Candidates

All candidates running for office on Vaughan Council or as a School Board Trustee are responsible for understanding and adhering to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 which sets out obligations with respect to:

• Restrictions on who may contribute to a campaign;
• Limits on campaign contributions;
• Recording of campaign expenses;
• Reporting campaign contributions and expenses and surpluses (including surpluses from earlier campaigns);
• Payment of campaign finances and surpluses to the City; and
• Offences and Penalties for non-compliance.

Every candidate is required to file a financial statement as prescribed by provincial regulation. If a candidate withdraws their nomination they are still required to file a financial statement. It should be noted that the auditor’s report is only necessary if a candidate receives contributions or incurs expenses in excess of $10,000. In addition, council candidates who participate in the Contribution Rebate Program must file an Auditor’s Report, unless their contributions or expenses do not exceed $10,000.
 
There are significant penalties for the failure to file a financial statement as required including the potential loss of a Council or Trustee seat, prohibition from running in the next election or any interim by-elections and possible financial penalties.

Contributions to candidates may be made by individuals who are residents of Ontario. Corporations and trade unions are not permitted to make contributions to candidates at a municipal election.

Contributions to candidates for office on Vaughan Council or for a School Board are subject to limits as follows:

• $1,200.00 - Maximum individual contribution to a single candidate's campaign.
• $5,000.00 - Maximum overall value of contributions to a candidate for the same Council or School Board.

All contributions to candidates must be made as an individual, only one person may contribute from a joint account.

All contributions exceeding $25 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds came from (such as debit, credit or electronic funds transfer).

Applications for the City of Vaughan's Contribution Rebate Program for the 2022 Municipal Election will be accepted up to 90 days after the candidate's filing deadline of Friday, March 31, 2023. Rebate cheques will be prepared and mailed to eligible contributors at the close of the rebate application period (June 2023).

To be eligible for a contribution rebate you must:

• be an eligible elector in the city of Vaughan.
• be a resident of the city of Vaughan.
• not be the candidate, or the spouse or relative of the candidate, including siblings, grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren.

Contributions to candidates who have not opted into the Contribution Rebate Program are not eligible for a rebate. Contributions to School Board Trustee candidates are also not eligible for a rebate.

The Contribution Rebate is calculated using the following criteria:

• The rebate is issued for 75 per cent of the total value of contributions made to candidates.
• The minimum contribution necessary to qualify for a rebate is $50.
• The maximum value of the rebate issued to a contributor, regardless of the number and value of contributions to one or more candidates, is $150.

Please note that a rebate cannot be issued for cash contributions to candidates.

General Information

• A person cannot incur any expenses until they become a candidate and only during the campaign period
• Payment of campaign expenses, except the nomination filing fee, must be made from the candidate’s campaign account
• All expenses, including the nomination filing fee and any refund of the nomination filing fee, must be reported on the candidate’s financial statement
• Only the candidate and any person authorized by the candidate can incur expenses and accept contributions on behalf of the candidate

Definition of a Campaign Expense

Any expense incurred in whole or in part for goods and services for a candidate’s campaign is considered a campaign expense. This includes:

• The replacement value of goods retained by the candidate from any previous election and used in the current election
• The value of contributions of goods and services
• Audit and accounting fees
• Interest on loans under section 88.17 of the Act
• The cost of holding fund-raising functions
• The cost of holding parties and making other expressions of appreciation after the close of voting
• Expenses relating to a recount or a proceeding under section 83 of the Act
• Expenses relating to a compliance audit
• Expenses incurred by a candidate with a disability, are directly related to the disability, and would not have been incurred but for the election to which the expenses relate
• The cost of election campaign advertisments as defined in section 88.3 of the Act

Note: The cost of holding fund-raising functions does not include costs related to events or activities that are organized for the purpose of promoting public awareness of a candidate and at which the soliciting of contributions is incidental or where promotional materials in which soliciting of contributions is incidental.

Deadline for Claiming Expenses

The campaign period ends on January 3, 2023. Candidates must request suppliers to submit their bills on or before this date.

Campaign Inventory

Campaign expenses include the value of any goods held in inventory for use during a campaign period, such as stakes, usable literature, signs and other campaign materials.

All materials from a previous campaign that are brought forward into the current campaign must be included in the opening inventory. In valuing campaign materials a candidate should use the current market value. Proper documentation should be prepared to substantiate any opening inventory value.

The inventory of reusable campaign materials remaining on hand at the end of a campaign must be valued and reported as a closing inventory on the financial statement. The value of any inventory is not to be deducted from the campaign expenses but is listed as an asset on the financial statement.

Spending Limits

The City Clerk will provide an estimated expense limit upon filing your nomination paper. The estimate will be calculated based on the number of voters as of September 15 in the year of the previous municipal election.

On or before Sept. 25 in the year of the current election, the City Clerk will provide a final spending limit. The final spending limit is calculated based on the number of voters on the current Voters’ List. If the final limit is lower than the estimate, the higher amount becomes the candidate’s official spending limit.