Rules for Media

Candidate advertisement

A candidate advertisement is a message in any medium that a candidate purchases or directs to promote or support their campaign.

View list of candidates

Third Party Advertisement

A third party advertisement is a message in any medium by any person, corporation, organization or trade union that promotes, supports or opposes a candidate in the election or a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot.

• Between May 1 and October 24, 2022, any person, corporation or trade union that wants to engage in paid political advertising for the 2022 Markham Municipal Election needs to register with Elections Markham as a third party advertiser
• Advertisements need to identify the name of the registered third-party advertiser, the municipality where they are registered and their contact information

View list of third party advertisers

All media are responsible for complying with the following rules under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996:

Media as third-party advertiser

Media who plan to produce or distribute third party advertisements need to register with Elections Markham, either as a private individual or as a corporation.

Register now

Collecting mandatory information

Candidate advertisements

• The candidate needs to provide the following information before an advertisement can appear:
• Name of the registered candidate
• Name, business address and telephone number of the individual who deals with your media outlet

Third party advertisements

• The third party advertiser needs to provide the following information before an advertisement can appear:
• Name of the registered third-party advertiser
• Municipality where the third-party advertiser is registered
• Name, business address, and telephone of the individual who deals with your media outlet on behalf of the political advertiser

Maintaining records

Media outlets need to keep records of the advertisements for four years after the date it appears. These records should include:

• The mandatory information in writing, as described above;
• A copy of the advertisement or the means of reproducing it for inspection; and,
• A statement of the amount charged for the ad.

Members of the public have the right to inspect political advertising records, and should be made available upon request.

Ongoing obligations

Media outlets should be mindful of other obligations under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, including rules if they contribute to campaigns. 

There are also obligations for allocating time and equitable coverage of political campaign advertising under The Broadcasting Act, as outlined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Additional Resources

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing:

• ontario.ca/MunicipalElections 
• mea.info@ontario.ca
• 416.585.6226