Ontario · Municipality of Scugog

How to run for Regional Councillor in Scugog

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
21,581
Regional seats
1 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
5

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for regional councillor in Scugog, you must be:

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

Scugog elects regional councillors who serve on the upper-tier regional council on top of their city duties. The regional level handles services like waste, transit, social housing, and policing.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Regional Councillor14 yrsAt-large; separate Durham seat

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 Scugog.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: $100. Refundable in full if you file your campaign financial statement on time.

Where to file

Township of Scugog Municipal Office, 181 Perry Street, Port Perry ON L9L 1A7. Clerk / Returning Officer Blair Labelle, 905-985-7346 ext. 119, <[email protected]>. 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

Scugog 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 $5,000 + $0.20 × eligible electors, or $25,000
combined cap
Spending limit
$5,000 + $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 Scugog

  • Although a "township," head of council is Mayor (not Reeve). This was set when Scugog amalgamated.
  • Scugog has both a Mayor and a directly elected Regional Councillor — two head-of-council-grade races. Combined with 5 ward seats, it's the standard "Durham urban township" pattern (same as Brock, Uxbridge).
  • Port Perry dominates the elector base; the rural wards (Manvers/Caesarea, Greenbank, Seagrave, Blackstock) have far fewer electors. Ward residency matters: candidates must be eligible voters in the municipality, but not necessarily in the ward they run in.
  • 2026 candidate training session held by Durham Region on March 25, 2026 (recording on Scugog elections page).

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Scugog also choose:

  • Mayor — At-large; sits on Durham Regional Council
  • Ward Councillor — One per ward (Wards 1–5)
  • English Public Trustee (DDSB) — Durham DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (DCDSB) — Durham Catholic DSB
  • French Public Trustee (Viamonde) — CS Viamonde
  • French Catholic Trustee (MonAvenir) — CSC MonAvenir

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Scugog?

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