Article, Planning and Municipal

Election Signs, Third-Party Ads and Campaign Rules in Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election

October 1, 2026

Election signs, third-party advertising and the use of municipal resources drive more calls to municipal clerks during an Ontario campaign than almost any other topic. With voting day set for Monday, October 26, 2026, this article explains who regulates each issue under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (“MEA”) and related legislation, and where residents and candidates should take a complaint. The answers are not always what people expect.

Two companion articles cover the rest of the election cycle: Who Can Vote in Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election explains eligibility, ID and the voters’ list, and After Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election covers recounts, the new council and financial filing.

Who Actually “Runs” a Municipal Election in Ontario?

Municipal elections in Ontario are “run” by the municipal clerk, not by a province-wide election body. More precisely, the clerk administers them. Under section 11 of the MEA, the clerk of a local municipality is responsible for conducting elections within that municipality. The municipality pays the costs of administering the election (MEA, s. 7).

In practice, the clerk is the first point of contact for almost every election question, even the ones the clerk has no power to resolve. A resident whose signs have been stolen, a candidate worried about a competitor’s advertising, and a taxpayer questioning a council member’s newsletter all tend to start with the clerk’s office. Knowing which body actually governs each complaint is the fastest route to the right answer.

What Can a Municipality Do About Election Signs?

Election signs in Ontario are regulated primarily by municipal by-law, not the MEA. Most municipalities have an election sign by-law. It governs where signs may be placed, including setbacks from intersections and prohibitions on road allowances and other public lands. It also governs when signs may be erected and how quickly they must be removed after voting day.

Two provincial provisions matter alongside the local by-law:

Landlords and condominiums. Under section 88.2 of the MEA, landlords and condominium corporations cannot prohibit tenants and unit owners from displaying election signs within their own premises. They may however set reasonable conditions on the size and type of signs, and prohibit signs in common areas.
Removal costs. An advertising device such as a sign may be erected in contravention of a by-law. Under section 99 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the municipality’s costs of removing, storing and disposing of it become a lien on the device itself, and may be recovered from its owner.

The practical answer for most callers is therefore local. Check the municipality’s election sign by-law for placement and timing rules, and for who is responsible for enforcement.

Someone Stole or Damaged My Election Sign. What Can Be Done?

This is one of the most common election-season calls, and the answer surprises many callers: it is a police matter, not a clerk matter. Removing, damaging or defacing an election sign can constitute theft or mischief under the Criminal Code. The Ontario Provincial Police repeatedly remind the public that tampering with campaign signs can lead to criminal charges.

The clerk’s office does not investigate sign theft or compel the return of signs. Candidates should check with by-law enforcement first, because a missing sign may have been removed for violating the election sign by-law. What looks like theft is sometimes a by-law removal of a sign placed on public land or too close to a roadway.

If the municipality did not remove the sign and theft or intentional damage is suspected, report the matter to police. Reports should include any available documentation of the loss, such as photographs, dates, locations and cost.

Campaigning on Municipal Property

On municipal property such as arenas, community centres, libraries and city hall squares, the rules come from municipal policies and facility practices, not the MEA itself. Candidates can generally rent municipal facilities on the same arm’s-length terms as anyone else. What they cannot obtain is preferential access, or free use that is not available to other candidates or the public.

Campaigning at voting places is subject to separate, stricter rules under the MEA. Those are covered in Who Can Vote in Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election.

Can Candidates or Council Members Use Municipal Resources for Campaigning?

The MEA does not contain a stand-alone prohibition on the use of municipal resources. Instead, section 88.18 requires every municipality and local board to establish rules and procedures about the use of municipal resources during the campaign period. These must be in place before May 1 of an election year. The operative restrictions therefore live in each municipality’s “Use of Corporate Resources” policy, or a similarly named policy.

These policies typically prohibit using the following for campaign purposes:

staff time
city equipment and materials
municipal logos
publications and facilities

The policies apply with particular force to sitting council members. A ward newsletter, a community event funded from an office budget, or a photo opportunity at a municipal worksite can all raise questions in the final weeks of a campaign. A complaint about a council member’s use of resources may engage the municipality’s code of conduct and integrity commissioner, as well as the resources policy itself.

What Is Third-Party Advertising, and When Must a Group Register?

A third-party advertisement is advertising by someone other than the candidate, in any medium: print, broadcast, sign or online. It either supports, promotes or opposes a candidate, or supports or opposes a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot.

Only individuals, corporations and trade unions that have registered with the municipal clerk under section 88.6 of the MEA may incur expenses on third-party advertising. The eligibility rules for registering are:

An individual must be resident in Ontario
A corporation must carry on business in Ontario
A trade union must hold bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

Some groups cannot register at all:

unincorporated associations, which include neighbourhood and community associations, clubs and most advocacy groups
federal and provincial political parties
candidates themselves

The restricted period for third-party advertising in the 2026 election runs from May 1, 2026 until the close of voting on October 26, 2026. Advertising that discusses issues without supporting, promoting or opposing a candidate or ballot question generally does not require registration. The line can be fine, however, particularly online. Groups planning any election-period campaign should confirm their status with the clerk before spending.

What Happens if a Candidate Breaks the Rules?

The clerk’s enforcement role is narrower than many callers assume. For most conduct complaints, the clerk is a registrar and a router, not an investigator.

Signs and by-law matters go to by-law enforcement
Resource-use complaints go to the clerk or the integrity commissioner
Criminal conduct goes to police

Campaign finance matters are handled separately, through each municipality’s compliance audit committee. That process is explained in After Ontario’s 2026 Municipal Election. The table below is a short-hand routing guide for the campaign-period complaints clerks hear most.

Who Handles Which Campaign-Period Complaint?

Call or Complaint	Who Actually Handles It	Key Authority
Sign on road allowance or too close to an intersection	By-law enforcement	Municipal election sign by-law; Municipal Act, 2001, s. 99
Sign stolen or damaged	Police	Criminal Code (theft, mischief)
Landlord or condominium banning a resident’s sign	Private dispute (tenant/candidate)	MEA, s. 88.2
Council member using municipal resources to campaign	Clerk/CAO under resources policy; integrity commissioner if code of conduct engaged	MEA, s. 88.18; local Use of Corporate Resources policy
Unregistered group advertising for or against a candidate	Clerk (registration status); police or other enforcement for MEA offences; compliance audit committee only where a registered third party’s finances are in issue	MEA, ss. 88.6, 89–94

Signs and Campaign Advertising: Common Questions

Is it illegal to steal or damage an election sign in Ontario?
Yes. Removing or damaging another person’s election sign can be theft or mischief under the Criminal Code. Police, not the municipal clerk, investigate these matters.

Can a landlord or condominium corporation stop me from putting up an election sign?
Not within your own home or unit. Under s. 88.2 of the MEA, landlords and condominium corporations cannot prohibit election signs inside a tenant’s premises or unit. They may set reasonable conditions about size and type, and they may prohibit signs in common areas.

Can a business or union run ads for or against a candidate?
Only if it registers with the municipal clerk as a third-party advertiser. Individuals resident in Ontario, corporations carrying on business in Ontario, and trade unions with bargaining rights in Ontario may register. Unincorporated associations and political parties may not.

Campaign Terms Defined

Campaign period: The period during which a candidate may raise and spend money on their election campaign. It begins when the clerk receives the candidate’s nomination and, in most cases, ends on December 31 of the election year.

Registered third party: An individual, corporation or trade union that has registered with the municipal clerk under s. 88.6 of the MEA. A registered third party may incur expenses on advertising that supports, promotes or opposes a candidate or a ballot question.

Restricted period (third-party advertising): The period during which third-party advertising rules apply. In 2026 it runs from May 1 until the close of voting on October 26, 2026.

Third-party advertisement: An advertisement in any medium, placed by someone other than the candidate, that supports, promotes or opposes a candidate, or supports or opposes a yes or no answer to a question on the ballot. Only registered third parties may incur expenses on such advertisements.

Voting terms such as voters’ list and voting proxy are defined in the voting article, and post-election terms such as lame duck council in the post-election article.

Candidates and third-party advertisers should also review the Province of Ontario’s official 2026 candidates’ and third-party advertisers’ guides.

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