Use of Corporate Resources for Election Campaign Purposes Policy

Policy number: 2026-03

Effective date: 2026-03-09

Last revision date: 2026-03-09

On this page

1. Definitions
2. Policy Statement
3. Purpose
4. Scope
5. Principles
6. Roles and Responsibilities

1. Definitions

“Act” means the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, S.O. 1996, c. 32, as amended.

“Campaigning” means any activity that may directly or indirectly benefit or oppose an Election Campaign.

“Candidate” means any person who has filed the prescribed nomination form to run in a Municipal, Regional, School Board, Provincial or Federal Election or By-Election or for a position in a political party.

“Clerk” means the Municipal Clerk or their designate.

“Council” means the Haldimand County Council.

“County” means The Corporation of Haldimand County.

“Corporate Resources” means real property, goods and/or services owned, controlled, leased, acquired, or operated by Haldimand County including, but not limited to, facilities, parks, materials, equipment, monetary funds, technology, County IT systems and resources, databases, intellectual property, and supplies.

“Election Campaign” means any campaign related to an election or by-election, at the municipal, provincial, and federal level of government, or a campaign related to the submission of a question on the ballot.

“Election Period” means the official election campaign period as determined by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the Election Finances Act, and the Canada Elections Act as the context requires.

“Haldimand” means The Corporation of Haldimand County.

“Member” means a member of Haldimand County Council, including the Mayor.

“Nomination Day” means the date in a regular Election or a By-Election (as defined in Municipal, Provincial, or Federal legislation) where nominations close.

“Staff” means all full-time and part-time persons hired by Haldimand County including, but not limited to, the Chief Administrative Officer, Directors, Managers, Supervisors, Coordinators, salaried employees, union employees, administrative staff, and contract, temporary, student, secondment and co-operative placement staff, and volunteers.

“Registered Third Party” or “Registered Third Party Advertiser” means those parties registered that incur a cost to support, promote or oppose a candidate, or support, promote or oppose a “yes” or “no” question on the ballot.

“Voting Day” means, in the case of a regular election, the fourth Monday in October in the year of the election -or- in the case of a by-election, the 45th day after Nomination Day, as noted in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

2. Policy Statement

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the Election Finances Act and the Canadian Elections Act prohibit a municipality from making contributions, in any form, to support or oppose a Campaign for a Candidate, Registered Third Party or question on a ballot.

All provisions outlined within this policy shall serve to ensure the protection of freedom of expression while maintaining that:

• Corporate Resources shall not be used to promote or provide an unfair advantage to any Candidate, political party, constituency association, Registered Third Party, or a person or group supporting or opposing a question on a ballot;
• Information and communication related to an election shall continue to be open and accessible to the public; and
• Members of Council shall not be precluded from performing their duties as an elected official, nor inhibited from representing the interests of their constituents.

3. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to create guidelines in Haldimand County for all Candidates running for an elected office, Registered Third Party Advertisers, and Haldimand County staff and volunteers during the Election Period, and to establish parameters on the use of Corporate Resources for election related purposes.

4. Scope

4.1  This policy applies to:

4.1.1    Members of Haldimand County Council, including the Mayor;
4.1.2    Members of Haldimand County Committees and Boards;
4.1.3    Haldimand County employees;
4.1.4    Haldimand County Volunteers, including Volunteer Firefighters;
4.1.5    Registered Candidates; and
4.1.6    Registered Third Party Advertisers.

5. Principles

5.1    Campaigning

5.1.1    No person or organization shall use Haldimand County resources for Campaigning.

5.1.2    Notwithstanding subsection 5.1.1, Campaigning on public walkways, thoroughfares, and rights-of-way are permitted, provided that all Campaigning is in compliance with Haldimand County by-laws and other provisions of this policy.

5.1.3    No Campaign signs or material may be displayed in any Haldimand County owned or operated facility, or on any Haldimand County owned or operated property.

5.1.4    Campaigning shall not be permitted at any Haldimand County-operated events.

5.1.5    Candidates and Registered Third Parties may not rent any Haldimand County facilities for campaigning purposes, including Candidate debates.

5.1.6    No person shall use the services of Staff for Campaigning during normal working hours of such Staff, unless such Staff are on paid or unpaid leave.

5.1.7    In any material distributed or paid for by Haldimand County, including printed and electronic materials, a Candidate is not permitted to:

1. 1. illustrate that an individual is a Candidate;
   2. identify where they or any other individual will be running for office; or
   3. profile or make reference to a Candidate.

5.1.8    Websites or domain names that are funded, owned, or operated by Haldimand County shall not include any Campaigning, other than non-partisan election information material that is required for the proper administration of the election under the Act and basic contact information for nominated Candidates.

5.1.9    The Haldimand County voicemail system shall not be used to record Campaigning messages, and Haldimand County resources comprising the computer network, e-mail, and related IT systems and software subscriptions shall not be used for Campaigning.

5.1.10 The Haldimand County logo, crest, coat of arms, slogan, brand, other marks, chain of office, etc. shall not be used in any Campaigning or included on any printed materials, Campaigning related website, social media, or electronic publication.

5.1.11 Photographs and videos produced by Haldimand County may not be used for Campaigning.

5.1.12 During an election period for their respective order of government, Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Parliament, and municipal Council members from outside Haldimand County may attend Haldimand County Committee or Council meetings and Haldimand County events; however, they are strictly prohibited from engaging in any form of campaigning at these meetings or events.

5.1.13 As provided for in the Act, the Clerk is responsible for conducting elections within Haldimand County. Accordingly, any decision regarding the conduct of an election, including the interpretation and application of this Policy, shall fall under the authority of the Clerk.

5.2   Limitations

5.2.1    Nothing in this Policy shall prohibit a Member of Council from performing their job as a Member of Council, nor impede them from representing the interests of their constituents.

5.2.2    Nothing in this Policy shall preclude a Staff member from exercising their civic right and duty to participate in the municipal election process as a private citizen.

5.2.3    Nothing in this Policy shall prevent Staff from conducting an election in accordance with the Act, or providing non-partisan election information material on behalf of Haldimand County so as to inform the public about the election and the election process.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

6.1    All Staff

6.1.1    Staff shall not use any Haldimand County resources for Campaigning.

6.1.2    Staff shall neither canvass nor actively work in support of a Candidate during normal working hours, unless such Staff are on paid or unpaid leave.

6.1.3    Staff shall neither canvass nor actively work in support of a Candidate while wearing a Haldimand County uniform, badge, crest or other item identifying them as a member of Staff, or while using a Haldimand County owned or leased vehicle.

6.1.4    Staff working directly for a Member of Council (i.e., Executive and Administrative Assistants), shall not be assigned to work as Returning Officers, election officials, or in any part of the voting process.

6.1.5    Staff who are relatives of any Member of Council or Candidate shall not be assigned to work as, Returning Officers, election officials, or in any part of the voting process. Staff will be required to declare that they are not in violation of this policy during the recruitment process.

6.1.6    Staff shall not use their official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of a municipal election or a question on the ballot, nor use their official title while participating in otherwise permissible political activities.

6.1.7    Staff are advised to be especially mindful of public perception during municipal elections, and to ensure that their activities neither conflict with nor adversely affect their duties as members of Haldimand County Staff. Moreover, Staff have a responsibility to ensure that public resources are not used for Campaigning by any person or organization.

6.1.8    Any member of Staff who considers being a Candidate in a municipal election should familiarize themselves with the rules set out in the Act and the Education Act, 1990, as amended, and any other applicable legislation.

6.2    Clerks Division

6.2.1    The Municipal Clerk or their designate shall communicate this policy to Staff, Candidates, Third Party Advertisers, and Members of County Council.

6.3   Members of Council, Candidates and Registered Third Party Advertisers

6.3.1    No Member of Council, Candidate or Registered Third Party Advertiser shall use the platform of a committee meeting or meeting of Council to make reference to their Election Campaign or for any election-related purpose.

6.3.2    Members of Council, Candidates and Registered Third Party Advertisers are responsible for ensuring that the content of any communication material that is printed, sponsored, hosted, or distributed by Haldimand County at the request of such Member of Council is neither intended for, nor used for Campaigning.

6.3.3    A Member of Council, Candidates and Registered Third Party Advertisers shall not print or distribute Campaigning material using County resources and/or paid for by County funds.

6.3.4    Office furnishings, office/desk locations, stationary, and other supplies normally provided for Members of Council will remain status quo from Nomination Day until the end of the Council term. However, none of these Corporate Resources may be used for Campaigning.

6.3.5    Social media accounts hosted by members of Council are not sponsored by Haldimand County. Any election related social media activity using Haldimand County resources including blog posts, is prohibited, other than non-partisan election information material that is required for the proper administration of the election under the Act.

6.3.6    In an Election Period, Mayor and Council biographies will remain static, and no changes to these pages will be permitted.

6.3.7    Members of Council, Candidates, and Third Party Advertisers  shall not use Corporate Resources for any election-related purposes including, but not limited to, computers, cell/smart phones, tablets, printers, scanners, corporate subscriptions, or other services such as email, internet, and file storage.