How to run for School Trustee in Vancouver

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

• A Canadian citizen.
• At least 18 years old.
• A resident of Vancouver, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Vancouver (or the spouse of one).
• Not legally disqualified from running.

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

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 Vancouver.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.

Missing the financial-statement deadline can trigger automatic disqualification from running in the next cycle and forfeiture of your filing fee.

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

• Vancouver Charter governs everything: council powers, election procedure, capital-plan borrowing referendums (s.245), parks board (s.485). Most rules mirror the LGA but cross-references in candidate documents go to the Vancouver Charter, not the LGA.
• Stratas: door-knocking in stratas is governed by BC's *Strata Property Act*; some buildings post additional canvassing rules (often "no soliciting" notices that do not bind candidates — the Charter of Rights s.2(b) protects political expression in residential common areas, per the *McKinney* line of cases — but practical access depends on getting buzzed in).
• Sign bylaw: Election signs are governed by the Vancouver Election Sign By-law No. 6446. No election signs on city property; signs on private property allowed during the campaign period only.
• Capital-plan ballot questions (3 for 2026) are unique to Vancouver. They are *not* candidate races; they are referendum questions on a 4-year capital-borrowing plan. Past plans have run $1B–$2B in borrowing approval.
• No internet voting, no ranked ballots. Vancouver City Council voted to ask the province for ranked-ballot authority in 2018; the province declined and that policy is unchanged as of May 2026.
• Mail ballots are available to any elector who applies, no reason needed (post-2021 LGA expansion adopted by Vancouver Charter administrative rules).

Voters in Vancouver also choose:

• Mayor — At-large, FPTP
• Councillor — At-large, plurality block (each voter casts up to 10)
• Park Board Commissioner — At-large, plurality block
• Capital Plan Borrowing Questions — Recurring Vancouver Charter Part XIII feature; voters approve borrowing for housing/transportation/utilities/childcare

• Current Mayor and Council
• British Columbia 2026Candidates' Guide
• Local Government Act + Local Elections Campaign Financing Act

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

• How to run for Mayor in Vancouver
• How to run for Council in Vancouver
• Browse every Canadian municipality