All candidates are required to file a Financial Statement – Form 4 (English/French) by 2 p.m. on March 31, 2023.
You are responsible for keeping records of the financial activities related to your campaign. You may want to consult with an auditor or an accountant early in your campaign to make sure that you are using a bookkeeping and accounting system that will suit your needs.
You should also look through the campaign Financial Statement – Form 4 (English) / État financier – Rapport du vérificateur Candidat – Formulaire 4 (French) that you will be required to file to make sure that you are keeping records of all the information that must be included on the 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.
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Monday, May 1, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Friday, September 29, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Monday, October 30, 2023
You must have your financial statement audited by a licensed auditor under the Public Accounting Act, 2004 and include the auditor’s report when you submit your financial statement if:
If your campaign ends with a surplus, you can refund the value of contributions that you and your spouse made from the surplus. You are not permitted to refund eligible contributions made by anyone other than you or your spouse.
If a surplus still remains, this surplus must be paid to the City Clerk when you file your financial statement. You (or an agent) must file your financial statement in-person at our City Hall office.
The surplus can be paid via cash, certified cheque, bank draft or money order payable to “Treasurer, City of Toronto”. Please note that personal cheques are not accepted.
If an eligible elector believes a candidate has broken election finance rules, they may apply for a compliance audit of your campaign finances. The application must set out the reasons why they believe the candidate contravened the rules.
An application for a compliance audit must be submitted to the City Clerk within 90 days of the deadline to file a financial statement.
A compliance audit committee will decide whether to grant or reject the application. You may appeal the committee’s decision to the Superior Court of Justice within 15 days of their decision.
Public documents can only be viewed at 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)
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, a candidate will automatically receive penalties if:
Penalties are ineligibility to run for office or fill a vacancy until after the 2026 election and if elected, you will forfeit the office.