Third party advertisers

What is third party advertising?

If a person, corporation or trade union intends to spend money between May 2, 2022 and election day, on advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate in the municipal election, they are conducting third party advertising.  A third party advertiser must register and be certified by the City Clerk before they can accept any contributions or spend any money on advertising. MEA, s.88.4(1), s.88.12(1)

Advertising that does not cost money to post or to broadcast, such as comments made on social media, are not considered to be third party advertising.

Who can register as a third party advertiser?

You are eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

• An individual who is normally a resident in Ontario
• A corporation that carries on business in Ontario
• A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

Who cannot register as a third party advertiser?

You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

• A 2022 municipal election candidate
• Federal and Provincial political parties, constituency associations, registered candidates and leadership contestants
• The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board

Finance rules

A third party advertiser must open a bank account exclusively for the advertising campaign. Existing bank accounts cannot be used for advertising campaign finances, even for very small advertising campaigns. All contributions, including contributions that the third party advertiser makes to itself, must be deposited into the third party advertising campaign bank account. All expenses must be paid from the campaign account.

For more information about financing, please see the 2022 Third Party Advertisers’ Guide.

How do I register as a third party advertiser?

Registration packages may be picked up from the Office of the City Clerk on the first floor of City Hall, 500 Donald Street East, or you can download and print your registration package using the link, below:

Registration package for third party advertiser

Registrations will be accepted in person in the Office of the City Clerk on the 1st floor at City Hall, from May 2, 2022 until October 21, 2022. 

There is no registration fee for third party advertising, but the Clerk must examine the registration and then certify if deemed compliant, or reject the registration. MEA, s.88.6(13)

For more information, please see the 2022 Third Party Advertisers' Guide.