Ontario · Municipality of Loyalist

How to run for Council in Loyalist

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
17,943
Council seats
5 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
3

Step 1

Are you eligible?

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

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Loyalist, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Loyalist (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 Loyalist 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
Ward 1 Councillor14 yrsBy ward
Ward 2 Councillor14 yrsBy ward
Ward 3 Councillor34 yrsBy ward (Amherstview / urban)

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 Loyalist.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

Loyalist Township Office, 263 Main Street, P.O. Box 70, Odessa ON K0H 2H0. Clerk's office, 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

Loyalist 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 Loyalist

  • Ward boundary uncertainty: New ward map (By-law 2025-39) is under OLT appeal. As of May 1, 2026 the existing boundaries apply — but the appeal could shift things between filing and election day. Monitor the Township site.
  • Direct-elected Deputy Mayor — both head-of-council seats sit on L&A County Council, where Loyalist holds both Warden and Deputy Warden for 2026.
  • Township spans Amherstview (urban, near Kingston), Bath (heritage waterfront), Odessa (commercial), and rural Ernestown. Ward 3 (Amherstview) dominates the elector count.
  • Strong-mayor powers do not apply.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Loyalist also choose:

  • Mayor — At-large; sits on L&A County Council
  • Deputy Mayor — At-large; sits on L&A County Council
  • English Public Trustee (LDSB) — Limestone DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (ALCDSB) — Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic DSB
  • French Public Trustee (CEPEO) — CEPEO
  • French Catholic Trustee (CECCE) — CECCE

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Loyalist?

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