Quebec · Municipality of Trois-Rivières

How to run for Council in Trois-Rivières

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

Election day: Sunday, November 4, 2029
Population (2021)
139,163
Council seats
14 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
—

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for councillor in Trois-Rivières, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Trois-Rivières, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Trois-Rivières (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 Trois-Rivières 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 district144 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 Trois-Rivières.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

Direction du greffe et services juridiques, Hôtel de ville de Trois-Rivières, 1325 place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Trois-Rivières G9A 5H3.

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

Trois-Rivières 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 Trois-Rivières

  • No formal arrondissements, despite the 2002 megamerger — unlike Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Lévis, Longueuil, Québec, and Montréal which kept some borough structure.
  • Incumbent retirement. Jean Lamarche's December 2024 decision not to seek re-election opened the field to a four-way race. His endorsed successor Jonathan Bradley finished third — a sign that mayoral endorsements don't transfer reliably.
  • Tight district results. Vincent Héroux won the Richelieu district by 1 vote; Pierre Piché won Forges by 44 votes.
  • Council gender balance. Female councillors increased from four to six in the new council.
  • Voter turnout 2025: 43.25%.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Trois-Rivières also choose:

  • Maire — At-large

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Trois-Rivières?

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