Request for Information

As mentioned in the Province’s 2026 Candidate’s Guide, candidates must open a bank account exclusively for their campaign if they will accept any contributions of money (including contributions from yourself or your spouse) or incur any expenses. Candidates do not have to open a campaign bank account if no money will be spent and no contribution monies will be received. If you receive contributions of goods or services, but no contributions of money, you do not have to open a campaign bank account.

At the municipal election level, banks typically only require proof that a person is a registered candidate. This would be a copy of the completed nomination form that has been accepted by Town staff as well as a copy of the completed Declaration of Qualification form. If you or your candidate require additional documentation or have further questions, please email elections@oakville.ca for assistance.

Yes, you are permitted to rent Town property or facilities for campaign events. In accordance with the Town’s Use of Corporate Resources During an Election Period (Section 1c) , municipally owned or run assets and facilities, excluding Town Hall, may be rented in accordance with municipal agreements and current rates and fees for election campaign activities providing that the rental is available to all registered candidates and registered third parties. 

Use of rentals are subject to the following conditions:

• all election campaign materials must only be displayed within the allotted rental period in the allotted rented area designated in the rental agreement;
• rentals for campaign related activities are not permitted from the first date of advance voting to the day after voting day; and
• the town reserves the right to refuse or cancel a rental contract at any time, in accordance with the terms of the contract, should it conflict with the town's corporate values or established policies or procedures, or presents a health and safety concern.

Visit the Town’s Facility Rentals page for information about how to rent space with the Town. Be sure to make it clear in your request that the rental is for election campaign purposes.

No. Section 1(f) of the Use of Corporate Resources During an Election Period Procedure restricts this: "Registered candidates and registered third parties may attend town organized or funded events during a campaign period, but may not display or distribute any campaign materials, or engage in any election related activities."

For inquiries related to election signs, please contact ServiceOakville by phone at 905-845-6601 or email at service@oakville.ca or Town of Oakville Municipal Enforcement Services at enforcement@oakville.ca.

According to the 2026 Candidates’ Guide – Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections, fundraising events or activities are held by a candidate, or on a candidate’s behalf, for the primary purpose of raising money for their campaign. Fundraising can only take place during the campaign period.

Candidates must record the gross income, including ticket revenue and other revenue, as well as the expenses related to each fundraising event or activity on their campaign financial statement.

Not every campaign event or activity is considered a fundraising event. If you hold an event primarily to promote your campaign and receive some contributions, or ask people to consider contributing, it would not qualify as a fundraising event. Similarly, including a sentence in a campaign brochure asking people to make a contribution, or explaining how to contribute, does not make the brochure a fundraising expense if its primary purpose is to promote your campaign.

When selling tickets to an event, including a fundraising event, the ticket price is considered a contribution to your campaign and you must issue a receipt to each person who purchases a ticket. Tickets priced higher than $25 cannot be paid for in cash. If you sell goods at a fundraising event for more than their market value, the difference between the amount paid and the market value is considered a contribution.

Remember, there is a $1,200 limit that applies to contributions made by an individual to a single candidate.

For more information about contribution limits, review the Campaign Contributions page. 

A cash donation of $25 or less received at a fundraising event is not considered a contribution and can be accepted without recording who gave it to you. However, you must report the total amount received from these donations on your financial statement.

At this time, the candidate portal contains limited content. Candidates will be provided access to the Voters’ List in September through the portal – the timing for this access is consistent with the Municipal Elections Act. 

Ward maps are available on the Candidate Resources page: Oakville Election Candidate List and Ward Map. The map includes a range of interactive features, such as zoom and property-level detail.

No

No. A candidate cannot return contributions because they have exceeded the campaign spending limit.

Candidates are responsible for monitoring both contributions and expenses to ensure they remain within the limits set out in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Exceeding the spending limit is a contravention of the Act and results in automatic penalties.

If a campaign ends with a surplus, the candidate and their spouse may withdraw the amount of their own contributions from the surplus. Any remaining surplus must be paid to the Town Clerk. Contributions made by other eligible contributors cannot be refunded.

For more information about campaign finances, review the Province’s Candidate Guide.

Yes, renters are eligible to vote in municipal elections if they meet the voter eligibility requirements. To vote in an Ontario municipal election, a person must be:

• A Canadian citizen;
• At least 18 years of age; and
• A resident of the municipality, or the owner or tenant of land in the municipality, or the spouse of such an owner or tenant.

Though property managers may not be familiar with candidates’ legislated rights of access, the Town cannot act or intervene on behalf of any candidate to secure access to buildings for the purpose of canvassing or distributing election material. Nor does the Town offer an official letter for this purpose.

Candidates are encouraged to bring their Oakville Candidate Guide (pages 18 and 19) and share this with the property managers. Often this can help provide reassurance and increase awareness of the legislative provisions that apply to candidate access.

While there is nothing in the Municipal Election Act that prohibits the use of an online fundraising platform, candidates remain responsible for ensuring all contributions comply with the Act.

Candidates must ensure that contributions come only from eligible contributors (Ontario residents) and that you can identify and track contributors, including recording the name and qualifying address of anyone whose total contributions exceed $25.

The Internal Auditor position approved in the 2026 budget has not yet been filled. As part of the implementation of the Town's internal audit function, the Town engaged an external consulting firm to develop a multi-year internal audit plan and provide recommendations regarding the appropriate operating model and any additional resource or staffing requirements for the function. This work is expected to be completed by the end of October 2026, at which time the Town will determine any resulting resourcing requirements and implementation timelines.

There is an example on page 33 of the 2026 Candidates’ Guide on income related to selling goods and how the expense/revenue is to be recorded. The Guide also confirms that any taxes such as HST paid on purchases should be included in the amount of the expense. 

Expenses must be paid from your campaign bank account. If you use a credit card to pay for purchases, you should make sure that you keep clear records showing that the expense on the credit card was reimbursed from the campaign account. 

No. Election signs are not permitted outside the geographical area for the office a candidate is running for. This includes on private property, even with the property owner’s permission. Section 3 of the Election Sign By-law limits election sign placement to the area of the office being sought.

There is nothing in the Municipal Elections Act, that would prevent like-minded candidates from campaigning on the same platform or identifying themselves as a group or slate. 

The 2026 Candidates’ Guide speaks to joint campaigns / running on a slate, which can also apply to the pooling of resources or shared materials. Each candidate must keep their campaign finances separate and any joint expenses (for example, signs with two candidates’ names on them) must be divided between the campaigns.

The Rainwater Management Financial Plan (RWMP) is a long-term plan to improve resiliency to climate change and protect our stormwater infrastructure and natural assets. In our recent RWMP update, the estimate is that it will cost $732 million to care for the Town’s storm sewer pipes, culverts, creeks, shorelines, ponds, ditches and harbours over the next 30 years.  

The existing program was funded through a tax levy on property taxes. However, on September 29, 2025, Council approved the stormwater fee structure, a by-law to impose Stormwater Management Fees and Charges and a Stormwater Fee Policy. Fees are currently being phased in over four years, which will gradually increase the funding from $12 million per year to $24.4 million.

Additional information on the Stormwater Feasibility Study, the proposed fees and the phase-in can also be found on the Oakville Stormwater Fee page.

Town assets are not typically tracked in our Asset Registry by Ward, since many types of infrastructure are considered part of a system that supports the community at large. This includes things like roads, bridges and buses, but also our Community Centres and Fire Stations. 

Not all assets are assessed for physical condition on a yearly basis. For assets such as roads, bridges, creeks and shorelines, a Town wide audit is completed every two or four years. For other assets, the Town uses age as a proxy, and when assets reach the last 20 per cent of their useful life, physical condition is assessed to determine renewal or replacement strategies.

We are in the process of updating our Corporate Asset Management Plan, which will provide age and condition information on Town assets by individual asset type. This should be presented to Council in June and made available online afterward. The 2023 State of Infrastructure report can be viewed now.

The budget allocated to Glen Abbey Park tennis court resurfacing is $383,600.

The budget for the Glen Abbey Community Centre pool lift (mobile lift noted) is $23,000 plus installation.

Note: The Glen Abbey Pool Lift is being completed alongside the installation of several other accessibility lifts across the Town (Project Id: 42102505 Accessibility Improvements), which has a total budget of $225,000. 

There were not any projects deferred beyond 2026 due to funding constraints.

Infrastructure renewal activities are not planned or distributed by Ward as many types of infrastructure support the broader community or are used Town wide. Providing a Ward percentage of the total infrastructure renewal budget would not be indicative of the total benefit of renewal activities planned.

The Capital Forecast Map shows the location of individual projects across the Town, which will provide some insight into which projects are planned for Ward 4. This map includes all types of projects, not just infrastructure renewal (i.e. road widening to support growth).

Planning for infrastructure renewal of our assets is determined by considering multiple factors of an individual asset such as age, condition, criticality and risk of service impact. The Ward in which an asset is located is not factored into infrastructure renewal decisions.

Once an asset is identified for renewal, the timing and implementation are coordinated across different asset types (i.e., road, sidewalk, storm pipe along one road segment, etc.), as well as with other agencies such as the Region, neighbouring municipalities and Metrolinx.