Municipal elections in Canada fall within the jurisdiction of the various
provinces and territories, who usually hold their municipal elections on the same date every two, three or four years, depending on the location.
Each province has its own nomenclature for municipalities and some have local elections for unincorporated areas which are not technically municipalities. These entities can be called cities, towns, villages, townships, hamlets, parishes and, simply, municipalities, county municipalities, regional county municipalities, municipal districts, regional districts, counties, regional municipalities, specialized municipalities, district municipalities or rural municipalities. Many of these may be used by
Statistics Canada as the basis for
census divisions or
census subdivisions.
Municipal elections usually elect a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
and
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
and often also a
school board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
. Some locations may also elect other bodies, such as
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, which elects its own
parks board. Some municipalities will also hold
referenda or
ballot initiative
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...
s at the same time, usually relating to spending projects or tax changes.
Elections for city councils are held through either a
ward system or an
at-large system, depending on the location. Vancouver is the largest city in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
to use the at-large system, while most other large cities use wards.
Most councils are non-partisan and elect only
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
s. However, some municipalities have locally based
political parties or
election slates. These include
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
,
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
and
Longueuil
Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly ac ...
in Quebec and
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Surrey and
Richmond in British Columbia. These local parties are rarely affiliated with any provincial or federal parties.
Voting may be done with paper ballots that are hand-counted, or by various forms of
electronic voting
Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots.
Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone ''electronic voting machines'' ( ...
.
Municipal election chart by province and territory
See also
*
2023 Canadian electoral calendar
This is a list of elections in Canada that were held in 2023. Included are Municipal elections in Canada, municipal, provincial and federal elections, by-elections on any level, referendums and party leadership races at any level.
January–Marc ...
*
Elections in Canada
Canada holds elections for legislatures or governments in several jurisdictions: for the federal (national) government, provincial and territorial governments, and municipal governments. Elections are also held for self-governing First Nati ...
*
Municipal government in Canada
*
Provincial elections in Canada
Canada holds elections for legislatures or governments in several jurisdictions: for the Government of Canada, federal (national) government, Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, and Municipal government ...
References
External links
Public Service Commissions of Canada - Upcoming Elections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Municipal Elections In Canada!