As you begin planning for the 2026 local elections, we are taking action on your behalf to modernize and streamline the administration of municipal and school board elections.
Professional Activity (PA) Day on Election Day
In 2021, we wrote to school boards across the province to formally request that they schedule a PA Day on municipal election day as an interim, non-legislative solution to help streamline local municipal and school board elections. This is an issue we have advocated for legislative change on as part of our recommendations to modernize the Municipal Elections Act.
We are once again asking on behalf of municipalities running local elections in 2026 that school boards support this work and help streamline processes by scheduling a PA Day on municipal election day (October 26, 2026).
Read our Letter to School Boards
We have also been pressing the Province at both the public service and elected levels to change R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 304 under the Education Act, 1990, to apply one of the existing provincially mandated PA Days to municipal and school board election days permanently, starting in October 2026, to guarantee municipal staff and voters access to large, centrally located and accessible community spaces as polling locations. We have written to Paul Calandra, Minister of Education, requesting that he remove this 'red tape' that takes up so much time and energy every four years.
Read our Letter to the Minister
School Board Governance Review
In our letter to the Minister, we also took the opportunity to respond to his musings during the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference regarding the potential removal of school board trustees. While as an Association, we do not have a formal position on this, we recognize that his remarks may create uncertainty about school trustee elections for the 2026 municipal elections cycle.
As we have been emphasizing with various officials at the Provincial level, the Ministry should avoid policy decisions that will impact local election planning and administration. We urge Minister Calandra to consider a decision timeline that will avoid impacting the upcoming local election process.
As an Association, we will continue to advocate for the removal of administrative and operational barriers that negatively impact our members who deliver local services, including critical democratic processes.
Please contact us should you have any questions or for more information.