Quebec · Municipality of Shawinigan

How to run for Maire in Shawinigan

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

Election day: Sunday, November 4, 2029
Population (2021)
49,620
Head of council
1 Maire
Term
4 years
Wards
—

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for maire in Shawinigan, you must be:

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

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

N/A — single-tier. Shawinigan is not part of any MRC; it forms its own *Ville-MRC* in the Mauricie administrative region. Its mayor is préfet *ex officio* of the Ville-MRC.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Maire (*mayor*)14 yrAt-large; also préfet *ex officio* of the Ville-MRC

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 Shawinigan.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

Service du greffe, Hôtel de ville, 550 av. de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Shawinigan (Québec) G9N 6V3.

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

Shawinigan 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 Shawinigan

  • Single-tier *Ville-MRC*. Shawinigan exercises MRC powers on its own — land-use, regional development, watershed planning all flow through city council, not a separate MRC table.
  • High turnout 2025. 49.12% turnout (21,025 of 42,807 electors) — well above the Québec average for a city this size, and substantially ahead of the 2025 cycle's overall ~38%.
  • First open-seat mayoral race since 2009. With Michel Angers stepping down after four terms, the 2025 race was Shawinigan's first non-incumbent mayoral contest in 16 years; Lévesque's win on a "cost-cutting" platform without lawn signs was widely noted.
  • Vast urban–rural geography. Shawinigan's territory includes Saint-Gérard-des-Laurentides, Lac-à-la-Tortue, Grand-Mère and other rural sectors absorbed in 2002; campaigns must travel.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Shawinigan also choose:

  • Conseiller / conseillère de district — One per district

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Shawinigan?

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