Municipal elections in Ontario, a province of Canada, are held every four years. Municipalities in Ontario held an election on October 24, 2022. Prior to 2006, elections were held every three years.
Evolution of municipal franchise Upon the formation of the Province, the rules for elections were as follows:
Election day was the first Monday in January of each year Electors had to be male, at least 21 years old, and a freeholder, householder or tenant in the municipality They (or their wives) had to have been resident in the municipality for at least one month before the election They had to hold real property (whether in their own right or that of their wives) of a minimum value: $100 in townships, $200 in villages, $300 in towns and $400 in cities Persons aged 60 and over were exempted from standing for election Municipalities had the option to require property taxes to be fully paid in order to vote
+ Changes in Ontario municipal election lawsYearAmending ActChange1882Unmarried women and widows, having the necessary property qualification, given the right to vote on money by-laws1903Cities with a population over 100,000 given the option to set Election Day as January 11906Municipalities given the option (with the assent of the electors) to hold elections every other year1914All municipalities enabled to set January 1 as Election Day1917 Right to vote granted to all women, subject to property qualification Where the wife holds real property and the husband does not, she may renounce her right to vote in favour of him1922Municipalities given the option to set Election Day as the first Monday of December1937Municipalities given the option to set Election Day as December 141941 Maximum age for candidates is repealed Extension of franchise to members of the military absent from the municipality1946Municipalities also given the option (with the assent of the electors) to have staggered elections, electing half the council annually1955Assent of the electors no longer required to institute biennial or staggered elections1958Councils allowed to provide for the removal of the property qualification as a condition for entry on the voters' list1971Reduction in voting age from 21 to 181972Standardization of election rules: Term of office set as two years for all officials (s. 9) Effective with 1972 elections, all elections to be held every other year (s. 10) Election Day fixed on the first Monday of December (s. 11) Extension of franchise to all Canadian citizens and British subjects resident or holding property in the municipality (ss. 12-13) Property qualification required for being able to vote on money by-laws (s. 15)1977Election Day advanced to second Monday of November1982Effective with 1982 elections, terms of all officials extended to three yearsRemoval of mandatory property qualification for voting on money by-laws1985Restrictions of franchise: Other British subjects removed from voters' lists Disqualification of inmates of penal and correctional institutions2006Effective with 2006 elections, terms of all officials extended to four years2009Election Day advanced to fourth Monday of October
Direct elections to county councils In 1896, the election of county councillors was separated from the election of local councillors. Counties were organized into divisions for electoral purposes, each of which would elect two councillors, and the number of councillors was determined by the population.
+ Formation of county councils (1896)1896 Act, ss. 23County populationNumber of councillorsNumber of divisionsLess than 25,0008104525,00040,00010125640,00060,000121467Greater than 60,000161889
There was no requirement for the county divisions to be contiguous in area, and such a fragmented division (consisting of three municipalities) was noted in Halton County. It was observed that "the arrangement by which one of the municipalities in No. 4 county council division must be left out in the cold is anything but a satisfactory one".
In 1904, provision was made for a majority of the councils in a county to be able to oust direct elections, in favour of a county council consisting of the mayors and reeves of the constituent municipalities. Direct elections were finally abolished in 1907.
Elections 2026 2022 2018 2014 2010 2006 2003 2000 1997 1994 1991 1988 1985 1982 1980 1978 1976 1974 1972 1969 1957 1953
See also Municipal elections in Canada
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