Third Party Advertiser FAQs

For candidates: In accordance with the Act and Clarington’s Sign By-law, the mandatory minimum information required on an advertisement is that it shall identify the candidate. Provided a candidate’s full name or ‘name as it will appear on the ballot’ is on the election sign, the Municipality of Clarington will consider that the sign has met the requirement set out in the Act and the by-law.

For third party advertisers: The Act and Clarington’s Sign By-law state that all registered third party advertisers’ advertisements must include:

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

No. Contribution receipts are not tax receipts. Contributions to municipal council and school board campaigns cannot be credited against provincial or federal income tax.

Possibly. In Clarington, you need to pay a sign deposit of $250 if you are a registered candidate or third party advertiser and plan to erect election signs in Clarington. In addition, you need to register first, then set up a separate bank account, and pay for the sign deposit from the bank account. If you do not plan on using election signs, you do not need to pay the sign deposit. Election signs cannot be erected before September 3, 2022. All signs must be removed by October 27, 2022. Clarington's Municipal Law Enforcement Division will be hosting a sign information session in late August.

Yes, with some restrictions. Section 6 of Clarington’s Use of Corporate Resources for Election Purposes Policy governs the use of municipally owned land and facilities and outlines the restrictions. Despite the restrictions, it does not “prohibit a candidate or external organization from renting space within a municipal facility/building (other than the Municipal Administrative Centre, Clarington Library facilities and the Museum Buildings) for election-related purposes and permit.” Although the Clarington Library’s “Use of Corporate Resources for Election Policy” must still be followed. Similarly, the distribution and display of campaign materials can only take place during the rental period and only within the rented area.

It depends. For Members of Council, it depends on which office and which municipality. For Clarington, the maximum contribution amount is calculated by the Clerk and is outlined in the appendix at the back of the Candidate Information Manual. For School Board Trustee candidates, there is no limit on how much the candidate or spouse can contribute to the candidate’s campaign. Additionally, for trustees, the candidate/spouse contributions do not count toward the $5,000 that an individual contributor can make collectively to candidates for the same board/council.