Elections

Municipal elections occur every four years on the third Monday in October. The next municipal election will be held on October 18, 2021.

Information on this website will be updated periodically to reflect any changes to legislation and to inform citizens of the electoral process.

Information for Candidates

Municipal leaders take on an important leadership role in our community. The professional and life skills as well as experience of municipal leaders help shape policy and decision making for our region. There is a significant time commitment involved.

Candidates for the 2021 Election will find important information on the Municipal Affairs website.

To receive election updates and other relevant election information, interested candidates are asked to fill out the following form.

Potential Candidate Contact Information Form

For more detailed information, please review our Candidate Guide to Municipal Elections and our 2021 Candidate Nomination Package.

Candidate Guide to Municipal Elections

2021 Candidate Nomination Package

Preparing for your nomination

The Nomination Period runs from Monday, January 4, 2021 to 12 noon on Monday, September 20, 2021. To file your nomination, you must follow the below steps:

1. Meet all eligibility requirements

To be nominated as a candidate in the 2021 General Election, you must be eligible to vote. You must be:

at least 18 years old;
a Canadian citizen;
a resident of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the ward you are running in for at least 6 consecutive months immediately preceding nomination day (September 20, 2021); and
not otherwise ineligible or disqualified.

There may be other reasons you are ineligible to run as a candidate – refer to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA).

If you wish to be nominated as a school board trustee, please review the Education Act in addition to the LAEA.

For further information, please refer to the Nomination Process Checklist for Prospective Candidates.

2. Complete Form 4 and Form 5

Form 4 - Nomination Paper and Candidate's Acceptance (download from the Municipal Affairs Forms page and open with Adobe Reader) For more information, refer to the How to Guide Form 4.
Form 5: Candidate Financial Information. Candidates disclose information on where their campaign records will be maintained and their campaign bank account information. For more information, refer to the How to Guide Form 5.
Potential Candidate Contact Information Form(optional). Candidates may choose to submit this optional form, which will be used to provide updates for the 2021 General Election and other relevant election information.
Electoral Candidate Contact Information Form. Candidates may choose to submit this optional form, which will provide additional contact information that will be released to the public and media as required and will be posted on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo website.

3. Prepare the deposit

When filing nomination papers, you must pay the required deposit:

$250 for the position of Mayor
$100 for the position of Councillor.

The required deposit can be paid by cash, certified cheque, money order, debit card or credit card. Payments by credit card or debit card can only be made at in-person appointments. Do not send cash in the mail.

4. File your nomination forms

Mail / Courier your completed forms and deposit:

Completed nomination papers and deposit can be sent by mail or courier to the Elections Office at:

Legislative Services

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

9909 Franklin Avenue

Fort McMurray, AB T9H 2K4

Form 4 must be commissioned by a Commissioner for Oaths or Notary Public in and for Alberta.
The deposit must be paid by certified cheque or money order payable to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Do not send cash or credit / debit card information in the mail.

The Elections Office will email you to confirm that you have been accepted as a candidate. If you have filed your nomination papers via mail or courier, confirmation may take up to 5 business days from the date of receipt of your papers.

Make an appointment:

Nomination papers and deposits can be filed in person with the Elections Office by making an appointment. If you choose to file your papers in person, you must comply with all public health orders, mandatory restrictions, complete the COVID-19 screening questionnaire, and comply with Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Bylaws, including the Face Covering Bylaw.

For more information and to make arrangements to file your nomination:

Email elections@rmwb.ca
Call 780-743-7001

The deposit may be paid by cash, certified cheque, money order, debit card or credit card.

For more information

Visit www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/mc_elections

Please also find more important and helpful candidate information below:

Offices of Mayor and Councillor

There are 11 positions on Council: the Mayor, who is elected at large, and 10 Councillors, who are elected under a ward system as follows:

Ward 1 (Fort McMurray)	6 Councillors
Ward 2 (Fort Chipewyan, Fort Fitzgerald, Fort McKay)	2 Councillors
Ward 3 (Draper, Saprae Creek Estates)	1 Councillor
Ward 4 (Anzac, Conklin, Gregoire Lake Estates, Janvier)	1 Councillor

Nomination Information

You can run as a candidate for mayor, councillor or school board member. Nomination papers must be filed between January 4 and September 20, 2021, at noon. These forms can be found online on the Municipal Affairs website.

Nomination papers may be sent by mail or courier to the address listed below. Form 4 Must be commissioned by a Commissioner for Oaths or Notary Public in and for Alberta and the deposit must be paid by certified cheque or money order. Do not send cash, credit or debit card information in the mail.
To make arrangements to file your Nomination for Mayors and Councillors and the Fort McMurray Public School Trustees, please email elections@rmwb.ca or call 780-743-7001.
To make arrangements to file your Nomination for the Fort McMurray Roman Catholic Separate School Trustees, please call 780-799-5700.

School Board Candidate Information

If you are intending to run for your local school board, find relevant information at School Board trustee elections information.

Key Election Dates

Date	Event
January 4, 2021 – September 20, 2021	Nomination Period
During regular business hours.	Nominations are filed during this period during regular business hours until 12 noon on September 20, 2021.
Monday, September 20, 2021	Election Signs
12:00 noon	Election signs may be installed starting at 12:00 noon.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021	Deadline for Withdrawal of Nomination
12:00 noon	Nominations may be withdrawn by written notification to the Returning Officer by 12:00 noon.
October 2021	Advance Vote Days Details on Advance Voting will be released in September 2021.
Monday, October 18, 2021	Election Day
9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.	Unofficial results will be released as they become available after the voting stations close.
Thursday, October 21, 2021	Removal of Election Signs
8:00 p.m.	Removal of election signs, including all supporting structures, must be completed by 8:00 p.m.
Friday, October 22, 2021	Official Election Results
12:00 noon	Returning Officer will post the official election results and declare the candidate(s) who received the highest number of votes to be elected.
Thursday March 1, 2022 4:30 p.m.	Deadline for Filing of Campaign Disclosure Statements
	Candidates for the 2021 Municipal Election shall file Campaign Disclosure Statements on or before March 1, 2022.

Candidate Information Sessions

Candidate Information Sessions may be offered by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo prior to Nomination Day and details would be posted at www.rmwb.ca/elections.

Candidate Orientation Training Sessions may be offered through Municipal Affairs and would be announced at a later date.

Local Authorities Election Act changes

In December 2018, Bill 23 – An Act to Renew Local Government in Alberta was passed and in July 2020, Bill 29 – Local Authorities Election Amendment Act, was passed. Both acts made changes to how municipal elections are conducted in Alberta.

Municipal Affairs is available to answer questions on the legislative changes and the impacts on campaigns in municipal elections. Please call 780-427-2225.

For more information on the changes please review the fact sheets from Municipal Affairs.

COVID-19 Guidance for Canvassing and Campaigning

The Government of Alberta has developed COVID-19 Guidance for Canvassing and Campaigning. This document and the guidance within it is subject to change and will be updated as needed.

Current information related to COVID-19 can be found: https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-information.aspx

This information is intended to assist potential candidates for the October 18, 2021 election, has no legislative sanction and is not inclusive of all the information related to the office of Mayor and Councillor, election procedures and election legislation. It is not a substitute for legal advice. It is recommended that you obtain a copy of the Local Authorities Election Act and other relevant legislation.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to read and understand all legislation concerning elections and to seek legal and accounting advice from professionals or to contact Municipal Affairs regarding requirements under provincial legislation.

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