If a person, corporation or trade union intends to spend money between December 13, 2024 and March 3, 2025 on advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate in the 2025 by-election for Trustee, TDSB Ward 11, they are conducting third party advertising and must register with the City Clerk.
Third party advertiser registration must be certified by the City Clerk before a third party advertiser can accept any contributions or spend any money on advertising.
The TDSB Ward 11 boundary aligns with the City of Toronto Ward 15, Don Valley West boundary.
A third party advertiser is a person, corporation or trade union intending to spend money between December 13, 2024 and election day on advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate in the by-election for Trustee, TDSB Ward 11, and must register with the City Clerk.
Third party advertiser registration must be certified by the City Clerk before they can accept any contributions or spend any money on advertising.
If a person, corporation, or trade union wishes to spend money on advertisements that promote, support, or oppose a candidate in the by-election for Trustee, TDSB Ward 11, they must first file a Notice of Registration with the City Clerk.
A third party advertiser cannot raise or spend money on their campaign until their registration has been certified by the City Clerk.
Third party advertising must be done independently of candidates, who are not able to direct a third party advertiser. If a candidate wishes to purchase or direct their own election campaign advertising, they must follow rules under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and identify themselves on their advertisements.
If you believe that a third party advertiser has contravened the Municipal Elections Act, please complete the Third Party Advertiser Complaint Form and send the complaint to thirdpartyinfo@toronto.ca.
To become a third party advertiser, you must file a Notice of Registration in person with the City Clerk. The third party advertiser registration period is December 13, 2024 to February 28, 2025.
Notices of Registration can be filed Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays) at City Hall, Toronto Elections Office, 100 Queen St West (“Permit Alley”).
The Notice of Registration must be certified by the City Clerk before any money can be raised or spent on advertising. There is no fee required to register as a third party advertiser.
You are eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:
You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:
A registered third party advertiser who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded any of the spending limits in the last municipal election or by-election or failed to provide their surplus to the Clerk in the last municipal election or by-election.
Filing as an individual registrant:
Filing as an agent on behalf of an individual registrant:
Filing as the official representative of a corporation or trade union registrant:
Registration papers, and other public documents that are filed with the City Clerk can only be viewed at the Toronto Elections Office, City Hall (100 Queen St., West) during regular business hours (Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays).
You must present original acceptable identification (ID) showing your name, qualifying Ontario address and signature. This can be one piece of identification or a combination of two pieces of ID.
One piece of ID showing name, qualifying Toronto address and signature:
OR
Two pieces of ID:
First piece of ID showing name and signature:
Second piece of ID showing name and qualifying Toronto address:
You must present original acceptable identification showing your name and signature:
If you no longer wish to be a registered third party advertiser for the by-election for Trustee, TDSB Ward 11, you must file a Withdrawal of Registration form in-person on or before 4:30 p.m. on February 28, 2025.
Third party advertisers who have withdrawn their registration are still required to file a financial statement.
Third party advertisers should review all necessary legislation, by-laws and policies to manage their campaigns successfully.
Third party advertisements must contain the following information:
Once your Notice of Registration has been certified, and before spending any money or accepting any contributions, you must visit a financial institution to open a bank account for your campaign.
All contributions must be deposited into your campaign account and all expenses must be paid from your campaign account. Do not use a personal bank account for third party advertising campaign purposes.
When opening your bank account, you may need to present the financial institution with a copy of your certified Notice of Registration and the Letter to Banks.
All registered third party advertisers are subject to limits on the amount of money they can spend on their advertising campaign. The spending limit is $8,335.95.
Registered third party advertisers can accept contributions from individuals, corporations, and trade unions. However, there are limits to the amount of money that these contributors can give:
Third party advertisers should make sure that their contributors are aware of these contribution limits.
There is no limit on how much a registered third party advertiser (and, if the third party advertiser is an individual, their spouse) can contribute to their own advertising campaign.
Fundraising functions are events or activities held for the primary purpose of raising money for a third party’s advertising campaign.
If a third party has created brochures or other advertising materials that include a sentence asking people to make a contribution or providing information about how to contribute, this would not be a fundraising event or activity since its primary purpose is to persuade voters to vote a certain way, not to raise money.
Campaign expenses are the costs that you incur during a campaign. For example, costs related to producing, publishing or distributing advertisements.
You can incur expenses only during the campaign period, except for expenses related to the preparation of an auditor’s report.
If you are required to include an auditor’s report with your financial statement, you may incur these expenses after the campaign period has ended. These expenses must also be reported on your financial statement.
The campaign period begins on the day the City Clerk certifies the third party advertiser’s Notice of Registration and ends on or before April 17, 2025. A registered third party advertiser cannot raise or spend any money after this date unless they file a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period – Form 6 to extend their campaign.
Third Party Advertisers who extend their campaign will be required to file two financial statements:
All third party advertisers are required to file a Financial Statement – Auditor’s Report, Third Party – Form 8 by 2 p.m. on May 19, 2025.
You are responsible for keeping records of the financial activities related to your campaign. You may want to consult with an auditor or an accountant early in your campaign to make sure that you are using a bookkeeping and accounting system that will suit your needs.
You should also look through the Financial Statement – Form 8 that you will be required to file to make sure that you are keeping records of all the information that must be included on the statement.
All registered third party advertisers must file an initial Financial Statement – Auditor’s Report, Third Party – Form 8 by 2 p.m. on May 19, 2025. This statement details all campaign finances from the day the Notice of Registration was certified until April 17, 2025.
Registered third party advertisers who submitted a Notice of Extension of Campaign Period – Form 6 to extend their campaign must also file a supplementary financial statement by 2 p.m. on November 17, 2025.
Registered third party advertisers who miss a filing deadline can still submit their statement up to 30 days later if they pay a $500 late filing fee.
Registered third party advertisers who submit a financial statement and later identify an error may withdraw their original statement and submit a new one by 2 p.m. on May 19, 2025.
If the withdrawn financial statement was accompanied by an auditor’s report, the corrected financial statement must be accompanied by a new/updated auditor’s report.
If the corrected financial statement identifies an additional surplus amount, the difference must be paid to the City Clerk at the time the corrected financial statement is filed. If the surplus amount is lower, the City Clerk will remit any difference owing with interest.
Monday, May 19, 2025 at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 2 p.m.
Monday, November 17, 2025 at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 2 p.m.
If a third party advertiser has raised or spent more than $10,000 on their campaign, they must have the financial statement audited by an auditor licensed under the Public Accounting Act, 2004. The auditor’s report must be submitted with the financial statement.
If a registered third party advertiser’s campaign ends with a surplus, they can refund the value of contributions that they made to their own campaign. If the registered third party advertiser is an individual, they can also refund the value of any contributions made by their spouse. Third party advertisers are not permitted to refund any other eligible contributions except their own or, in the case of individuals, their spouse.
If a surplus still remains, this surplus must be paid to the City Clerk when filing the financial statement. The third party (or their agent) must file the financial statement in-person at our City Hall office.
The surplus can be paid via cash, certified cheque, bank draft or money order payable to “Treasurer, City of Toronto”. Please note that personal cheques are not accepted.
If an eligible elector believes a third party advertiser has broken election finance rules, they may apply for a compliance audit of the campaign finances. The application must set out the reasons why they believe the third party advertiser has contravened the rules.
An application for a compliance audit must be submitted to the Secretary of the Toronto District School Board within 90 days of the deadline to file a financial statement.
A compliance audit committee will decide whether to grant or reject the application. You may appeal the committee’s decision to the Superior Court of Justice within 15 days of their decision.
Public documents can only be viewed at Toronto Elections Office, City Hall (100 Queen St. West) during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays).
Financial Statements
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 
, an individual, corporation, or trade union will not be eligible to register as a third party advertiser until after the 2026 municipal if:
Other penalties are listed in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
The City Clerk determines what locations will be used as voting places. On voting days, canvassing of any nature is not permitted in or on these premises, including the entire building and the property on which it is located.
While an elector is in a voting place, no one shall attempt, directly or indirectly, to influence how the elector votes or shall display a candidate’s campaign material or literature.
The Election Activities and Use of Board Resources Governance Procedure provides direction on how TDSB resources can and cannot be used during municipal, school board, provincial and federal election campaigns. The Policy provides:
Third Party Advertisers are prohibited from using the City of Toronto’s logo, graphics or any other item of City intellectual property for any campaign-related purposes. This includes, but is not limited to, signs, printed and electronic publications, flyers, brochures, email, website, business cards, postcards, letterheads, leaflets, posters, fridge magnets and promotional items.
The City of Toronto policy on Use of City Resources during an Election Period provides direction on how City resources can and cannot be used during municipal, school board, provincial and federal election campaigns or campaigns on a question on a ballot.
The policy provides:
Third party advertisers are permitted to distribute campaign materials on public right of way sidewalks and thoroughfares, at public parks and at the following City-managed public squares: Nathan Phillips Square, Mel Lastman Square, Albert Campbell Square and David Pecaut Square.
Third party advertisers may campaign in subway stations, but outside the fare-paid areas. They may also campaign outside TTC station entrances and at bus and streetcar stops. Third Party Advertisers can also hold news conferences outside TTC stations provided access and safety of TTC customers and TTC vehicles is maintained.
Third party advertisers may not campaign on TTC vehicles, on subway platforms or any area where a fare is required. Third party advertisers are also not allowed to erect signs unless through paid advertising.
Refer to the T.T.C. By-Law No. 1, ss3.16 and the Use of TTC Resources during an Election policy for relevant information.
If third party advertisers have questions regarding the TTC policy, they should contact the Toronto Transit Commission directly.
The first day you may display election signs for your campaign is February 6, 2025.
Election Signs must comply with the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Article II – Election Signs.
Third party advertiser election signs may be displayed on private property or public property, provided that:
Third party advertisers have access to an application called MyCampaign that allows access campaign information. Third party advertisers can also provide contact information through MyCampaign that will be posted on the City’s website.
The Electronic Financial Filing System (EFFS) is a system that allows third party advertisers to input and track all contributions and expenses. The system will provide contribution receipts and can produce the required financial statement.
Third party advertisers can access EFFS through the MyCampaign application.
If experiencing technical difficulties, call 416-395-0025 during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or email thirdpartyinfo@toronto.ca.
It is the responsibility of the registered third party advertiser to protect any personal information collected for the purpose of filing election forms (such as financial statements) until the forms are filed with the City Clerk.
Once filed, all documents and materials submitted to the City Clerk are subject to access and privacy provisions of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and other applicable legislation.
The third party advertisers listed below are in default of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. This means that they cannot register as third party advertisers until after the next general election.
*Candidates and third party advertisers that filed within the 30 day grace period and paid the $500 late filing fee remain in default; however, per section 88.23(9) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the penalties associated with the default do not apply.
| Last Name/Single Name | First Name | Reason for Default |
|---|---|---|
| Taffe | Bobetha | Did not file required initial financial statement |