School Board Election
School Board Trustee – Candidate Information
School boards can cover large geographic areas that may include several municipalities. School boards are responsible for establishing the geographic areas within the board that one or more trustee positions will be elected to represent. There are four different kinds of school boards in Ontario:
- English-language public school board
- English-language separate school board
- French-language public school board
- French-language separate school board
To run for a trustee position on a school board you must be a resident within the jurisdiction of the board and you must be eligible to vote in a school board election. You are eligible to vote in the election for a school board if you meet all of the following requirements:
• You are a Canadian citizen
• You are aged 18 or older
• You qualify to vote for that particular school board*
* To qualify to vote for a particular school board you must meet the qualifications to vote for the school board (for example, being a Roman Catholic, or holding French language rights).
Voter Information – School Board Election
You are eligible to vote in the election for a school board if you meet all of the following
requirements:
• you are a Canadian citizen
• you are aged 18 or older
• you qualify to vote for that particular school board*
* To qualify to vote for a particular school board you must meet the qualifications to vote for the school board (for example, being a Roman Catholic, or holding French language rights).
If you are a resident elector in a municipality, you are eligible to vote for the school trustee(s)
that represents the geographic area of the board where you live.
Voting in More than One School Board Election
You may be eligible to vote in other school board elections in addition to the one where you live.
For example, if you (or your spouse) own or rent residential property in a municipality or an
unorganized area different than where you live, you are eligible to vote for a school trustee in
this municipality or unorganized area if the trustee sits on a different school board.
Your property must be residential in order for you to qualify to vote. If you (or your spouse) own
or rent commercial property in a municipality or unorganized area different than where you live,
you are not eligible to vote for school trustee.
Choosing a School Board
There are four different kinds of school boards in Ontario:
- English-language public school board
- English-language separate school board
- French-language public school board
- French-language separate school board
No matter which school your children go to, you are automatically eligible to vote for the English language public school board unless you take steps to change and become a supporter of a
different kind of board.
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) keeps the provincial record of school
support. If you want to change your school support you must contact MPAC.
Information about how to change your school support can be found on MPAC’s website.
You can also contact the school board that you wish to vote for to get information about
changing your school support.
If you want to vote for an English-language separate school board you must meet both of the
following requirements:
- You must be a Roman Catholic
- You or your spouse must be an English-language separate school board supporte
If you want to vote for a French-language public school board you must meet both of the
following requirements:
- You must be a French-language rights holder
- You or your spouse must be a French-language public school board supporter
If you want to vote for a French-language separate school board you must meet all of the
following requirements:
- You must be a Roman Catholic
- You must be a French-language rights holder
- You or your spouse must be a French-language separate school board supporter
French-language rights holder is defined in the Education Act, and refers to the right of citizens
whose first language is French to receive educational instruction in French.
More information about French-language education is available from the Ministry of Education..
If you voted for a French-language board or an English-language separate board in the last
election and you wish to change and vote for an English-language public board in the current
election, you must contact MPAC before voting day to change your school support.