Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, candidates, registered third-party advertisers, and contributors are bound by specific election campaign finance rules. Candidates and registered third-party advertisers must file financial statements with the Clerk outlining their campaign finance activities.
Any eligible elector who believes, on reasonable grounds, that a candidate or registered third-party advertiser has broken one of the election finance rules set out in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, may submit an application for a compliance audit.
The Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and making decisions on applications for municipal election campaign finance compliance audits.
The Bay of Quinte Joint Compliance Audit Committee serves the County of Prince Edward, the City of Quinte West, the City of Belleville, Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, and the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board.
Please note: compliance audit applications for the 2026 municipal election are not being accepted at this time.
Apply now to serve on the Compliance Audit Committee
The County of Prince Edward, the City of Belleville and the City of Quinte West are currently seeking interested applicants for appointment to the 2026 Bay of Quinte Joint Compliance Audit Committee.
Click here to apply online. Applications can also be filled out at Shire Hall Customer Service (332 Picton Main Street), Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Accounting and audit – Accountants or auditors with experience in preparing or auditing the financial statements of municipal election candidates
- Academic – College or university professors with expertise in political science, public administration, or local government administration
- Legal
- Other individuals with knowledge of the campaign financing rules of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996
Applicants CANNOT be:
- Municipal employees or officers of the municipality
- Members of Council or local board
- A candidate
- Any persons who are registered third parties in the 2026 municipal election.
Any members appointed must also agree in writing they will not be a candidate or an individual who is a registered third party in the current municipal election or in any by-election during the term of Council for any member municipality or school board. Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in the individual being removed from the committee.
Duration of term
The term of office for the committee will be from November 15, 2026 to November 14, 2030 to deal with applications from the 2026 election and any by-elections during the 2026-2030 Term of Council.
Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted online and in-person by any of the participating municipalities between Monday, February 23 and Friday, March 6 by 11:59 pm. Following the application period, applicants may be contacted for an interview. We thank all applicants who apply and advise that only those selected will be contacted.
Additional information
The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 requires that municipalities establish a committee to hear applications for compliance audits of the election campaign finances of candidates and registered third-party advertisers.
The 2026-2030 Municipal Election Joint Compliance Audit Committee will:
- Consider applications for a compliance audit of the campaign finances of a candidate for municipal council or a registered third-party advertiser resulting from the regular municipal election or any by-election held during the term of office for the Council for which the Committee was appointed
- Appoint an auditor, if the committee decides to grant a compliance audit
- Review the auditor’s report. If the report concludes that the candidate or registered third-party advertiser appears to have contravened the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the committee will decide whether legal proceedings should be commenced against the candidate or registered third-party advertiser
- Receive and consider report(s) from the Clerk identifying contributors who appear to have contravened any of the contribution limits set out in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The committee will decide whether to commence a legal proceeding against a contributor for an apparent contravention.
Meetings
The Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee shall meet as needed with meetings to be scheduled by the Clerk, when a compliance audit application is received. The meeting, agenda, and minutes will be available to the public on the municipal website. Members of the public may participate electronically as requested, in accordance with the County of Prince Edward’s Procedural By-Law.
If you have any questions about the Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee, contact the Clerk’s Office at clerks@pecounty.on.ca or call 613.476.2148 ext. 1020.
Audit process
Following the conclusion of the municipal election on October 26, 2026, an elector who is entitled to vote in an election and believes, on reasonable grounds, that a candidate and/or registered third party has contravened a provision of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, relating to election campaign finances is required to complete the application for an election compliance audit providing reasons and supporting documentation.
The application for a compliance audit for a candidate and/or registered third party and any supporting documentation must be filed with the Clerk.
Within 30 days after receiving the application, the Bay of Quinte Joint Compliance Audit Committee will consider the application and determine if an audit is required or if the application is rejected.
If the committee grants the audit, the committee appoints a licensed auditor to conduct a compliance audit of the election campaign finances of candidate or registered third-party advertiser. The auditor will conduct the audit to determine if the candidate or registered third-party advertiser has complied with the requirements of the Municipal Elections Act with regard to election campaign finances.
The auditor will provide a report to the Clerk, the candidate or registered third party advertiser, and the applicant.
The committee will consider the report within 30 days of receiving it and determine whether legal proceedings should be commenced against the candidate or registered third-party advertiser.