Ontario · Municipality of Springwater

How to run for Mayor in Springwater

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
21,701
Head of council
1 Mayor
Term
4 years
Wards
5

Step 1

Are you eligible?

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

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

Simcoe County. Mayor and Deputy Mayor both sit on County Council.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on Simcoe County Council
Deputy Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on Simcoe County 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 Springwater.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

Township of Springwater Administration Centre, 2231 Nursery Road, Minesing ON L9X 1A8. 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

Springwater 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 Springwater

  • Council has been actively reviewing ward boundaries: Watson & Associates' 2024 final report recommended 5 wards with a population trigger for a 6th in Midhurst. On Feb 5, 2025, council referred the report back for additional research. The final 2026 ward map by-law had to be passed by December 31, 2025 — confirm the official 2026 configuration before filing.
  • Head-of-council is "Mayor" (not "Reeve") — Springwater is one of the larger Simcoe townships and has used the Mayor title since the 1990s amalgamation.
  • Midhurst's rapid growth has driven the boundary review and is the dominant land-use issue — Midhurst Secondary Plan and Highway 400 commuter pressures will dominate 2026 campaigns.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Springwater also choose:

  • Ward Councillor — By ward (5 or 6 wards — confirm 2026 by-law)
  • English Public Trustee (SCDSB) — Simcoe County DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (SMCDSB) — Simcoe Muskoka Catholic DSB
  • French Public Trustee (Viamonde) — CS Viamonde
  • French Catholic Trustee (MonAvenir) — CSC MonAvenir

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Springwater?

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