Elections

Voting Begins: Monday October 19, 2026
Voting Ends: Monday October 26, 2026, at 8:00 p.m.
Voting Method: Internet and Telephone Voting
Website: www.kincardine.ca/election
Telephone: 519-396-3468 Ext. 7113
Email 

A person is entitled to vote on Voting Day if they:

• reside in the local municipality, or is the owner or tenant of land there, or the spouse of such owner or tenant; and
• are a Canadian citizen; and
• are at least eighteen years old; and
• are not prohibited from voting under the Municipal Elections Act or other law.

The following individuals cannot vote in a municipal election:

• a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation; or
• a person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within four years of voting day.

A person who is acting as an executor or in any other representative capacity (e.g., power of attorney), cannot vote on behalf of the person they are representing.

A voter is only entitled to vote once in a municipality and once in a school board even if the voter has more than one qualifying property address within the municipality or school board. 

A student may vote in the municipality where they are temporarily residing while attending school as well as at their permanent home in a different municipality, provided that they do not intend to change their permanent home.

If a person has no permanent residence, then the following rules determine their residence:

• The place in which the person most frequently returned to sleep or eat during the five weeks preceding the determination. 
• If the person returns with equal frequency to one place to sleep and another to eat, the place in which they sleeps.
• Multiple returns to the same place during a single day, to eat or sleep, are considered to be one return.

A person's affidavit regarding the places to which they returned to eat or sleep during a given time period is conclusive, in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

Trailer owners in campgrounds are tenants of the campground; therefore, they are potentially eligible if they meet the requirements of Section 17(2) of the MEA, can provide a tenancy agreement showing that they are entitled to use the land on Voting Day (October 26, 2026).

Under a timeshare contract, to be eligible, the person must be able to prove that they are entitled to use the land on Voting Day or for a period of six weeks or more during the calendar year in which the election is held.

Acceptable documents for voter identification include: 

• An Ontario driver's licence 
• An Ontario Health Card (photo card) 
• An Ontario Photo Card 
• An Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion) 
• A cancelled personalized cheque

Register to Vote is a Province-wide online tool that allows voters to register to vote in the Municipal Election. Visit Register To Vote to check to see if you are on the Voters List or add yourself to the Voters List. You can also email or call 1-866-242-3025.

If you have recently moved to the Municipality of Kincardine, live in a newer subdivision, are a tenant, or have turned 18 since the last Municipal Election, you will need to add your name to the Voters List.

You will be required to provide proof of identity and residence.

You will be required to provide proof of identity and residence.
We encourage everyone to check to make sure they are on the Voters’ List. Even if you have voted previously.

If any of the following apply to you, please be sure to check if you are on the Voters’ List and confirm your information is correct.

• Have you recently moved?
• Are there multiple owners listed on your property?
• Have you just turned 18?
• Have you just received your Canadian Citizenship?
• Are you a student attending a post secondary school?
• Have you changed your mailing address?

Take a few minutes to verify your information at  www.RegisterToVoteON.ca and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

For the 2026 Municipal Election, The Municipality of Kincardine will only offer Internet and Telephone voting options. Eligible electors will be able to vote from a mobile device, computer, telephone, cell phone, tablet, or laptop. Internet or telephone voting is a convenient option for electors, allowing them to access ballots anytime, anywhere.

Eligible voters will receive a personalized voting instruction package (Voter Information Letter) well before Election Day (October 26, 2026) with details on how to vote online or by phone.

For the 2026 elections, voting will open on Monday, October 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and will conclude at 8:00 p.m. on October 26, 2026.

Electronic voting stations will also be available at the Municipal office during the voting period for public use.

The Vote by The Internet and Telephone Procedure Manual will be available on May 1, 2026.

A Voter Information Letter will be mailed to the address on the Voters’ List.  You can use your Voter ID and PIN anywhere that you can access the internet or a touch tone phone.  

To ensure your correct school support designation is provided to Elections Ontario in time for the next municipal and school board elections on October 26, 2026, it should be reviewed and, if needed, updated by June 1, 2026. 

While Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors in Ontario for provincial, municipal, and school board elections, MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) is legislatively responsible for collecting school support designation information.  

What is school support? 

Whether you own or rent your home, your property is linked to a school board – even if you don’t have children or your children aren’t currently attending school. While you’re not required to make a designation, you do have the option to choose which school board you support. If you don’t make a choice, your support will default to the English-Public school board. 

Learn more about school support designations: Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. 

Please review the Ontario Municipal Councillor's Guide to learn about the roles and responsibility of a municipal council member.

The Term of Office is from November 15, 2026 to November 14, 2030.

Please visit the Eligibility to run for election page of the 2026 Candidates’ Guide.

You will be able to file your nomination starting Friday May 1, 2026 at the Municipal Administration Centre during regular business hours – Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last day to file a nomination is Friday, August 21, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. and must filed by 2 p.m.

To make an appointment to file your nomination papers, please contact the Clerk by email or 519-396-3468 ext. 7111

The fee to file a nomination is $200 to run for Mayor and $100 for all other positions. This fee must be paid to the Clerk at the time you submit your nomination form.

It can be paid by certified cheque, cash, money order or debit.

Before filing your nomination, please review the nominations page  of the 2026 Candidates’ Guide. Remember every person who wants to be a candidate must file nomination papers prior to receiving any campaign contributions and/or expending any funds on a campaign.

To file your nomination, you must give the following to your municipal clerk:

• a completed nomination form (Form 1)
• the nomination fee ($200 to run for Mayor and $100 for all other positions)
• completed endorsement of nomination forms (Form 2) for council candidates

You will be required to show identification to prove that you are eligible to be nominated.

You will also be required to submit:

• Candidate’s Consent to Release Personal Information (Form EL12[JL2.1])

To make an appointment to file your nomination papers, please contact the Clerk at clerk@kincardine.ca or 519-396-3468 ext. 7111

Prior to 4:00 p.m. on the Monday following Nomination Day (August 24, 2026), the Municipal Clerk shall examine each nomination filed, and if satisfied the person qualified to be nominated and that the nomination complies with the Municipal Elections Act, the Municipal Clerk shall certify as such on the nomination field.

If not satisfied, the Municipal Clerk shall reject the nomination and give notice to the person who sought to be nominated and all other candidates for that office.

The Municipal Clerk's decision to certify or reject a nomination is final. The Municipal Clerk will consider the following criteria to reject individual nominations:

• Candidate has refused or declined to provide proof of identification
• Candidate does not satisfy the requirements set out in the Municipal Elections Act in Section 29 (1)
• The nomination form is incomplete
• The filing fee has not been paid
• The necessary financial disclosure was not filed for the previous election in which the individual may have been a candidate.

Please ensure you have read the 2026 Candidates’ Guide - Ontario municipal council and school board elections to ensure you are eligible to run.

Third-party advertising refers to advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate, or support, promote or oppose a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot. The meaning of “third-party” in this context means a person or entity who is not a candidate.

Third-party advertising is separate from any candidate’s campaign, and must be done independently from a candidate. Any advertisements or materials that are made and distributed by a candidate, or under a candidate’s direction, are part of the candidate’s campaign.

Third-party advertising is a way for those outside of the candidate’s campaign to express support of or opposition to candidates (or a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot) and to try to persuade voters to vote a certain way.

A third-party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that promotes, supports or opposes a candidate, or a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot. Advertisement includes traditional ads as well as materials such as brochures or signs.

Please consult the 2026 Third Party Advertisers' Guide to determine if you are a third party advertiser.
  
Activities that do not involve spending money, such as discussions or expressing an opinion about a candidate (or an answer to a question on the ballot) are not considered to be third party advertising. Examples include:

• speaking to friends and neighbours
• posting on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
• sending an email to a group or mailing list

Only those who have registered can spend money on third party advertising. The following are eligible to register as a third party advertiser:

any person who is a resident in Ontario 

a corporation carrying on business in Ontario 

a trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

If two or more corporations are owned or controlled by the same person or people, or if one corporation controls another, they are considered to be a single corporation. If the same person or people own or control multiple corporations, only one of those corporations may register to be a third party in a municipality.

There is no restriction against family members or campaign staff of candidates registering to be third party advertisers. However, third party advertising must be done independently of the candidate. If a person with close ties to a candidate wishes to register they should consider how these activities may look to the public and how they would be able to demonstrate that they were not working in co-ordination with the candidate.

Please consult the 2026 Third-party Advertisers' Guide for more information. 

A candidate running for any municipal council or school board office cannot register to be a third party advertiser in any municipality.

Groups, associations or businesses that are not corporations are not eligible to register and may not spend money on third party advertising in municipal elections. For example, neighbourhood associations, clubs or professional associations cannot register and cannot make contributions to third party advertisers. Members may register as individual third party advertisers and may contribute individually.

Federal and provincial political parties cannot register to be third party advertisers. Political parties are not permitted to be financially involved in municipal elections.

Please consult the 2026 Third-party Advertisers' Guide for more information.

An individual, corporation or trade union must register with the municipal clerk to be a third-party advertiser in a municipality.

The first day that a third-party advertiser can file their notice of registration is May 1, 2026. A third-party advertiser cannot raise or spend money on their campaign, nor begin advertising, until their registration is certified by the Clerk.  Upon receiving a third-party advertiser’s nomination, the Clerk will provide them with their preliminary spending limits.

Being registered in a municipality allows the third party to advertise to the voters in that municipality. A third party advertiser can support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local council and school trustee.

Third-party advertisers do not need to decide before they register which candidate or candidates they want to support or oppose, and they do not have to tell the clerk what their intentions are.

A third party can only advertise to voters in the municipality where they are registered. There is no limit on the number of municipalities where a third party can register. If a third party wants to advertise to voters in more than one municipality they must register in each municipality where they wish to advertise.
Please consult the 2026 Third-party Advertisers' Guide for more information.

An individual or a representative of a corporation or trade union must file a Notice of Registration (Form 7)  with the municipal clerk in person or by an agent. It must have an original signature – the form may not be a copy, and may not be scanned and submitted electronically. There is no registration fee.

The municipal clerk must be satisfied that that the individual, corporation or trade union is eligible in order to certify the registration, and may require that identification or additional documents be provided.

A person who is filing as the representative of a corporation or a trade union should make sure that they can provide proof that they are authorized to act on the corporation or trade union’s behalf.

Please consult the 2026 Third-party Advertisers' Guide for more information.

You will be able to register starting Friday May 1, 2026 at the Municipal Administration Centre during regular business hours – Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last day to register close of business on Friday, October 23, 2026.

To make an appointment to register, please contact the Clerk by email or at 519-396-3468 ext. 7111

• Beth Blackwell - Financial Statements
• Carol Blake - Financial Statements
• Rory Cavanagh- Financial Statements
• Andrea Clarke - Financial Statements
• Kenneth Craig - Financial Statements
• Jim David - Financial Statements
• Lori Di Castri - Financial Statements
• Carla Glover - Financial Statements not yet received
• Gerry Glover - Financial Statements not yet received
• Uli Hack - Financial Statements
• Laura Haight - Financial Statements
• Jeff Hegmans - Financial Statements
• Mike Hinchberger- Financial Statements
• Jan Johnstone - Financial Statements
• Allan Kempert - Financial Statements
• Doug Kennedy- Financial Statements
• Diane McLeod - Financial Statements
• Linda McKee - Financial Statements
• Bill McKeeman - Financial Statements
• Jennifer Prenger - Financial Statements
• Ray Richards- Financial Statements
• Amanda Steinhoff-Gray - Financial Statements
• Bill Stewart - Financial Statements
• Stellina Williams - Financial Statements
• Scott Wilson - Financial Statements
• Third Party - Campaign Life Coalition - Financial Statements

Notice of Default/Compliance by Candidates - Municipal Elections Act, 1996, ss. 88.23 (3) (c), (4)