Ontario · Municipality of Mississippi Mills

How to run for Mayor in Mississippi Mills

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
14,740
Head of council
1 Mayor
Term
4 years
Wards
Confirm

Step 1

Are you eligible?

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

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Mississippi Mills, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Mississippi Mills (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 Mississippi Mills — chairs council meetings, is the public face of the city, and votes alongside councillors on by-laws, the annual budget, and major staffing decisions.

County of Lanark. Mayor (and historically a designated Councillor or Deputy Mayor) sits on Lanark County Council.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on Lanark County Council
Deputy Mayor14 yrsConfirm with Clerk: at-large or by ward

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 Mississippi Mills.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

Municipality of Mississippi Mills Municipal Office, 3131 Old Perth Road, P.O. Box 400, Almonte ON K0A 1A0. Phone 613-256-2064. 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

Mississippi Mills 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 Mississippi Mills

  • Voting method: Electronic only (online + telephone) for 2026. No paper ballot. Voting opens Monday October 19, 2026.
  • Council pay was set in February 2026 for the 2026–2030 term: Mayor $60,689.71; Deputy Mayor $30,425.67; Councillor $24,287.17.
  • Town spans Almonte (urban / population centre, walkable downtown), Pakenham (rural village / 5-span stone bridge), Ramsay (rural). Ward identity from former townships still matters at the ballot box.
  • Mississippi River and watershed governance, plus heritage building bylaws, are recurring council debates.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Mississippi Mills also choose:

  • Councillor — By ward (Almonte / Pakenham / Ramsay)
  • English Public Trustee (UCDSB) — Upper Canada DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (CDSBEO) — Catholic DSB of Eastern Ontario
  • French Public Trustee (CEPEO) — CEPEO
  • French Catholic Trustee (CECCE) — CECCE

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Mississippi Mills?

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