Mayor: One (1) to be elected at large

Councillors: Ten (10) to be elected at large

School Board Trustees:

• Upper Canada District School Board (English Public). One (1) to be elected.

• Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (English Catholic). Two (2) to be elected.

• Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien (French Catholic). One (1) to be elected.

• Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (French Public). One (1) to be elected.

To run for a position, you must be eligible to vote in the City of Cornwall on the day you file your nomination.  You must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or older and qualify as a resident or non-resident elector. If you are a Cornwall municipal employee and you want to run for office in Cornwall, you must take a leave of absence that begins the day you are nominated. If elected, you must resign from your job.

To run for trustee, you must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or older.  You must reside within the board's area of jurisdiction and be a supporter of that school board. If you are an employee of the school board (including a supply teacher), you must take a leave of absence before filing your nomination. If elected, you must resign from your job.

• are not eligible to vote in the municipality/school board district
• are an employee who has not taken an unpaid leave of absence
• a judge of any court
• a member of the Provincial Legislature (MP), the Federal House of Commons (MPP) or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations
• an inmate serving a sentence in a prison or correctional institution

• Complete the prescribed Nomination Form (Form 1) which can also be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk and in the forms section.

• Clearly indicate your name and address and all other information required on the form. Write your name as you want it to appear on the ballot. If you normally go by a different name than your legal first name, you may use that name provided that the City Clerk agrees. 

• Endorsement Signatures: For Mayor and Council positions only:  Using the Endorsement of Nomination Form 2, (fillable Form 2- download, save, right click and open with Adobe) you must submit 25 original signatures (including names and addresses and postal codes) endorsing your nomination.  The person endorsing must be eligible to vote in Cornwall and is required to sign a declaration to that effect. Form 2  can also be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk and in the forms section. School board candidates are not required to submit endorsements.

• Pay the nomination filing fee of $200.00 for the Head of Council (Mayor) and $100 for all other offices (Councillor / Trustee) to the City of Cornwall at the time you submit your nomination form.  The fee can be paid by cash, debit/credit card, certified cheque or by money order. The form can be filed in person or through an agent but must be signed by the candidate and submitted in person.  

Nominations must be filed with the City Clerk between May 2, 2022, and 2:00 p.m. on August 19, 2022. Nomination forms will only be accepted in person and by appointment by contacting:

Manon L. Levesque (City Clerk / Returning Officer), Cornwall City Hall, 360 Pitt Street, Tel: 613-930-2787 ext. 2316 or mlevesque@cornwall.ca during regular business hours 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Note: The forms may not be copies and may not be scanned nor submitted electronically as original signatures are required.

Acclamations

If there is only one certified candidate running for an office by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, August 22, 2022, that candidate will be declared elected by acclamation.

Similarly, if the number of certified candidates for the office of councillor is the same as or less than ten (10) or, for the office of mayor, is one (1), those candidates will be declared elected by acclamation. If you are elected by acclamation, you must still file a campaign financial statement.

Withdrawals

If you decide to withdraw your nomination, you must notify the City Clerk in writing by 2:00 p.m. using the Withdrawal of Nomination Form (Form EL 19) by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 19, 2022.  You are still required to file a campaign financial statement covering all the financial transactions you made in your campaign. If your campaign did not have any financial transactions, you must file a financial statement reporting this. Your nomination fee will be refunded by the City Clerk if you file your financial statement by the deadline. You can only run for one office at a time. If you decide to run for a different office, your first nomination is deemed to be withdrawn when you file your second nomination.

Consent to Release Information by Candidate

After a candidate files a nomination paper, the news media and the public frequently wish to contact him or her.  The information contained in a nomination paper is deemed to be a public record pursuant to s. 88 of the Municipal Elections Act and may be inspected by any person at the Office of the City Clerk at a time when the office is open. 

Candidates are required to complete the Consent to Release Information by Candidate Form (available also in the forms section and at the Office of the City Clerk) to authorize the Office of the City Clerk to release contact information. Please note that there is no obligation on the part of a candidate to authorize the release of this contact information. 

The Mayor is responsible to provide leadership and act as a spokesperson for the City of Cornwall to the public and to work with other levels of government. The Mayor is not only committed to Civic duties but is also committed to the Council and its Committees.

The Council is made up of ten (10) Councillors who act as the primary decision-making body for the City. The Council relies on reports and recommendations from its administration and the help of its various Committees to make decisions. The role of Council is to develop policies and adopt By-laws or resolutions based on these recommendations.

The time commitment varies from individual to individual and can depend on their employment circumstances. Each member can expect to devote time for a minimum of three meetings per month along with various duties on Committees as appointed by the Mayor and Council. This would include but not limited to: 

• Attendance at Council Meetings (second and fourth Monday of each month each month – 7:00 p.m. except for March, July, August and December)
• Attendance at Planning and Development Committee Meetings (third Monday of each month – 7:00 p.m.)
• Attendance at Committee Meetings that a Councillor can be expected to be appointed to by the Mayor
• Telephone calls and contact with constituents; and
• Reading and research time 

Currently, Members of Council are appointed (by the Mayor) to sit on 17 City Managed Agencies, Boards, Committees and Commissions, 12 with Council representation only and 7 Working Groups which meet at different times during the month. 

Campaign Finances

There are many campaign finance rules which candidates must adhere to.  They are clearly detailed in the 2022 Candidates' Guide or visit: https://www.ontario.ca/document/2022-candidates-guide-ontario-municipal-council-and-school-board-elections/campaign

How much am I allowed to spend on my campaign in Cornwall?

There is a strict limit on the amount a Candidate may spend during the campaign period which is based on a formula related to the number of electors entitled to vote for the office.

Mayoralty Candidates                                              $7,500 + 85 cents per Elector

Councillor and School Board Candidates                    $5,000 + 85 cents per Elector (entitled to vote for that office)

As a reference point only – the following chart list the estimated campaign expense limits based on the 2018 Cornwall election information. Please note that these figures will change as additions and deletions are made to the Voters’ List up to Nomination Day. The Clerk will issue an Official Certificate of Campaign Expenditures by September 26, 2022, as required by Section 76(7) of the Municipal Elections Act.

For more details on Campaign Finance see Candidates' Guide or visit: https://www.ontario.ca/document/2022-candidates-guide-ontario-municipal-council-and-school-board-elections/campaign 

The limit that you and your spouse may collectively contribute to your own campaign is based on the number of electors who are eligible to vote for the office.  The estimate below is based on 2018 election information.  The Clerk will issue an Official Certificate of Campaign Contributions by September 26, 2022.

All candidates who wish to obtain a copy of the 2022 Voters’ List must provide their request to our office in writing using this Form EL 14. It can be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk and also found in the forms section.  Candidates will also need to sign the declaration regarding the proper use of the Voters' List within the form.

Candidates who have been nominated for the office of School Board Trustee can obtain a copy of the part of the Cornwall Voters’ List that contains the names of electors who are entitled to vote for that office.

 Term of Office

The Council Inauguration Ceremony will be held on November 15, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cornwall Civic Complex. Invitations will be sent out after the election.

The first working meeting will be on November 28, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cornwall Civic Complex.