Skip to Content
Close Alert Banner

RMWB Logo RMWB Logo

  • Contact Pulse
  • Business and Development
    • Procurement
    • Business Services and Support
    • Development and Planning
    • Downtown Fort McMurray
    • Flood Mitigation
    • Maps
    • Permits and Resources
    • Safety Codes Permits
    • Waterfront Park Revitalization
  • Bylaw and Animal Services
    • Animal Services
    • Backyard Hens Pilot Project
    • Bylaws
    • Community Standards
    • Parking
    • Report an Issue
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Vehicle for Hire
  • Community Services and Social Support
    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Grants and Funding
    • Homelessness and Housing
    • Seniors' Services and Programs
    • Social Support Services
    • Victim Services
  • Employment
    • Current Opportunities
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
    • Human Resources
  • Events and Involvement
    • All That & More Podcast
    • Event Permits
    • Events
    • MACOY
    • Participate Wood Buffalo
    • WinterPLAY 2023
    • Wood Buffalo Volunteers
  • Fire, Police and Emergency Services
    • 9-1-1
    • Emergency Medical Services
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Fire Codes and Permits
    • Fire Departments
    • Fire Prevention and Safety
    • FireSmart
    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • Vulnerable Persons Registry
  • Garbage, Recycling and Disposal
    • Garbage & Recycling Services
    • Landfill
    • Soil Disposal
  • Indigenous and Rural Communities
    • Anzac
    • Conklin
    • Draper
    • Fort Chipewyan
    • Fort Fitzgerald
    • Fort McKay
    • Fort McMurray
    • Gregoire Lake Estates
    • Janvier
    • Saprae Creek Estates
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
  • Mayor, Council and Administration
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Boards and Committees
    • Bylaws
    • Contact Us
    • Council
    • Elections
    • Mayor
    • Plans, Reports and Studies
    • Policies
  • Parks, Recreation and Heritage
    • Parks and Facilities Map
    • BearSmart
    • Cemeteries
    • Communities in Bloom
    • Community Cleanup
    • Community Gardens
    • Community Rinks
    • Culture, Heritage & Public Art
    • Facility Rentals
    • Off-Highway Vehicles
    • Parks, Trails and Green Spaces
    • Trees
  • Property Taxes
    • Assessments
    • Change of Address Form
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Non-Profit Organization Tax Exemptions
    • Paying Property Taxes
    • Property Tax Sale
    • Rural Small Business Tax Class
    • School Support
    • Tax Rates
    • Tax Refund Requests
  • Roads and Construction
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Construction Map
    • Construction Projects
    • Draper Slope Stability Reports
    • Parking
    • Route/Haul Permits
    • Snow Plowing and Removal
    • Street Sweeping
    • Winter Roads
  • Transit
    • Advertising
    • Bike and Ride
    • Fares and Passes
    • Routes and Schedules
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • Safety and Etiquette
    • School Transit Service
    • Specialized Transit
    • Statutory Holidays Schedule
    • Transit News and Alerts
    • Transit Data Feed
  • Truth and Reconciliation
    • Learn
    • Act
    • Calls to Action
  • Utilities and Water
    • Billing
    • Bulk Water
    • Change of Address Form
    • Commercial Services
    • Fat, Oil and Grease
    • Open or Close a Utility Account
    • Responsible Sewer Use
    • Rural Water & Sewer Service
    • Sewer Backups
    • Water Conservation
    • Water Metering
    • Water Quality
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn Pinterest
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email

Election Information for Candidates

elections logoMunicipal 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.

Candidate Information Sessions: 

Online information sessions were hosted in June by RMWB Returning Officer Darlene Soucy. The first virtual information session was held on June 16 and focused on nominations. A second session was held on Wednesday, June 23 on the topic of campaigning.

June 23 Session (recorded) Campaigning

 Detailed information resources

  • Candidate Guide to Municipal Elections
  • Municipal Affairs website
  • 2021-2025 Council – Post Election Event Calendar
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.

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.

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 required provincial legislation.

Campaign Financing

The Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) Part 5.1 requires campaign finance and contribution disclosure for all candidates running for municipal and school board office and governs contributions, expenses, fund-raising, accounting obligations, surpluses, and deficits.

All official candidates, including those who withdrew their candidacy, in the 2021 Municipal and School Board Election must complete and submit Form 26 – Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement as required by Section 147.4 of the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) on or before March 1, 2022 to their local jurisdiction office.

Candidates for Municipal Office must file their Form 26 with the Municipality, and candidates for School Board Trustee must file their Form 26 with their respective School Board Offices.  All Campaign Disclosure Statements and Financial Statements and supporting documents are public documents.

For further information on completing and submitting Form 26, please refer to the How to Guide Form 26 – Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement.

Please also review a Sample Form that may assist candidates. 

Campaign Disclosure forms/guides

Form 26 – Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement

How to Guide Form 26 – Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement.

Sample Form 

Frequently asked questions

Who can contribute to my election campaign?

A contribution is any money, personal property, real property or service that is given to a candidate to support their campaign.

  • Only individuals who live in reside in Alberta may contribute to your election campaign and the maximum they can contribution is $5,000 per candidate during the campaign period. There is no limit on the number of candidates an eligible individual can contribute to.
  • As a candidate, you may contribute up to $10,000 for your own funds to your election campaign during the campaign period.
  • Contributions are not permitted from individuals who do not reside in Alberta or from prohibited organizations, including corporations, trade unions and employee organizations.
  • Candidates must not accept anonymous contributions.
 Is there an age limit for people making contributions?
 The Local Authorities Election Act, which governs municipal and school board elections in Alberta, does not legislate an age requirement for campaign contributions.  Only individuals who ordinarily reside in Alberta can contribute to a campaign.
Are businesses able to share our campaign information such as having flyers in their window, or sharing our page on social media?
  • A business would need to ensure that by sharing such information, they are not making a campaign contribution as it is the prospective contributor’s responsibility to ensure that before they make a contribution under Part 5.1 of the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) that they are not prohibited from making a contribution.
  • A business would also need to review the LAEA Part 8 Third Party Advertising , which regulates third party advertising. A third party advertiser is an individual, corporation or group that promotes or opposed the election of a candidate through election advertising during the election advertising period from May 1, 2021 to end of the election day on October 18, 2021.  A third party is required to register with the Municipality if they intend to incur expenses or accept contributions of at least $1000; however, if a third party plans to advertise in more than 10 jurisdictions, they must register with the Provincial Registrar appointed by Municipal Affairs and not with the Municipality.
Many external contractors to the Municipality would sponsor a candidate by giving him/money in return for a favour back such a contract or something like that. Is that allowed by the elections policy?
  • No; electoral candidates may not accept contributions on the promise that the candidate would do anything for the contributor if they gain office.
  • Councillors cannot participate in Council meetings where they have a pecuniary interest, and a campaign contribution which was given on the understanding that the candidate would act in the contributor’s favour would qualify as a pecuniary interest.
  • Only individuals who ordinarily reside in Alberta may contribute to your election campaign and the maximum they can contribution is $5,000 per candidate during the campaign period. There is no limit on the number of candidates an eligible individual can contribute to.
  • Contributions are not permitted from individuals who do not reside in Alberta or from prohibited organizations, including corporations, unincorporated organizations, trade unions and employee organizations.
  • Candidates must not accept anonymous contributions.
Do I need to issue receipts?
Candidates are required to issue receipts for every contribution accepted and retain receipts for every expense incurred.

Receipts issued for contributions of personal property, real property or services, must be for the fair market value of that contribution.

  • Issued receipts must include:
    • Name of the candidate or campaign.
    • Date of contribution.
    • Name of the contributor.
    • Address of the contributor.
    • Amount or value of the contribution.
Can I have a fundraising event for my campaign? Can candidates host a joint fundraising event?

Candidates are permitted to host fundraising functions and the donation portion of the fundraising contributions is subject to contribution limits and disclosure requirements.

Candidates must record the gross income from any fundraising function held on behalf of the candidate.

If the fundraising event is a ticketed event, the candidate has the option of calculating the contribution amount in one of two ways:

  • By determining the difference between the cost of the ticket and the value of the goods or services that the attendee is entitled to receive;
  • By using the below calculation:

Cost of Ticket

Expense

Contribution & Receipt Amount

$50.00 or less*

*It is not considered a contribution unless the contributor requests that it be a contribution

50% up to $25

50% up to $25

$50.01 to $100

Up to $25

The balance

$100.01 or more

Up to 25%

Minimum of 75%

Specific questions on the Local Authorities Election Act, and the interpretation of legislation such as hosting joint fundraising events, should be directed to Alberta Municipal Affairs at 780-427-2225 Toll Free 310-0000 before the phone number. 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

What are the allowable campaign expenses? Is there a limit?
A campaign expense is any expense incurred by the candidate’s campaign to directly promote a candidate and currently there is no provincial regulation limiting the expense amount. The following election campaign expenses are permitted under the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA):
  • the production and distribution of advertising or promotional material;
  • the payment of remuneration and expenses for a person’s services as a chief financial officer or in any other capacity;
  • securing a meeting place;
  • the conduct of surveys or research during the campaign period; or
  • the production of a review engagement required under the LAEA.

Note: A review engagement (review of the financial statements by a chartered accountant) is required to be filed with the candidate’s disclosure statement if more than $50,000 is received or spent.

As a candidate, can I hire campaign staff? Can family members serve in these roles?
  • A candidate can hire campaign staff and family members can serve in these roles. The payment of remuneration and expenses for a person’s services as a chief financial officer or in any other capacity, such as a campaign manager, is permitted. 
  • Candidates may appoint scrutineers to observe the voting process and the role of scrutineer is legislated.  The person appointed must be at least 18 years old and must not have been convicted of an offense under the Local Authorities Election Act, the Elections Act, the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Canada Elections Act within the last 10 years.
  • Candidates must give proper direction to any person authorized to accept or solicit campaign contributions or incur expenses and ensure anyone working on their campaign follows all legislation and regulations.
I've never run in an election before. How much would a campaign cost?
  • There are no tools to help estimate how much a typical campaign will cost. The Local Authorities Election Act Part 5.1 requires campaign finance and contribution disclosure for all candidates running for municipal and school board office and governs contributions, expenses, fund-raising, accounting obligations, surpluses, and deficits.  Currently, the legislation does not regulate campaign expense limits.
Do I need to file a Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement?
  • All candidates for municipal council and school board trustee are required to file by March 1, 2022 the Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement (Campaign Disclosure Statement), which records the contributions received and expenses incurred by the candidate during the campaign period must be filed by March 1, 2022. The candidate must retain all campaign financial record for three years after the March 1, 2022 filing deadline.
  • Candidates who withdraw their nomination prior to the withdrawal deadline of 12 noon, September 21, 2021 must also file the Campaign Disclosure Statement.
  • The Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement must include:
    • The total contributions
    • The source of contributions
    • Total expenses

And the candidate must disclose:

  • The name and address of all individuals who contribute $50.01 or more.
  • Any amount received outside the campaign period of January 1 to December 31, 2021. There is a $5,000 limit outside the campaign period.
  • An itemized list of expenses.
  • A review engagement (review of the financial statements by a chartered accountant) is required to be filed with the candidate’s Campaign Disclosure Statement if more than $50,000 is received or spent.
What do I do if I have a surplus? Can I use it to recoup personal expenses with receipts?
  • If a candidate has a surplus (contributions exceed their expenses during the campaign period), they must act on their surplus within 60 days of filing their Campaign Disclosure Statement.
  • If the surplus is less than $1000, the candidate can:
    • Retain the surplus
    • Donate all or a portion of the surplus to a registered charity
  • If the surplus is more than $1000, the candidate must:
    • Donate all or a portion to a registered charity
    • If a portion is donated to a registered charity, the remaining surplus that is retained must be less than $1000.
  • Candidates who donate all or a portion of their surplus must file an amended Campaign Disclosure Statement that confirms that the surplus has been dealt with in accordance with the above.
  • Candidates are only permitted to use monetary campaign contributions for the payment of campaign expenses.  The following election campaign expenses are permitted under the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA):
    • the production and distribution of advertising or promotional material;
    • the payment of remuneration and expenses for a person’s services as a chief financial officer or in any other capacity;
    • securing a meeting place;
    • the conduct of surveys or research during the campaign period; or
    • the production of a review engagement required under the LAEA.

Note: A review engagement (review of the financial statements by a chartered accountant) is required to be filed with the candidate’s disclosure statement if more than $50,000 is received or spent.

What do I do if I have a deficit?
  • If a candidate has a deficit (expenses exceed their contributions during the campaign period), they must take action to eliminate their deficit within 60 days of filing their Campaign Disclosure Statement.
  • To eliminate their deficit, candidates may receive contributions to do this, including their own self-funded contributions; however, the contribution limits apply to these contributions as well.
  • Candidates must file an amended Campaign Disclosure Statement that confirms that the deficit has been eliminated.
Are the candidates for council or mayor allow to receive funds from the public? if so, are those funds received publicly released?
  • Candidates, who have filed their nomination for Municipal Council or School Board Trustees, can only accept campaign contributions from any individual who is ordinarily a resident of Alberta and the maximum individual contribution is $5,000 per candidate during the campaign period of January 1 to December 31, 2021.  Candidates may contribute up to $10,000 of their own funds to their campaign. By March 1, 2022 all candidates for the October 18, 2021 election are required to file campaign disclosure statements, which includes the contributor’s name if the amount received from that contributor exceeds $50 in total.  All disclosure statements and supporting documents are available for public viewing during regular business hours for a period of 4 years after the election.
When a councillor candidate accepts funds from a sponsor, wouldn't it be like a conflict of interest?
  • Candidates can only accept campaign contributions from an individual who is ordinarily a resident of Alberta, and the maximum individual contribution is $5,000 per candidate during the campaign period of January 1 to December 31, 2021. Candidates may contribute up to $10,000 of their own funds to their campaign. By March 1, 2022 all candidates for the October 18, 2021 election are required to file campaign disclosure statements, which includes the contributor’s name and address if the amount received from that contributor exceeds $50 in total.  All disclosure statements and supporting documents are available for public viewing during regular business hours for a period of 4 years after the election.
  • The provincial Election Commissioner is responsible for conducting any investigations related to election finances and contributions disclosure. Any individual who has concerns with a candidates finances should contact the Election Commissioner’s office by one of the methods outlined at www.elections.ab.ca/investigations.
Subscribe to page updates

Contact us

Services
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo footer logo

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
9909 Franklin Avenue
Fort McMurray Alberta T9H 2K4

Phone: 780-743-7000
Toll free: 1-800-973-9663

Subscribe to News

Stay up to date on RMWB news,
programs and operations
by subscribing to our news categories.

Subscribe

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Website Resources

  • Access to Information and Privacy
  • Pay Bills Online
  • Sitemap
  • Social Media
  • Website Feedback

Copyright © .

By GHD Digital

Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.