Candidate Information

Filing the Nomination Documents

Candidates must make a solemn declaration on the documents. The declaration can be taken by a lawyer, notary, or Commissioner for Taking Affidavits for British Columbia, but is most commonly taken by the Chief Election Officer or designate at the time the nomination papers are filed. Nomination papers that are delivered by courier, mail, email, or fax must include the completed, witnessed solemn declaration. It is strongly recommended that you file in person. Beginning in August 2026, you can make an appointment to file in person from September 1 to 11 by emailing Legislative Services.

Nomination Deposit

All candidates for the office of mayor or councillor must include a $50 nomination deposit.

Nomination Documents

The following documents must be completed and submitted to the Chief Election Officer or designate at City Hall between 9 am on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, and 4 pm on Friday, September 11, 2026.

• Candidate Information Release Authorization 
• Candidate Cover Sheet and Checklist Form (C1)
• Nomination Documents (C2 – 3 pages)
• Other Information Provided by Candidate (C3)
• Appointment of Candidate Financial Agent (C4) - if applicable
• Appointment of Candidate Official Agent (C5) - if applicable
•  Appointment of Candidate Scrutineer (C6) - if applicable
• Statement of Disclosure
• City of Fort St. John Candidate Profile - optional

Download the Full Nomination Package [PDF/156KB]

The nomination package and information for prospective School Trustee candidates are available on the School District 60 website.

The nomination documents (above) must be completed and submitted to the Chief Election Officer or designate at City Hall between 9 am on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, and 4 pm on Friday, September 11, 2026.

Candidate Information Release Authorization 

This form authorizes the release of your contact information (phone number, email, and similar). This information is typically sought by the media or voters. Print your legal given names and surname on the first line of the form, indicate the office you are running for (Mayor or Councillor) and complete the appropriate boxes with only the additional information you wish to release to the public. Sign and fill out the bottom portion of the form.

Candidate Cover Sheet and Checklist Form (C1)

Print your legal given names and surname in the appropriate boxes of the Candidate Cover Sheet and Checklist Form. On the second line, print the office for which you are seeking election.

Section B is a checklist of documents that should be completed and included with your nomination package, if applicable. 

Nomination Documents (C2 – 3 pages)

Complete the name and address boxes as appropriate.  

Use your legal name when completing the form. If the name you commonly use is different from your legal name, and you would like that name to appear on the ballot, enter your usual name in the space provided. For example, if your legal name is Robert Smith, but you are commonly known as Bob Smith and wish to appear on the ballot that way, enter Bob Smith in the usual name field.  

Note: the following information cannot appear on the ballot: an indication that the candidate is holding or has held an elected office; the candidate’s occupation; or an indication of a title, honour, degree or decoration received or held by the candidate (section 115(3) of the Local Government Act). 

Nomination documents will be posted on the City’s website, and the forms may also be inspected at City Hall. Candidate addresses will be redacted online.

A minimum of two qualified electors of Fort St. John must complete and sign the form. To be a qualified elector, a person must meet all of the following criteria:

• be a Canadian Citizen,
• have been a resident of British Columbia for the past six months,
• be a resident of the city of Fort St. John,
• be aged 18 or older, or be turning 18 on or before General Voting Day (October 17, 2026), and
• not be disqualified by an enactment from voting in a Local Government election or otherwise disqualified by law.

If there is uncertainty as to the qualifications of any of the electors signing your nomination documents, you may risk a challenge to your nomination. To avoid this, you could choose to have more than two electors sign your nomination documents (page 2 of Form C2 has been provided for this purpose). If one or more of your electors is not qualified, your nomination will be valid as long as it is made by at least the minimum number of qualified electors.

Sign and date the bottom of page 1 of form C2 of the nomination documents, indicating that you consent to the nomination.

On page 3, indicate the position for which you are running (Mayor or Councillor). Ensure you meet the qualifications listed as items 2 through 8 and indicate in the appropriate checkbox if you are acting as your own Financial Agent or whether you have appointed a Financial Agent and print their name, if applicable.

If you are being endorsed by an Elector Organization, please indicate the name of the Elector Organization in the appropriate box. The Principal Official of the Elector Organization must sign and date the document. The Electoral Organization must be registered with Elections BC in order to be recognized on the ballot.

Complete the section to indicate whether you are acting as your own Financial Agent or have appointed one.

You must not consent to endorsement by more than one Elector Organization in an election for the same office.

Important! You must sign the declaration on page 3 of Form C2 in front of: 

• The Chief Election Officer or designate at the time of filing the nomination documents, or
• A lawyer, notary, or Commissioner for Taking Affidavits for British Columbia (there may be a charge for this service).

Other Information Provided by Candidate (C3)

Complete the boxes as appropriate.  

Provision of the residential address of candidates on nomination documents is a requirement of the Local Government Act (section 87(1)(d)). If there is an additional address at which you would like to receive candidate information/correspondence, please indicate the additional address in the appropriate box(es). 

Appointment of Candidate Financial Agent (C4)

If you are acting as your own Financial Agent, you do not need to submit this form. If you are appointing a Financial Agent, complete the appropriate boxes. Ensure both you and your Financial Agent sign and date the form.

Note: If you choose to appoint a Financial Agent after you have already submitted your nomination papers, please submit the form to the election office as soon as practicable after the appointment has been made.

Appointment of Candidate Official Agent (C5)

You do not need to appoint an official agent. You may choose to appoint an official agent to act on your behalf throughout the election process. Complete the boxes as appropriate to appoint your official agent. Ensure you sign and date the form and submit it to the Election Officer as soon as practicable after the appointment has been made. 

Important! Candidate representatives must carry copies of their appointment papers whenever they represent you at an election proceeding. 

Should you wish to change or rescind an appointment, simply advise the Chief Election Officer in writing and submit a new application form. 

 Appointment of Candidate Scrutineer (C6)

This form is optional. It does not get submitted with your nomination documents. 

Instead, if you are appointing scrutineers, they must bring the completed form with them to the voting location. They must present it to the Presiding Election Official as soon as they arrive to be allowed into the voting place. You may appoint as many scrutineers as you like; however, you may have only one scrutineer per ballot box in use at a voting place at any time. Fill out and sign a separate form for each scrutineer you appoint. 

Scrutineers may observe proceedings but may not interfere with the voting process.

Statement of Disclosure

Under the Financial Disclosure Act, candidates for the position of Mayor and Councillor must complete and file a Statement of Disclosure form with their nomination documents. 

The Statement of Disclosure is different from the Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement, which must be filed after the election. 

Note: Campaign Financing and Advertising Rules are the jurisdiction of Elections BC and not the local Chief Election Officer. 

Please be sure to complete each section of the Disclosure forms and then sign and date page 3. If you have nothing to add in a section, please put a dash or N/A to indicate you did not miss that section. 

If you have questions about the Statement of Financial Disclosure, Elections BC Staff are available to assist you.

Note: The Statement of Disclosure document will be posted on the City’s website, and the forms may also be inspected at City Hall. The candidate's address will be redacted. 

City of Fort St. John Candidate Profile

Candidates may choose to submit a profile for publication on the City’s website. Profiles will be posted after the close of the Nomination Period (4 pm, Friday, September 11) and will remain available until shortly after the election.

You will be able to submit your profile digitally starting September 1, 2026. The online submission form will open on that date, and a link to the form will be available under the Nomination Package section above. Profiles must be submitted by 4 pm, September 11, 2026.

Profiles may include:

• Biography (maximum 200 words)
  Statements must be in English and limited to 200 words. Content must relate to the candidate, their policies, or their intentions if elected. Any text exceeding 200 words will not be published.
  The City will not edit for grammar or spelling. The Chief Election Officer may edit or remove any content considered inappropriate, inflammatory, or inconsistent with these guidelines.
• Photograph
  A head-and-shoulders photo in JPG or PNG format is recommended. A portrait (vertical) orientation is preferred.
• Contact or social media links
  Such as phone number, email, website, Facebook, Instagram, X. Please provide full URLs (not just social media handles) to ensure links can be included.

If a photo or biography is not submitted, a notation such as “Photo not provided” or “Biography not provided” will appear on the candidate's page. Where a profile is complete except for a photo, “Photo not provided” will appear in the photo space. Only contact and social media links provided on the submission form will be included.

Candidates are responsible for the accuracy of the information submitted. Profiles will be presented by office (Mayor and Councillor) and listed in alphabetical order. Formatting may be adjusted to ensure consistency and accessibility.

Managed by Elections BC, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act regulates how financial disclosures and other related actions are made. This legislation applies to candidates, elector organizations and those wishing to participate in the election process through advocacy. 

Each election area and office has its own limit, determined by the office and the election area's population. For the 2026 General Local Elections, the campaign limits for Fort St. John are as follows:

• Mayor - $24,845.54
• Councillor - $12,480.59

Third-party sponsors are individuals or organizations that undertake election advertising independent from a candidate's or elector organization's campaign but do not contribute directly to a candidate’s campaign. Third-party sponsors are subject to regulation under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. If you are aware of third parties who wish to campaign on your behalf (such as taking out advertisements, running radio announcements, or similar), please advise them to contact Elections BC to ensure compliance.

Two important advertising restrictions to note are: 

1. No election advertising (including signs) of any kind may appear within 100 metres of a building where voting is underway, and 
2. No individual or organization can transmit or sponsor advertising to the public on general voting day, October 17, 2026.

For further information on campaign period expense limits and third-party advertising limits, visit Elections BC.

Campaign Financing Disclosure Statements required in accordance with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act must be filed with Elections BC no more than 90 days after the election (January 15, 2027).

Standardized forms for this purpose will be sent to all participants by Elections BC and will also be
available on the Elections BC website.  

All aspects of campaign financing are administered by Elections BC, and all questions and inquiries should be referred to them.

You can also find information in the Guide to Local Elections Campaign Financing in BC on the Election BC website. If you have any questions regarding campaign finances or the filing of the statement, please contact Elections BC. 

Elections BC Contact Information
elections.bc.ca 
1-800-661-8683 
electionsbc@elections.bc.ca  

Important! Failure to file a complete campaign financing disclosure statement or supplementary report may lead to penalties, up to and including disqualification from holding office until after the next general local election. 

Your Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement and any supplementary reports will be available for public inspection from the time they are filed at the Elections BC office and on the Elections BC website for at least five years. 

Section 18 of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act requires that a separate bank account in the name of the campaign be opened, and that all contributions and expenses flow through that account.

The City of Fort St. John regulates election signage within municipal boundaries, as stated in the City of Fort St. John Sign Bylaw and the City of Fort St. John Candidate and Electoral Organization Election Advertising on City Property Council Policy.

Election signs may be displayed only during the election period and must be removed within 5 days after the general voting day. You may place election signs on private property with the permission of the owner. Please refer to the bylaw for specific details regarding allowable size and location restrictions.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Elections Signs and Posters Policy outlines conditions you should be aware of regarding the placement of election signage on highway rights-of-way. 

All Council meetings must take place within City Hall except when Council resolves to hold meetings elsewhere, following the Council Procedure Bylaw. Regular Council meetings:

• are held on the second and fourth Monday of January through August, October, and November with only one meeting in September and December;
• begin at 3 pm; and
• are adjourned by 8:30 pm on the day scheduled for the meeting unless Council resolves to proceed beyond that time.

When the second or fourth Monday of the month falls on a statutory holiday, the Regular Council meeting will instead be held on the next day that is not a statutory holiday that City Hall is open. 

Committee of the Whole meetings can begin as early as 1 pm and are scheduled on the same day as Regular Council meetings on an as-needed basis.

Prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to review the following materials:

• Council Committees and Appointments Policy
• Respectful Workplace Council Policy
• Human Rights Council Policy
• City Council Allowable Expenses Council Policy
• Annual Remuneration for Members of Council Policy
• Council Procedure Bylaw

During the election period, candidates often have questions and inquiries about the City of Fort St. John and its operations. To ensure that all candidates have equal access to information, requests will be handled as follows:

• If the request relates to publicly available information, such as bylaws, financial statements, or material received at a Regular Council meeting, this material will be provided. 
• If the request relates to matters discussed in a closed meeting or to confidential information, the information will not be released. 
• If the request requires staff research, the candidate will be asked to submit the question to the Chief Election Officer, who will arrange for a written response. 
• Any information provided in response to a candidate’s request will be shared with ALL candidates.  

Prospective candidates are strongly encouraged to review the following reference materials:

• 2025 Annual Report
• Community Grants Policy
• Five-Year Financial Plan Bylaw 
• Tax Rates Bylaw 

Prospective candidates are encouraged to review the guides and legislation specific to general local elections that are linked below. 

• Elections BC – Handbook for Local Candidates
• Elections BC – What to know before you start campaigning
• Elections BC – Online Learning 
• Elections BC – Guide to Local Election Campaign Financing in BC 
• Elections BC – 2026 General Local Elections 
• Province of BC – General Local Elections
• Province of BC – Thinking About Running for Local Office
• Province of BC – What Every Candidate Needs to Know
• Province of BC – The Role of Local Elected Officials 
• Province of BC – Local Elections 101 
• Province of BC – Videos – Being an Effective Elected Official 
• Union of British Columbia Municipalities – Local Government in BC - A Community Effort
• Excerpts from the Local Government Act 
  • Elector Qualifications – Sections 65-67
  • Qualifications for Office – Sections 81-83
  • Nomination of Candidates – Sections 84-88
  • Candidates and Representatives – Sections 101-103
  • Election Offences – Sections 161-166
• Financial Disclosure Act and Fact Sheet [PDF/127KB]
• Local Elections Campaign Financing Act