Nomination Deadline Approaching for Municipal Election

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Friday, 14 August 2026 at 11:12

Election signs from the 2022 municipal election (Staff Photo)

Potential candidates have until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21st to submit their nomination paperwork for the upcoming municipal election.

WOODSTOCK - Time is running out if you're thinking about running in the upcoming municipal election.

All nomination paperwork must be filed with your local municipality by 2:00 p.m. next Friday.

Jeff Bunn is the Deputy City Clerk for Woodstock and he's also the returning officer for the municipal election. He walks us through the eligibility requirements for candidates.

"The individual must be 18 years old on election day, they have to be a Canadian citizen, and they have to either reside or be a spouse of someone who owns land or owns land themselves within the City of Woodstock. So owning a business would not qualify, but if the individual owns property in their own name, they would qualify."

Aspiring candidates can find the nomination package online here, or they can pick one up at city hall.

Bunn says those running in Woodstock should book an appointment at city hall when they decide to file their papers.

"Nomination appointments typically are about 30 minutes long. They usually include a review of all of the prescribed nomination forms, the endorsement requirements, candidate qualifications, campaign finance rules, and city rules relating to the campaign itself. So we do go through quite a bit."

The appointment is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended. Don't forget to bring your ID with you, to prove your Woodstock address, and 25 signatures of endorsement from eligible voters.

If there is only one candidate for a certain role once the nomination deadline hits, that individual will be acclaimed to the position. However, Bunn says that acclamation would not be official until 4:00 p.m. on August 24th, once they're declared through the certification process.

Here is a list of all of the positions that will be acclaimed in Oxford County, if no one decides to run against them. This list was made at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 14th.

- East Zorra-Tavistock Mayor - Phil Schaefer
- East Zorra-Tavistock Deputy Mayor - Bradley Smith
- East Zorra-Tavistock Ward 1 Councillor - Steven Van Wyk
- Zorra Township Ward 1 Councillor - James Chamberlain
- Zorra Township Ward 2 Councillor - Izabela Bielaska-Hornblower
- Zorra Township Ward 3 Councillor - Michael Kukhta
- Zorra Township Ward 4 Councillor - Nicole Barnett
- South-West Oxford Mayor - Craig Gillis
- South-West Oxford Ward 1 Councillor - Paul Buchner
- South-West Oxford Ward 2 Councillor - Pete Ypma
- Norwich Township Ward 3 Councillor - Shawn Gear
- Norwich Township Ward 4 Councillor - Karl Toews
- Blandford-Blenheim Township Mayor - Mark Peterson
- Blandford-Blenheim Township Deputy Mayor - Tina Young
- Thames Valley District School Board Trustee - William McKinnon
- London District Catholic School Board Trustee - Mary Holmes
- Conseil Scolaire Viamonde Trustee - David Paradis

If there are no candidates or not enough candidates vying for a role when the deadline hits, Bunn says there will be an additional nomination period on August 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

Here is a list of all of the positions currently open in Oxford County, also as of 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 14th.

- One open position for Ward 1 councillor in East Zorra-Tavistock
- One open councillor position for Blandford-Blenheim Township
- One open trustee position for the Thames Valley District School Board
- One open trustee position for CSC Providence

Those who have already filed their nomination paperwork also have until the nomination deadline if they are thinking about changing the role they are running for or dropping out of the race completely.