Ontario · Municipality of North Grenville

How to run for Mayor in North Grenville

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
17,964
Head of council
1 Mayor
Term
4 years
Wards
None

Step 1

Are you eligible?

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

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

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Council
Deputy Mayor14 yrsAt-large; directly elected

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 North Grenville.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 North Grenville Municipal Centre, 285 County Road 44, P.O. Box 130, Kemptville ON K0G 1J0. 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

North Grenville 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 North Grenville

  • Direct-elected Deputy Mayor — uncommon in eastern Ontario but matches a handful of Leeds & Grenville municipalities. Effectively two head-of-council races.
  • Small council size (5 members) means each seat has substantial individual influence; competitive at-large races attract many candidates.
  • Kemptville is the population centre; rural/agricultural areas (Oxford-on-Rideau, South Gower, Burritts Rapids) make up most of the geography.
  • Strong-mayor powers do not apply to North Grenville (not on the designated list).
  • Bilingual services are offered but North Grenville is majority-anglophone (very different from neighbouring UCPR municipalities).

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in North Grenville also choose:

  • Councillor — At-large
  • 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 North Grenville?

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