Elections

Advanced Voting Concerns

In response to a number of concerns brought forward regarding the October 12th Advanced Voting Date, please see below:

The Town has not offered paper ballot voting in almost 20 years – since 2003. Following the 2018 election, feedback was reviewed resulting in the recommendation to use a combination of Internet/Paper Ballot voting. The Internet voting period was extended to 3 weeks and 4 paper ballot advanced voting days scheduled.

The legislation states that an elector that is in a voting place at closing time on Election Day (October 24^th) is entitled to vote.  The turnout at our first advanced poll was far greater than could have been reasonably anticipated, particularly in comparison to similar communities and even larger ones. Unlike provincial elections where individuals are choosing to vote for one person, in this municipal election, electors have the option to vote for up to 8 people in different contests. Some individuals took longer to vote than others. We advised individuals that if they joined the line, they may not make it into the advanced voting place at closing time. We also advised of the future advanced vote dates, and other options. The decision was up to each individual.

We have a limited budget and team to work and administer the election and running two methods of voting (electronic and paper) takes considerable resources.  Following this election, the new method will be once again reviewed, and we will also once again welcome further feedback from the community and perform another analysis. We will continue to monitor the attendance at our advanced polls and make adjustments with the resources available, and in keeping with set procedures and legislation.

Nomination and registration period begins:

• First day for candidates to file a nomination paper for the office of Mayor, Councillor, or School Board Trustee (by in-person appointment with the Clerk’s Office). A candidate’s campaign period begins once their nomination paper has been filed, meaning they may begin accepting contributions and spending money on their campaign.
• First day for an individual, corporation, or trade union to file a notice of registration as a Third Party Advertiser. The campaign period for a registered third party begins once their registration paper has been filed, meaning they may begin accepting contributions and spending money on their campaign.

Nomination Day

• Candidates have from 9 am until 2 pm to file their nomination papers.
• A candidate who has filed their nomination papers and wishes to change office has until 2pm to file a nomination for a different office.
• A candidate who wishes to withdraw their nomination has until 2 pm to notify the Clerk by filing a written withdrawal.
• Nominations or withdrawals cannot be accepted after 2 pm.

August 22, 2022

• Last day for the Clerk to certify candidate nomination papers.

September 1, 2022

• Copies of the Voters’ List are available to certified candidates upon written request.

• Last day for an individual, corporation, or trade union to file a notice of registration as a third party advertiser.
• Individuals, corporations, and trade unions have until 4:30 pm to file their notice of registration.

• Election Day

The voters' list is a list of eligible electors in the Town of Wasaga Beach. During non-election years the town does not maintain a voters' list.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for collecting the information of residents in Ontario (name, date of birth, citizenship and school support) in order to create a Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) for municipal and school board elections. The clerk uses the PLE to create the Voters List.

On September 1, 2022, eligible voters will be able to check if they are on the voters list, update their information, and register online through this webpage.  See the top of this page for access.

This helps to ensure that the municipality has the most accurate information possible for the 2022 municipal and school board elections.

Take a few minutes to verify your information above and encourage your family and friends to do the same.

Electors will have the opportunity to vote in person or online (see the Clerk’s report). Additional details will be available as we move closer to Election Day.

Voting Locations, Dates, and Times

The following locations, dates, and times have been scheduled. Dates, times, and locations are subject to change at the discretion of the Clerk.

Paper Ballots with Tabulators:

     Town Hall:   

     October 12, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

     October 21, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

     RecPlex: 

     October 15, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

     October 19, 2022, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 **NO paper ballot voting will take place on Election Day, October 24, 2022.

Internet Voting Period:

     On your device:              

     October 3, 2022 10:00 a.m. to October 24, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.

     ***Voting opens on Monday October 3, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. and runs continuously until close of voting on 

        Election Day, Monday October 24, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. Internet voting help centre will be available.

Election Day Internet Voting Help Centre:

A drive-thru Help Centre will be available at the RecPlex on October 24th from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The help centre voting assistance is at the back of the building, therefore vehicles must be in this area by 8:00 p.m. to receive assistance with voting online.

Eligible electors will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for the following offices elected at large:

Municipal Council

• One (1) Mayor
• One (1) Deputy Mayor
• Five (5) Councillors

School Board – Trustee

• English Language Public  (1 to be elected)
• English Language Separate (1 to be elected)
• French Language Public (1 to be elected)
• French Language Separate (1 to be elected)

In order to be eligible to vote, you must meet the Qualifications of Electors as listed in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, s.17(2) 

A person is entitled to be an elector at an election held in a local municipality if, on voting day, he or she,

• resides in the local municipality or is the owner or tenant of land there, or is the spouse of such owner or tenant;
• is a Canadian citizen;
• is at least 18 years old; and
• is not prohibited from voting under subsection (3) or otherwise by law.

The following are prohibited from voting in a municipal election:

• serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution
• a corporation
• acting as executor or trustee or in another representative capacity
• convicted of a corrupt practice described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

Identification is required when you vote. You will need to show ID which contains your name and address. You may have to show two pieces of ID to accomplish this.

Please bring an original or certified/notarized copy, of any of the following documents:

• Ontario driver’s licence
• Ontario Health Card (photo card)
• Ontario Photo Card
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion)
• cancelled personalized cheque
• mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement relating to property in Ontario
• insurance policy or insurance statement
• loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution
• document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency or such a government
• any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)
• income tax assessment notice
• child tax benefit statement
• statement of employment insurance benefits paid T4E
• statement of old age security T4A (OAS)
• statement of Canada Pension Plan benefits T4A (P)
• Canada Pension Plan statement of contributions
• statement of direct deposit for Ontario Works
• statement of direct deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board statement of benefits T5007
• property tax assessment
• credit card statement, bank account statement, or RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement
• CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities
• hospital card or record
• document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution
• document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, issued by the Administrator for the home
• utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission
• cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer
• transcript or report card from a post-secondary school

Please note that your Voter Notification cannot be used as a piece of identification.

Resources 

Ministry of Municipal Affairs Website

2022 Voter's Guide to Municipal and School Board Elections

2022 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan

The next municipal election to elect a Mayor, Town Councillors, and School Board Trustees will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022. Eligible individuals may consider running for one of the following offices:

• Mayor - one (1), elected at large
• Deputy Mayor – one (1), elected at large
• Councillor – five (5),  elected at large
• School Board Trustee - one (1) elected per zone
• Simcoe County District School Board
• Simcoe-Muskoka Catholic District School Board
• Conseil scolaire Viamonde
• Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir

A person is eligible to be a candidate in a municipal election if they are an eligible elector. A candidate must be eligible as of the day they are nominated and must remain eligible throughout the election period and, if elected, throughout the term of office.

School board member qualifications are as required under section 219 of the Education Act, 1990

Please make an in-person appointment with the Clerk’s office to file nomination papers by emailing election@wasagabeach.com.

Appointments are available between May 2, 2022 at 8:30am up until 2:00pm on August 19, 2022. Electronic filing is not permitted. 

On Nomination Day, August 19, 2022, prospective candidates arriving to file nomination papers between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. must have attended the service counter at the south end of the main floor of Town Hall closest to the Council Chambers, and have their nomination paper date and time stamped by an Election Official by the 2:00 p.m. deadline.

You will be required to provide:

• Identification suitable to the Clerk
• Nomination Paper (Form 1)
• 25 Endorsement Signatures on the prescribed form (Form 2) from eligible electors
• Application filing fee ($200 for Mayor, $100 for all other offices)

***If you have difficulty accessing the ministry forms above, please pick up a package at the front desk at Town Hall, 30 Lewis Street.

The following regular monthly meetings occur at the town:

• Coordinated Committee – generally the second Thursday at 9:00am
• Committee of the Whole – generally the third Thursday at 9:00am
• Council – generally the fourth Thursday at 2:00pm

Meeting dates and times may vary, and special meetings can be called within the rules of the Procedural By-law.  Members of Council should expect to come prepared to meetings, having read their agendas.

Additional duties may include attending town or community events, corresponding with constituents through various means, participation on advisory committees, and more.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing  

2022 Candidate's Guide - Ontario municipal council and school board elections

Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) - Municipal Elections Resources

Use of Corporate Resources Policy

2022 Municipal Election Procedures
Sign By-law 2021-68

2022 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan

All candidates, agents, and registered third parties must take time to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Municipal Elections Act and of the by-law of the Town that apply to elections.

By-law 2021-68 defines an election sign as "signs advertising or promoting a candidate in a federal, provincial or municipal election, including an election of a local board or commission; or a sign intended to influence persons to vote for or against a candidate or any question or by-law submitted to the electors under Section 8 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, or it's successors."

Section 13 of By-law 2021-68 authorizes election sings to be placed only at a time after the Clerk has certified candidates for the election, which will be shortly after August 19th, 2022. 

Section 19 of By-law 2021-68 respecting penalties applies to by-law offenses including those related to election signs.

Section 13 of By-law 2021-68 sets out regulations in regards to several aspects of sign placement, including but not limited to:

• Election signs are not permitted until the Clerk posts the official List of Certified Candidates following Nomination Day (August 19th).
• Election signs are not permitted on any municipal property.
• Cannot be erected within 50 meters of a voting place (including vehicles).
• No signs/advertising materials (including buttons/pins etc.) can be displayed on or in any municipal property, facility, or voting place.
• No town logos, trademarks, or official mark may be displayed
• Shall not be located within a sight triangle.
• Must not interfere with the safe operation of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
• Must not be posted before the certification of the candidate’s nomination, and removed within 72 hours after Election Day.
• No more that 2 election signs per candidate on any residential property and no more than 3 on lands zoned otherwise.

Electioneering or campaigning in any nature is strictly prohibited and is not permitted on any premise used as a voting place. This premise includes the entire building and the property on which it is located.

Section 48 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 prescribes:

 1) While an elector is in a voting place, no person shall attempt, directly or indirectly, to influence how the elector votes.

2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), no person shall display a candidate's election campaign material or literature in a voting place.

3) For the purpose of this section, ’voting place’ includes any place in the immediate vicinity of the voting place designated by the Clerk.

Deputy Returning Officers and Election Officials will be instructed to remove any election campaign material or literature of any nature. The decision of the Deputy Returning Officer is final.

Candidates cannot spend or raise funds for their election campaign until their nomination has been filed with the Clerk.

Please be aware that the Municipal Election Act contains provisions making certain actions an offence. Specifically, section 89(c) makes it an offence for a person to vote in a place that person is not entitled to vote. Candidates cannot establish alternative voting centres.

Furthermore, section 94 of the Act makes it an offence to contravene any provision of the Municipal Elections Act. Please respect the provisions of the Act in regard to all matters related to the current municipal election.

Offences

89 A person is guilty of an offence if he or she,

    (a)   votes without being entitled to do so;

    (b)   votes more times than this Act allows;

    (c)   votes in a voting place in which he or she is not entitled to vote;

    (d)   induces or procures a person to vote when that person is not entitled to do so;

    (e)   having appointed a voting proxy that remains in force, votes otherwise than by the proxy;

    (f)   having been appointed a voting proxy, votes under the authority of the proxy when the elector has               cancelled the proxy, is no longer entitled to vote or has died;

    (g)   before or during an election, publishes a false statement of a candidate’s withdrawal;

    (h)   furnishes false or misleading information to a person whom this Act authorizes to obtain information;

     (i)   without authority, supplies a ballot to anyone;

     (j)   delivers to the deputy returning officer to be placed in a ballot box a paper other than the ballot the deputy returning officer gave him or her;

    (k)   takes a ballot away from the voting place;

     (l)   at an election, takes, opens or otherwise deals with a ballot, a ballot box, or a book or package of ballots without having authority to do so;

   (m)   attempts to do something described in clauses (a) to (l). 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 89; 2009, c. 33, Sched. 21, s. 8 (55).

Corrupt practices: certain offences committed knowingly

90 (1)  If, when a person is convicted of an offence under section 89, the presiding judge finds that the offence was committed knowingly, the offence also constitutes a corrupt practice. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 90 (1); 2009, c. 33, Sched. 21, s. 8 (56).

Corrupt practices:  bribery

(2)  An offence described in subsection (3) constitutes a corrupt practice and a person who commits it is, on conviction, disqualified from voting at an election until the next regular election has taken place after the election to which the offence relates, in addition to being liable to any other penalty provided for in this Act. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 21, s. 8 (57).

Same

(3)  No person shall, directly or indirectly,

    (a)   offer, give, lend, or promise or agree to give or lend any valuable consideration, in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector’s vote;

    (b)   advance, pay or cause to be paid money intending that it be used to commit an offence referred to in clause (a), or knowing that it will be used to repay money used in that way;

    (c)   give, procure or promise or agree to procure an office or employment in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector’s vote;

    (d)   apply for, accept or agree to accept any valuable consideration or office or employment in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector’s vote;

    (e)   give, procure or promise or agree to procure an office or employment to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her candidacy;

    (f)   offer, give, lend, or promise or agree to give or lend any valuable consideration in order to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her candidacy.

General offence

94 A person who contravenes any provision of this Act or a regulation under this Act or a by-law passed by a municipality under this Act is guilty of an offence. 2016, c. 15, s. 69.

General penalty, individual

94.1 (1)  An individual who is convicted of an offence under this Act is liable to the following penalties in addition to any other penalty provided for in this Act:

      1.   For any offence, a fine of not more than $25,000.

      2.   For any offence other than a corrupt practice, the penalties described in subsection 88.23 (2) and 88.27 (1).

      3.   For an offence under section 90, imprisonment for a term of not more than six months.

      4.   For any offence that the presiding judge finds that the individual committed knowingly, imprisonment for a term of not more than six months. 

Same, corporation or trade union

(2)  A corporation or trade union that is convicted of an offence under this Act is liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 in addition to any other penalty provided for in this Act.  

Individuals, corporations and unions can register as third party advertisers and can also make contributions to Third Party Advertisers. Third Party Advertisers are required to register with every municipality where they wish to advertise in.

How to I register?

Third Party Advertisers may register with the municipality starting on May 2, 2022 and until October 21, 2022 during office hours using the prescribed form. Registrations will not be accepted after the deadline. Registration allows a Third Party Advertiser to promote or oppose any candidate that the electors in the municipality can vote for (Council, and School Board Trustee positions).

Registration Form - Third Party 

How do I find out more information?

Information regarding election finances and campaign contributions, including financial responsibilities of third party advertisers and financial reporting is available in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs’ Guide for Third Party Advertisers. This and other documentation can be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website.

2022 Third Party Advertiser's Guide 

Are there financial reporting requirements?

Yes. Financial statements of the Third Party Advertisers are required to be submitted to the Clerk of each municipality registered in by March 31, 2023. 

Financial Statement  - Third Party

04-06-2022 Notice of Nomination 

08-22-2022 Certified List of Candidates