Toronto City Clerk John D. Elvidge has released the dates for the Mayoral by-election, subject to City Council declaring the vacancy and passing a bylaw requiring a by-election at its meeting March 29 to 31.
The City Clerk has set the following Mayoral by-election dates:
Electors will also be provided with the option to vote by mail.
During the March meeting, Council will consider recommendations from the City Clerk to formally declare the Office of Mayor vacant and to pass a bylaw requiring a by-election be held to fill the vacancy. These steps are required by provincial law.
The timing of the by-election is determined independent of Council by the City Clerk. Under the Municipal Elections Act, the City Clerk fixes nomination day (i.e. close of nominations) between 30 and 60 days after the passing of the bylaw declaring an office vacant. The by-election occurs 45 days after nomination day.
Although the City Clerk would not ordinarily fix or announce dates in advance of Council passing a bylaw, in this circumstance the City Clerk considers it to be in the best interests of the City, candidates and electors to announce the applicable by-election dates as early as possible. Making the dates public now also allows the City Clerk to start making preparations including hiring election staff and booking voting locations.
Potential candidates are reminded that under the Municipal Elections Act, a person may not incur campaign expenses or accept campaign contributions until after they have filed nomination papers with the City Clerk.
From an administrative point of view, a by-election for Mayor of Toronto requires the same efforts as a general election. The City Clerk will conduct the June 26 by-election in a similar manner to the October 24, 2022 general election.
The estimated budget for the by-election is approximately $13 million co mpared to the actual expenses of $14.5 million for the October 24, 2022 general election.
A Backgrounder on the City of Toronto mayoral transition process is available on the City’s media room webpage.
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