Ontario · Municipality of Amherstburg

How to run for Council in Amherstburg

A plain-English guide to the 2026 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for councillor candidates in Amherstburg, Ontario.

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
23,524
Council seats
5 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
None

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for councillor in Amherstburg, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Amherstburg, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Amherstburg (or the spouse of one).
  • Not legally disqualified from running.
Common disqualifications include sitting judges, sitting MPs / Senators / MPPs (must resign before filing), municipal employees (must take an unpaid leave or resign), and people serving a sentence in a penal institution.

Step 2

What does the councillor do?

Councillors in Amherstburg vote on by-laws, the annual budget, and local services like parks, transit, and zoning. They are the most direct point of contact between residents and city hall.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Councillor54 yrsAt-large

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the City Clerk, in person during regular office hours and on nomination day until 2:00 PM. You'll need to bring:

  • Nomination paper, signed in the presence of the clerk or a commissioner of oaths.
  • 25 endorsement signatures from eligible electors of Amherstburg.Municipalities with fewer than 4,000 eligible electors are exempt from the signature requirement.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: $100. Refundable in full if you file your campaign financial statement on time.

Where to file

Town of Amherstburg Clerk's Office, 271 Sandwich Street South, Amherstburg ON N9V 2A5. By appointment.

Step 4

Key dates — 2026 cycle

DateEvent
May 1, 12:30 p.m.Nomination period opens
Aug 21, 6:00 p.m.Nomination period closes (last day to file)
October 26, 2026Election day
November 15, 2026New term of council begins
March 27, 2027Campaign financial statement due

Missing the financial-statement deadline can trigger automatic disqualification from running in the next cycle and forfeiture of your filing fee.

Step 5

Campaign finance

Amherstburg runs under Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The headline numbers for the 2026 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$1,200
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
$5,000
across all candidates in the same municipality
Self + spouse contribution
lesser of $5,000 + $0.20 × eligible electors, or $25,000
combined cap
Spending limit
$5,000 + $0.85 per eligible elector
the City Clerk issues your written limit after nominations close
Corporate and union donations are banned. Cash gifts of $25 or less generally don't need to be tracked individually; anything more must be by cheque, debit, credit, money order, or e-transfer that traces to the contributor.

Local

Specific to Amherstburg

  • 2026 will be a major shake-up year: incumbent Mayor Aldo DiCarlo and Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche have both announced they are not seeking re-election. Expect a competitive open race for both head-of-council seats.
  • All 5 Councillor seats are at-large town-wide — campaigns face the full electorate even for back-bench seats.
  • Direct election of the Deputy Mayor is uncommon outside Essex County (only a handful of Ontario municipalities do this — Lakeshore, Kingsville, Amherstburg, Stratford, etc.). Two head-of-council races in one election effectively.
  • Strong-mayor powers do not apply.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Amherstburg also choose:

  • Mayor — At-large; sits on Essex County Council
  • Deputy Mayor — At-large; directly elected; sits on Essex County Council
  • English Public Trustee (GECDSB) — Greater Essex County DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (WECDSB) — Windsor-Essex Catholic DSB
  • French Public Trustee (Viamonde) — CS Viamonde
  • French Catholic Trustee (Providence) — CSC Providence

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Amherstburg?

Considering a different office? We have plain-English guides for every position on the Amherstburg ballot:

This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Always confirm details with the City Clerk and the most recent provincial candidate guide before filing. Last reviewed 2026-05-01.

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