Run for mayor, councillor or school board trustee

To run for mayor or ward councillor, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen
• be at least 18 years of age
• live in the City of Waterloo, or
  • own or rent property in the City of Waterloo, or
  • be the spouse of someone who owns or rents property in the City of Waterloo
• not be legally prohibited from voting
• not be disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

You cannot run for council if you are:

• a judge of any court
• a member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office before nominations close – you must provide proof of resignation by the close of nominations
• a candidate who did not file the necessary financial statements or exceeded the spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election
• a City of Waterloo employee, unless you take an unpaid leave of absence before filing your nomination and provide written proof

Certain legislated municipal accountability officials are ineligible to be elected or hold office, unless they take an unpaid leave of absence before filing a nomination and provide written proof.

To run as a trustee for any of the 4 school boards you must:

• be a Canadian citizen
• be at least 18 years of age
• live within the school board’s jurisdiction
• be qualified to vote for members of the specific school board
• meet the requirements of the Education Act
• not be legally prohibited from voting
• not be disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office

You cannot run for trustee if you are:

• a clerk, treasurer, deputy-clerk or deputy-treasurer of any municipality within the school board's area, unless on unpaid leave
• a member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations – you must provide proof of resignation
• a candidate who did not file the necessary financial statements or exceeded the spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election
• a school board employee, including occasional or supply teachers, unless you take an unpaid leave before nominations close and provide written proof