Ontario · City of Cambridge

How to run for Mayor in Cambridge

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
138,479
Head of council
1 Mayor
Term
4 years
Wards
8

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for mayor in Cambridge, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Cambridge, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Cambridge (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 mayor do?

The Mayor is the head of council in Cambridge — chairs council meetings, is the public face of the city, and votes alongside councillors on by-laws, the annual budget, and major staffing decisions.

Region of Waterloo — Mayor sits on Waterloo Regional Council; 2 Regional Councillors elected separately by Cambridge voters at-large

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yearsAt-large; sits on Waterloo Regional Council

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 Cambridge.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: $200. Refundable in full if you file your campaign financial statement on time.

Where to file

Office of the City Clerk, Cambridge City Hall, 50 Dickson Street, Cambridge, ON N1R 5W8. City Clerk: Jennifer Shaw (Municipal Returning Officer). Nomination packages available for in-person pickup at City Hall starting April 23, 2026. Filing on Aug 21 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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

Cambridge 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 $7,500 + $0.20 × eligible electors, or $25,000
combined cap
Spending limit
$7,500 + $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 Cambridge

  • Lower-tier of Waterloo Region. Voters cast separate ballots for Cambridge offices (Mayor + Ward Councillor) and Region of Waterloo offices (Regional Chair + 2 Regional Councillors for City of Cambridge).
  • Region of Waterloo Chair is elected region-wide.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Cambridge also choose:

  • Ward Councillor — One per ward; serves on Cambridge Council only
  • Regional Councillor (City of Cambridge) — Elected at-large city-wide; serves on Waterloo Regional Council (separate ballot)
  • WRDSB Trustee (English Public) — Waterloo Region DSB
  • WCDSB Trustee (English Catholic) — Waterloo Catholic DSB
  • CSV Trustee — French Public
  • MonAvenir Trustee — French Catholic

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Cambridge?

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