British Columbia · City of Maple Ridge

How to run for School Trustee in Maple Ridge

A plain-English guide to the 2026 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for school trustee candidates in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.

Election day: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Population (2021)
90,990
Boards
7 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
—

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for school trustee in Maple Ridge, you must be:

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

School trustees represent voters on a school board and oversee policy, budgets, and the hiring of senior staff for public schools in Maple Ridge.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
School Trustee (SD 42 Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows)74 yrsVoters in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows both vote

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the local Chief Election Officer, 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.
  • 2 / 10 / 25 nominators (varies by municipal bylaw) from eligible electors of Maple Ridge.Most cities over 5,000 residents require 25 nominators. Check your municipality’s nomination package for the exact number.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: Up to $100 (refundable on disclosure filing). Set by municipal bylaw; many smaller municipalities charge nothing.

Where to file

Maple Ridge City Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge V2X 6A9, Legislative Services / City Clerk, by appointment with the Chief Election Officer.

Step 4

Key dates — 2026 cycle

DateEvent
Sep 1, 4:00 p.m.Nomination period opens
Sep 11, 11:00 p.m.Nomination period closes (last day to file)
October 17, 2026Election day
November 6, 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

Maple Ridge runs under British Columbia's Local Government Act + Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. The headline numbers for the 2026 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$1,429.70 per campaign (2026, indexed annually by Elections BC)
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
Same total can be split across candidates
across all candidates in the same municipality
Spending limit
Set by Elections BC; published by May 31 of the election year
the local Chief Election Officer 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 Maple Ridge

  • Homelessness / encampment policy has been Maple Ridge's most-contested file across multiple election cycles.
  • Rural-urban tension between the dense urban core (Haney, Hammond) and the rural east (Whonnock, Ruskin, Webster's Corners) shapes campaigns.
  • Mail ballots offered.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Maple Ridge also choose:

  • Mayor — At-large, FPTP
  • Councillor — At-large, plurality block

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Maple Ridge?

Considering a different office? We have plain-English guides for every position on the Maple Ridge ballot:

This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Always confirm details with the local Chief Election Officer and the most recent provincial candidate guide before filing. Last reviewed 2026-05-01.

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