Information for Third Party Advertisers

Registered Third Party Advertisers

The following have filed the required documentation and are registered as a third party advertiser:

  • Save Georgian Bay Association

Note: Notices of Registration are public documents and are available for inspection in the Clerk's Office.

Becoming a Registered Third Party

Ontario residents, corporations and trade unions that will incur expenses for advertisements related to the promotion, support or opposition of a candidate, or take a position on a “yes” or “no” question on the ballot, in any broadcast, print, electronic, or other medium must register as a third party advertiser. They can begin filing their Notice of Registration on Monday, May 2, 2022, at 8:30 a.m.

Who can Register as a Third Party Advertiser?

Only the following persons and entities are eligible to file a notice of registration:

  • An individual who is normally a resident in Ontario.
  • A corporation that carries on business in Ontario.
  • A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario.

Who Cannot Register as a Third Party Advertiser?

Persons and entities that are not eligible to file a notice of registration include:

  • A candidate whose nomination has been filed under section 33.
  • A federal political party registered under the Canada Elections Act (Canada) or any federal constituency association or registered candidate at a federal election endorsed by that party.
  • A provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant registered under the Election Finances Act.
  • The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board.

Registration Information

An individual, corporation or trade union may register as a third party by filing a Notice of Registration (Form 7) at the Municipality of Meaford’s Administrative Office during regular office hours (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), beginning Monday, May 2, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. The Notice of Registration may not be faxed, mailed or emailed, as an original signature is required.

The individual filing the Notice of Registration will be required to present proof of identity as well as a Declaration of Qualification (Form TPA01) signed by the individual or by a representative of the corporation or trade union, as the case may be.

Filing a Registration

To become a third party advertiser, you must file the required documentation during the registration period.

  • A completed copy of the notice of registration (Form 7
  • A declaration of qualification (Form TPA01), signed by the individual or by a representative of the corporation or trade union, as the case may be
  • Proof of identity

Please book an appointment to file the required documentation by contacting:

Margaret Wilton-Siegel
Deputy Clerk / Manager, Legislative Services
Phone: 519-538-1060 ext. 1100

Note: Notices of Registration are public documents and are available for inspection in the Clerk’s Office.

Registration Period

  • Notices of Registration may be filed during regular office hours at the Municipal Administrative Office as of Monday, May 2, 2022 at 8:30 am. Appointments are strongly encouraged.
  • The deadline for an individual, corporation or trade union to submit a Notice of Registration is Friday, October 21, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.

Campaign Finances

An individual, corporation, or trade union cannot raise or spend any money on third party advertisements that will appear during an election in the Municipality of Meaford until they have registered as a third party and opened a bank account exclusively for the purposes of the election campaign.

Registered third parties are responsible for keeping records of the financial activities related to their campaign and are required to keep these records until November 2026 when the next council or school board takes office.

Contributions

Campaign contributions are any money, goods or services that are given to a registered third party for use in their campaign, including money and goods that a third party contributes to their own campaign. Registered third parties must issue a receipt for every contribution they receive. The receipt should show who made the contribution, the date, and the value of the contribution.

The following persons and entities may make a contribution to a registered third party:

  • Any person who is a resident of Ontario.
  • A corporation that carries on business in Ontario.
  • A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario.
  • The registered third party and, in the case of an individual, his or her spouse.

The following persons and entities shall not make a contribution to a registered third party:

  • A federal political party registered under the Canada Elections Act (Canada) or any federal constituency association or registered candidate at a federal election endorsed by that party.
  • A provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant registered under the Election Finances Act
  • The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or a local board. 

Individuals may contribute a total of $1,200 to a registered third party in relation to third party advertisements that appear during an election in the Municipality of Meaford. Individuals may not contribute more than $5,000 in total to two or more registered third parties registered in the Municipality of Meaford.

Contributions greater than $25 may not be made in cash. All contributions above $25 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds come from.

Registered third parties are required to inform each of their contributors of these contribution limits.

Campaign period

The campaign period for a registered third party begins on the day their Notice of Registration is filed and ends on January 3, 2023. On this date, the registered third party's campaign is automatically closed. Registered third parties cannot accept any contributions or incur any expenses after the end of the campaign period.

If at the end of the campaign period a registered third party’s campaign expenses are greater than their campaign income, their campaign will be in deficit. The registered third party may take action to extend their campaign in order to do some additional fundraising.

If a registered third party’s campaign has a surplus, the registered third party must pay the surplus to the Clerk when filing their financial statement.

Extending a campaign

If a registered third party has a deficit at the end of the campaign period, they can extend their campaign for an additional six months to attempt to erase the deficit.

To extend a campaign, a registered third party must:

  • file a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period (Form 6), on or before January 3, 2023
  • submit the form in person to the Municipal Administrative Office during regular office hours

A campaign period will continue until the earliest of the following:

  • the deficit is erased;
  • the registered third party notifies the Clerk in writing they are no longer accepting any contributions;
  • June 30, 2023, in the case of a regular election; or
  • six months from the 45th day after voting day, in the case of a by-election.
  • the day A equals the total of B and C, where
    • A = any further contributions.
    • B = the expenses incurred during the extension of the campaign period.
    • C = the amount of the registered third party’s deficit at the start of the election campaign period.

Registered third parties that extend their campaign must submit two financial statements by the statutory deadline dates:

  • Filing of Financial Statements - Friday, March 31, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
  • Supplementary Financial Filing - Friday, September 29, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.

Financial statements

Registered third parties are responsible for filing a complete and accurate financial statement by Friday, March 31, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. The statement covers the period from the day the registered third party filed their Notice of Registration until December 31, 2022.

A registered third party must notify the Clerk, in writing, of any Court extension by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 2023. Penalties will commence at 2:01 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Supplementary Financial Statements

The final date for registered third parties, who extended their campaign, to file their supplementary financial statement is Friday, September 29, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. The statement covers the period from the day the registered third parties filed their Notice of Registration until June 30, 2023.

A registered third party must notify the Clerk, in writing, of any Court extension by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023. Penalties will commence at 2:01 p.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023.

Contribution Rebate Program

Registered third parties are not eligible to participate in the Contribution Rebate Program.

Campaigning and Sign Restrictions

Third party advertisements

A third party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that has the purpose of promoting, supporting or opposing a candidate, or a “yes” or “no” question on the ballot. This does not include advertisements by or under the direction of a candidate.

All individuals, corporations and trade unions must register before incurring any expense related to third party advertisements appearing between Monday, May 2, 2022, and Monday, October 24, 2022.

Mandatory information in third party advertisements

All third party advertisements must contain the following information:

  1. The name of the registered third party.
  2. The municipality where the registered third party is registered.
  3. A telephone number, mailing address or email address at which the registered third party may be contacted regarding the advertisement.

Mandatory information for broadcasters and publishers

Registered third party advertisers must provide the following information to the broadcaster or publisher in writing:

  1. The name of the registered third party.
  2. The name, business address and telephone number of the individual who deals with the broadcaster or publisher under the direction of the registered third party.
  3. The municipality where the registered third party is registered.

Broadcasters and publishers are prohibited from running a third party advertisement unless the above-noted information is provided.

The broadcaster or publisher of a third party advertisement is required to retain the following information for a period of four years after the date the advertisement appears:

  • The mandatory information that is required for broadcasters and publishers (the name of the registered third party; the municipality where they are registered; and the contact information for the person who deals with the broadcaster or publisher);
  • A copy of the advertisement, or the means of reproducing it for inspection; and
  • A statement of the charge made for its appearance.

The broadcaster or publisher must also permit the public to inspect these records during normal business hours.

Election Signs

Please refer to the Municipality’s Election Sign By-law 2018-50 and Grey County Corporate Procedure MS-TS-005-001 for specific details regarding election signs.

A sign permit or a permit application is not required for election signs.

Signs can be displayed no sooner than Friday, August 26, 2022. All election signs must be removed by Saturday, October 29, 2022.

Election campaigning or the distribution/posting of election campaign material at municipally-owned or leased facilities is not permitted, with the exception of road allowances.

Additional Resources for Third Party Advertisers 

For each municipal general election, the Province of Ontario releases a guide with information for those who want to register as third party advertisers for the 2022 municipal council and school board elections.

2022 Third Party Advertisers' Guide

 

On April 22, 2022, Grey County and its member municipalities hosted an information session for prospective candidates and third party advertisers. The session presentations and recording are available at the links below:

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