

The City Clerk’s Office requires payment for certain election-related purposes, including but not limited to:

• filing a nomination to become a candidate or changing office
• paying surplus funds to the clerk at the time of financial filing

The following payment methods will be accepted:

• cash
• credit card (VISA, MasterCard and American Express)
• debit card
• certified cheque
• money order
• bank draft

Please note: Certified cheques, money orders and bank drafts must be payable to the Treasurer, City of Toronto.

Nomination papers, endorsements of nomination, and other public documents that are filed with the City Clerk can only be viewed at the Toronto Elections Office, City Hall (100 Queen St. West) during regular business hours (Monday-Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays).

Financial Statements

• Filed financial statements are public documents and will be posted on the City’s website in their entirety, including the names and addresses of all those who contributed over $100.

The candidates listed below are in default of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. This means that they cannot run or be appointed to any municipal office until after the next general election.