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Friday marks the formal kickoff to campaign season in municipalities across Ontario, launching a nearly six-month countdown to election day.
It’s the first day candidates will be able to file nomination papers to get on the ballot for the Oct. 26 vote.
In Ottawa, several candidates have already announced plans to run, including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and the bulk of incumbent councillors, but Friday will mark a major shift in the rules of the race.
Most importantly, filing nomination papers will allow candidates to open a campaign bank account and start spending money on everything from advertising to room rentals to campaign staff.
What does it take to run?
It’s pretty easy to file. Eligible candidates only need to gather signatures from 25 voters and pay $100, or $200 to run for mayor.
As a broad rule, anyone who can vote is eligible to run. That means any adult Canadian citizen who lives in Ottawa or owns property in the city, as well as their spouses.
There are a few exceptions. Judges, MPs and MPPs cannot run for municipal office. Prisoners are barred from voting, and thus from running, as are people convicted of certain corruption offences.
What happens next?
While a rush of candidates typically show up in the first few days of the campaign period, candidates will still have months to submit. The deadline is Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.
That’s also the last chance for candidates to change the office they’re seeking, for example a shift from councillor to mayor or vice versa. It’s also the deadline to withdraw their name from the ballot.
The next big date comes on Sept. 11, when candidates can begin placing signs on public and private property.
When does the voting happen?
Election day is Oct. 26, but there are several ways to vote beforehand.
There will be four days of special advance voting from Oct. 1 to 4. During that period, residents will be able to vote in any polling place, regardless of their address.
Another advance voting day follows on Oct. 16, when residents can vote at an assigned voting place in their ward.
Mail-in ballots will also be an option, with more information expected once the campaign period begins.
Who will I be voting for?
Voters will be able to cast a ballot for mayor, city councillor and school board trustee for a four-year term that will run until 2030.
The mayor is elected citywide, while councillors run in 24 separate wards. Voters have to choose which of four school boards they support and can elect a candidate for that board in their district.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board remains under supervision, meaning its elected trustees will remain sidelined for as long as a provincial supervisor oversees operations.
Despite that, candidates will still be able to file nomination papers on Friday to run to be one of 12 OCDSB trustees.
But their role won’t be the same as it was. The province recently introduced changes to reduce the role of trustees at English-language boards in everything from budgeting to collective bargaining. That will be true even after supervision ends.