Manitoba · Municipality of RM of Ritchot

How to run for Council in RM of Ritchot

A plain-English guide to the 2026 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for councillor candidates in RM of Ritchot, Manitoba.

Election day: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Population (2021)
7,469
Council seats
4 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
4

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for councillor in RM of Ritchot, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of RM of Ritchot, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in RM of Ritchot (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 RM of Ritchot 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
Councillor44 yrsOne per ward.

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the Senior Election Official (SEO), 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.
  • 1% of eligible voters in the ward / municipality (max 25, min 2) from eligible electors of RM of Ritchot.In Winnipeg, mayoral candidates need 250 signatures (Winnipeg Charter override).
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: None.

Where to file

RM of Ritchot Municipal Office, Île-des-Chênes (352 Main Street, Île-des-Chênes, MB R0A 0T1). Filed during September 16–22, 2026 window.

Step 4

Key dates — 2026 cycle

DateEvent
October 28, 2026Election day
November 17, 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

RM of Ritchot runs under Manitoba's Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Act. The headline numbers for the 2026 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$1,500 (mayor / at-large councillor) or $750 (ward councillor)
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
Manitoba-resident individuals only
across all candidates in the same municipality
Spending limit
Set by municipal bylaw where one exists (Winnipeg uses an expense bylaw)
the Senior Election Official (SEO) 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 RM of Ritchot

  • OPEN MAYORAL RACE for 2026 — incumbent Ewen confirmed early in 2025 he would not run again. This is one of the most genuinely contested mayoral seats in southern Manitoba going into 2026.
  • Bilingual municipality (AMBM member) — campaign materials and ballots in French and English. Ste. Agathe and St. Adolphe in particular have strong francophone presence.
  • Title is "Mayor" not "Reeve" despite RM status.
  • Ward councillor contribution limit $750.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in RM of Ritchot also choose:

  • Mayor — At-large. (Ritchot uses "Mayor" not "Reeve".)
  • School Trustee — Seine River School Division / Red River Valley School Division — Same ballot.

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in RM of Ritchot?

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

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

How RidingDesk helps

Running for Council in RM of Ritchot? We built the platform for you.

RidingDesk is a Canadian-built campaign platform for municipal, provincial, and federal candidates. Hosted in Canada, MEA-compliant out of the box, and shaped by the way local campaigns actually run.

Collect your nominators online

Stand up a public nomination page in minutes. Supporters fill in their info from their phone — you witness their physical signature later when you bring the paperwork in.

Recruit and manage volunteers

Sign-up forms, shift scheduling, and a single place where the whole team knows what's next.

Canvass smarter

Door-knocking with turf cutting, pinned maps, and walk lists generated from the RM of Ritchot voters list.

Fundraise inside the rules

Stripe-powered donation pages with built-in MEA contribution-limit and tax-receipt logic. Receipts signed by your registered Official Agent.

Start your campaignSee a live demo

Free until October 26, 2026 — no credit card required.