Quebec · Municipality of Rimouski

How to run for Council in Rimouski

A plain-English guide to the 2029 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for councillor candidates in Rimouski, Quebec.

Election day: Sunday, November 4, 2029
Population (2021)
48,935
Council seats
10 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
—

Step 1

Are you eligible?

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

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Rimouski, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Rimouski (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 Rimouski 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
Conseiller / conseillère de district104 yrOne per district

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the municipal greffier (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.
  • 5 to 200 supporting electors (varies by population and office) from eligible electors of Rimouski.Mayor: 5 / 10 / 50 / 100 / 200 across population brackets. Councillor: 5 / 10 / 25 / 25 / 25. Confirm with the greffier.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: None.

Where to file

Service du greffe, Hôtel de ville, 205 av. de la Cathédrale, C.P. 710, Rimouski (Québec) G5L 7C7.

Step 4

Key dates — 2029 cycle

DateEvent
Sep 21Nomination period opens
Oct 5, 8:30 p.m.Nomination period closes (last day to file)
November 4, 2029Election day
November 24, 2029New term of council begins
March 27, 2030Campaign 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

Rimouski runs under Quebec's Loi sur les élections et les référendums dans les municipalités. The headline numbers for the 2029 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$100 per year
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
$200 in a general-election year if you support an authorized party or independent
across all candidates in the same municipality
Spending limit
Set by Élections Québec; published after nominations close
In municipalities ≥ 5,000 residents, candidates who get ≥ 15% of the vote (or are elected) are reimbursed up to 70% of allowed expenses.
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 Rimouski

  • Internet voting in 2025. Rimouski offered an online voting option in the 2025 election — one of a small group of Québec municipalities to do so under the *Loi pour un Québec mieux représenté* / Élections Québec pilot.
  • Independent landscape. No registered municipal parties; campaigns run on personal organizations.
  • Regional capital of Bas-Saint-Laurent. Council files are weighted toward UQAR/CEGEP, ISMER (marine sciences), and the port — and toward inter-municipal coordination through the MRC and the *Conférence des préfets du Bas-Saint-Laurent*.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Rimouski also choose:

  • Maire (*mayor*) — At-large

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Rimouski?

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

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

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