Elections Vaughan

The following offices are available for nomination:

Vaughan Council

• Mayor
• Local and Regional Councillor (4 elected at large)
• Ward 1 Councillor (Maple / Kleinburg)
• Ward 2 Councillor (Woodbridge West)
• Ward 3 Councillor (Woodbridge / Vellore)
• Ward 4 Councillor (Concord / Thornhill)
• Ward 5 Councillor (Thornhill)

York Region District School Board

• Trustee - King & Vaughan Ward 1 *Nominations for this office are administered by the Clerk of the Township of King
• Trustee - Vaughan Ward 2 & 3
• Trustee - Vaughan Ward 4 & 5

York Catholic District School Board

• Trustee - Vaughan Ward 1
• Trustee - Vaughan Ward 2
• Trustee - Vaughan Ward 3,4 & 5 (2 elected at large)

Conseil scolaire Viamonde

• Trustee - York Region / conseillers scolaires - Région de York

Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir

• Trustee - York Region / conseillers scolaires - Région de York

To run for mayor or councillor you must be:

• A Canadian citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident of the City of Vaughan, or
• An owner or tenant of land in the City of Vaughan, or 
• The spouse of the owner or tenant of land in the City of Vaughan
• Not legally prohibited from voting
• Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

Who cannot be a candidate for Vaughan Council

The following people are disqualified from being elected for office on Vaughan Council:

• A judge of any court
• A member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the House of Commons or Senate of Canada who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election

Employees of the City of Vaughan

City of Vaughan employees who wish to run for office on Vaughan Council must take an unpaid leave of absence before filing a nomination. Documentation proving the leave of absence is required at the time of nomination.

To run for office on any of the four school boards you must be:

• A Canadian citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident in the area of jurisdiction of the board
• Not legally prohibited from voting
• Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

To run for separate school boards you must also:

• Be a qualified elector for a separate school board

To run for French-language school boards you must also:

• Be a qualified elector for a French-language district school board

Who cannot be a school board trustee candidate

The following people are disqualified from being elected as a school board trustee, or from holding office on any school board:

• A clerk, treasurer, deputy-clerk or deputy-treasurer of any municipality within the area of jurisdiction of the school board except those on an unpaid leave of absence
• A member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the House of Commons or Senate of Canada who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations
• A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election

Employees of the school board

• Employees of any school board (including supply teachers) are disqualified from being elected as school board trustee or from holding office on any school board, except during a leave of absence.
• The employee must be on a leave of absence before filing their nomination paper. Proof of the leave of absence is required at the time of nomination.

A person filing a nomination for office must provide one of the following pieces of identification to verify their identity during their nomination appointment:
a) Ontario driver’s licence;
b) Ontario Health Card (photo card with address);
c) Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion);
d) Cancelled personalized cheque;
e) Mortgage, lease or rental agreement;
f) Insurance policy;
g) Loan or financial agreement with a financial institution;
h) Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario;
i) Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government; or
j) Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).

If identification as detailed above is not available, a person filing a nomination for office may provide two pieces of identification, one (1) piece of identification with name and qualifying address, and one (1) piece of identification with name and signature.

Accepted identification with name and qualifying address:

a) Ontario driver’s licence;
b) Ontario Health Card;
c) Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion);
d) Canadian passport;
e) Certificate of Canadian Citizenship;
f) Certificate of Indian Status;
g) Veterans Affairs Canada Health Card;
h) Social Insurance Number Card;
i) Old Age Security Card;
j) Credit card;
k) Debit card;
l) Employee Identification card;
m) Student Identification card issued by a post-secondary institution;
n) Union Identification card or professional licence card;
o) Cancelled personalized cheque;
p) Mortgage, lease or rental agreement for property in Ontario;
q) Insurance policy;
r) Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario;
s) Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government; or
t) Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).

Accepted identification with name and signature:

a) Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion);
b) Income tax assessment notice;
c) Child Tax Benefit Statement;
d) Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E;
e) Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS);
f) Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P);
g) Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions;
h) Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works;
i) Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program;
j) Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007;
k) Property tax assessment;
l) Insurance statement;
m) Mortgage, lease or rental statement for property in Ontario;
n) Credit card, bank account, RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement;
o) CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization which provides services to persons with disabilities;
p) Hospital card or record;
q) Document showing campus residence issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution;
r) Utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission;
s) Cheque stub, T4 or pay receipt issued by an employer;
t) Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school;
u) Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario;
v) Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government; or
w) Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).

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 2026 Municipal Election will be accepted up to 90 days after the candidate's filing deadline of Friday, March 30, 2027. Rebate cheques will be prepared and mailed to eligible contributors at the close of the rebate application period (June 2027).

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 Dec. 31, 2026. 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 Sept. 20 in the year of the previous municipal election.

On or before Sept. 30 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.