Elections

Mayor of the City of Cambridge

One (1) to be elected at large.

Councillor for the City of Cambridge 

Eight (8) to be elected, one in each ward.

Regional Chair of the Region of Waterloo

One (1) to be elected by all voters in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

Contact the Regional office to file nomination, visit The Region’s website for more information

Regional Councillor for the Waterloo Region

Two (2) to be elected by all voters in the City of Cambridge.

Waterloo Region District School Board Trustee

Three (3) to be elected by all voters in Cambridge and North Dumfries.

Waterloo Catholic School Board Trustee

Three (3) to be elected by all voters in Cambridge and North Dumfries.

French Language Public School Trustee (Conseil Scolaire Viamonde)

One (1) to be elected by all voters in the Regions of Waterloo, Wellington, Middlesex, Perth, and Huron-London Clerk.

French Language Separate School Trustee (Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir)

One (1) to be elected from the Regions of Waterloo, County of Brant, County of Haldimand, and Norfolk County. 

• check who is running for office in the municipal election 
• find candidates' websites and contact information (as candidates establish their campaign websites and once they share them with the City, they will be added here)

To run for Mayor or city Councilor, on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be:

• a Canadian citizen
• at least 18 years of age
• a resident of the City of Cambridge, or
• an owner or tenant of land in the City of Cambridge, or the spouse of the owner or tenant
• not legally prohibited from voting
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

The following people are disqualified from being elected as a member of council, or from holding office as a member of council:

• a judge of any court
• a member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations or the Clerk will not certify the nomination
• a candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election

City of Cambridge Employees

• Employees of the City of Cambridge who wish to run for Mayor or Councilor must take an unpaid leave of absence before filing a nomination paper.
• The employee must provide a copy of the documentation showing that they have taken the leave of absence and the effective date.

To run for any of the four school boards on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be:

• a Canadian citizen
• at least 18 years of age
• a resident in the area of jurisdiction* of the board
• not legally prohibited from voting
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

Who cannot be a school board trustee candidate

The following people are disqualified from being elected as a school board trustee, or from holding office on any school board:

• a clerk, treasurer, deputy-clerk or deputy-treasurer of any municipality within the area of jurisdiction of the school board except those on an unpaid leave of absence
• a member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations or the Clerk will not certify the nomination
• a candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election

School Board Employees

• Employees of any school board (including supply teachers) are disqualified from being elected as school board trustee or from holding office on any school board, except during a leave of absence.
• The employee must be on a leave of absence before filing their nomination paper.
• They must provide the Clerk with documentation showing that they have taken the leave of absence and the effective date.

Types of school boards

• Waterloo District School Board 
• Waterloo Catholic District School Board 

For each municipal general election, the Province of Ontario releases a guide with information on the nomination as a candidate or registering as a Third Party Advertiser. It includes – campaign rules, financial filing requirements, and more.

Below are links to the guides for the 2022 municipal and school board elections. The information also applies to any by-elections that may be held during the 2022 - 2026 council and school board term.

2022 MAH Candidates’ Guide

2022 City of Cambridge Candidates' Guide 

2022 MAH Third Party Advertisers Guide

2022 City of Cambridge Third Party Advertisers Guide

2022 MAH Voters' Guide 

2022 City of Cambridge Voters' Guide 

Candidates filing a nomination must present acceptable identification showing name, qualifying Cambridge address and signature. This can be one piece of ID or a combination of two pieces of ID.

One piece of ID showing name, qualifying Cambridge address and signature:

• Ontario driver’s license
• Ontario Health Card (photo card with address)
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion)
• Cancelled personalized cheque
• Mortgage, lease or rental agreement
• Insurance policy
• Loan or financial agreement with a financial institution
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

OR

Two pieces of ID:

First piece of ID showing name and signature:

• Ontario driver’s license
• Ontario Health Card
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (plate portion)
• Canadian passport
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Veterans Affairs Canada Health Card
• Social Insurance Number Card
• Old Age Security Card
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Employee Identification card
• Student Identification card issued by a post-secondary institution
• Union Identification card or professional license card
• Cancelled personalized cheque
• Mortgage, lease or rental agreement for property in Ontario
• Insurance policy
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

Second piece of ID showing name and qualifying Cambridge address:

• Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion)
• Income tax assessment notice
• Child Tax Benefit Statement
• Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E
• Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS)
• Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P)
• Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
• Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works
• Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007
• Property tax assessment
• Insurance statement
• Mortgage, lease or rental statement for property in Ontario
• Credit card, bank account, RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement
• CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization which provides services to persons with disabilities
• Hospital card or record
• Document showing campus residence issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution
• Utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission
• Cheque stub, T4 or pay receipt issued by an employer
• Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school
• Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
• Any other document issued by the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)

The City Clerk’s Office requires payment for certain election-related purposes, including but not limited to:

• filing a nomination to become a candidate or changing office
• paying surplus funds to the clerk at the time of financial filing
• purchasing other goods and services (for example paper copies of maps)

The following payment methods will be accepted:

• cash
• credit card (VISA, MasterCard and American Express)
• debit card
• certified cheque
• money order
• bank draft

Please note: Certified cheques, money orders and bank drafts must be payable to: the City of Cambridge

If you no longer wish to run in a municipal election, you must file a Withdrawal of Nomination form in-person before the end of the nomination period. Candidates cannot withdraw after the nomination period has closed.

Candidates who have withdrawn their nomination are still required to file a financial statement.

If, after filing a nomination for an office on Council or any of the school boards, you wish to run for a different office, you must:

• file the Withdrawal of Nomination for the old office
• at the same time, file a Nomination Paper for the new office*
• pay the nomination filing fee for the new office

*For councilor candidates, you are not required to submit additional declaration of endorsements – the ones you submitted for the first office are transferred to the second office.

• The two offices (campaigns) are separate and contributions and expenses cannot be transferred from one to the other.
• If you plan to incur expenses or accept contributions, you must open a separate bank account for each campaign.
• A contributor’s total contribution cannot exceed $1,200 for both campaigns for councilor or school board trustee candidates.

You will be required to file a financial statement for each campaign.

• The withdrawn campaign will show all financial activity from the day the nomination paper is filed until the day the withdrawal is filed.
• The current campaign will show all financial activity from the day the nomination paper is filed until the end of the campaign period.

 If you meet all of the following conditions, you are eligible to vote in the 2022 municipal election:

• a Canadian citizen
• at least 18 years old
• a resident in the City of Cambridge or a non-resident of Cambridge and you or your spouse own or rent property in the City
• not otherwise prohibited under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 or by law

You can only vote once in the City of Cambridge municipal election, regardless of how many properties you own or rent within the City. You must vote in the Ward that you are registered in as a voter on Election Day.

How to vote

Bring your identification (ID) when you go to vote.

ID requirements

If your name is on the Voters' List (click to check), you will need to show one piece of identification that has your name and address on it in order to receive a ballot.

Your Voter Notification Card cannot be used as a piece of ID.

Acceptable Identification includes an Ontario driver's license, an Ontario Photo Card, a cancelled personalized cheque, an insurance policy or statement or any other document included on the acceptable documents for voter identification list.

Voters' List

The Voters' List is a list of people who are eligible to vote in the 2022 municipal election.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) provides a list of electors to the City of Cambridge. This list is used to prepare the Voters' List for the City. If your name is on the Voters' List, you will receive a Voter Notification Card and Letter in the mail with the voting days and selected voting locations. Bring your voter card with you when you vote to make your voting experience easier and quicker. The City will be sending out all  Voter Notification Card and Letters to eligible voters in September 2022. Information will be posted on the City site for those eligible voters who do not receive their voter card prior to election day.

Voter Lookup Tool 

Every elector can check to make sure their information is up-to-date and accurately reflected by logging into www.voterlookup.ca, eligible electors can:

• add an elector name to an address;
• confirm or update their electoral information;
• change school support for the purpose of voting in a school board election.

Voters can always use the Internet Voter Lookup to see if they are on the Voters’ List.

Voters' Guide

The Voters' Guide from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs gives information about voting in municipal and school board elections. 2022 Voters' Guide

Voting by proxy

If you are unable to vote either in the Advance Poll or on Election Day, you can select someone to vote on your behalf. This person must be a qualified elector within the City of Cambridge. Proxy forms will be available on August 22, 2022. More information on the Proxy process will be posted on our site in 2022.

Who is running

The City of Cambridge holds elections every four years to elect candidates to the positions of:

• Mayor
• Ward Councillors
• Regional Councillor
• School Board Trustees

This page will be updated with a full list of Certified Candidates. 

Ward boundaries

The City of Cambridge is divided into 8 Wards. If you are not sure of your Ward, check the City’s ward map. 

Candidate's Guide

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs produces a Candidates' Guide to provide information to candidates in municipal and school board elections which will be available in 2022.

Methods for Campaigning 

The methods you use to campaign are at your discretion.  A recent survey by the City found that voters preferred hearing about candidates and their platforms through website write-ups / bios followed by all candidates’ meetings and newspaper profiles.  Among survey respondents, door-to-door campaigning was noted as the least preferred way of hearing about candidates. See Report

Campaign spending limits

Candidates are not allowed to spend money to campaign or ask for or accept contributions before filing nomination forms.

Campaign spending limits will be available in 2022.

Campaign signs

There are rules governing the use and placement of campaign signs. Updates will be available in 2022.

Who is running
As nominations are received, this page will be updated.