Information for Candidates
The City of Saskatoon 2024 Municipal and School Board Election will take place on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Offices to be Elected
Mayor of the City of Saskatoon
One (1) to be elected at large by all voters in Saskatoon
Councillor for the City of Saskatoon
Ten (10) to be elected, one in each of the civic wards
Saskatoon Public School Board Trustee
Ten (10) to be elected, one in each of the civic wards
Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Board Trustee
Seven (7) to be elected at large by all separate school division voters to represent Saskatoon. The separate school board consists of ten trustees and one is elected by voters from each of three subdivisions: Humboldt, Biggar, and rural Saskatoon/Martensville/Warman.
Become a Candidate
Qualification for Member of Council
To be eligible for nomination as a candidate for the office of Mayor or City Councillor, a person must:
- be at least 18 years of age on election day
- not be disqualified under The Local Government Election Act or any other Act
- be a Canadian citizen on the day the nomination paper is submitted
- have resided in Saskatchewan for at least six consecutive months immediately preceding the date on which nomination papers are submitted
- have resided in the City of Saskatoon, or on land now in the city, for at least three consecutive months immediately preceding the date on which nomination papers are submitted
A candidate running for Councillor need not reside in the Ward they wish to run; however, people nominating them must be eligible voters residing in the Ward.
Who Cannot be a Mayoral or Councillorship Candidate
The following people are disqualified from being nominated as candidates for Mayor or City Councillors:
- A judge of any court
- An auditor or solicitor of the City of Saskatoon.
No person is disqualified from being nominated, elected, or holding office as a member of a council because they:
- have an interest in a contract with the City; or
- are undertaking the duties of a volunteer firefighter on behalf of the City
City of Saskatoon Employees
- Employees of the City of Saskatoon who wish to run for Mayor or City Councillor must take an unpaid leave of absence following clause 2‑54(2) (a) of The Saskatchewan Employment Act before filing a nomination paper. Documentation proving the leave of absence is required.
- This applies to employees of any Board or Commission or Corporation appointed City Council.
Qualification for School Board Trustees
To be eligible for nomination as a candidate for School Board Trustee (Public School Board OR Separate School Board), a person must:
- be a voter of the school division on the day of the election
- be a Canadian citizen at the time they submit nomination papers
- have resided in Saskatchewan for at least six consecutive months immediately preceding the date on which nomination papers are submitted
- have resided in the school division for at least three consecutive months immediately preceding the date on which nomination papers are submitted
To run for the Separate School Board, the person must:
- be Catholic (any Catholic rite, such as Roman, Ukrainian, Chaldean, etc., that recognizes the pope as leader of the church)
- have all people signing the nomination paper be Catholic
Candidates for the public school board do not have to reside in the ward in which they are running; however, all people nominating the candidate must be eligible voters of the ward. The public school board consists of ten trustees, and one is elected in each of the ten civic wards.
Candidates for the separate school board are voted at large and can be nominated by any eligible separate school voter. The separate school board consists of ten trustees, and seven trustees are voted by all separate school board voters.
Employees of the School Divisions
An employee of a school board may seek nomination and election to the board if they have first obtained a leave of absence following clause 2-54(2)(a) of The Saskatchewan Employment Act .
Submitting a Nomination
Nomination papers can be submitted to the Returning Officer during regular business hours from late September until 4:00 pm on Nomination Day, October 9, 2024.
To submit a nomination to be a candidate in the election, you must provide:
- A completed nomination paper in the prescribed form
- Signed by the appropriate number of eligible voters (25 Signatures for Mayor and City Councillors; 10 signatures for School Board Trustees)
- A public disclosure statement in the prescribed form
- Deposit Fees (to be refunded after candidates file their financial statements)
Nomination papers will be available in both electronic and paper formats for download or pickup. Specific guidelines and information for nomination papers, dates, and deposit fees will be provided at a later date.
School Board Trustees candidates may need to submit additional information like Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Search obtained within a specified period before submitting their nomination depending on the requirements from the School Division.
Withdrawing a Nomination
If you no longer wish to be a candidate, you must file a written statement to the Returning Officer on or before 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 10, 2024. The statement must be signed by the candidate and two witnesses or the Returning Officer, and the deposit fee will be refunded.
Campaign Finance Management
Campaign finance rules - contributions, spending limits, key dates and reporting are set through Bylaw No. 8491, The Campaign Disclosure and Spending Limits Bylaw, 2006.
Campaign Period
- means the period beginning on Saturday, June 1, 2024, and ending on election day (Wednesday, November 13, 2024)
- The City expects all election campaign-related activities to occur only during this period.
Campaign Contributions
- is any money, loans or other advances and the value of donations in kind provided to or for the benefit of a candidate during the campaign contribution period to finance an election campaign, including personal contributions and revenue raised from a fundraising event by the sale of tickets or otherwise.
- The campaign contribution period is from Friday, January 1, 2021, until Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Campaign Expenses
- is any money spent or liabilities incurred, including, credit card fees associated with accepting campaign contributions, the cost of making expressions of appreciation after the close of voting on election day, the cost of goods and services and the value of donations in kind used by or for the benefit of a candidate, during the campaign expenses period for a candidate’s election campaign but does not include audit fees, any remuneration paid to an official agent or the repayment of a loan, except for interest.
- The period where you can begin to incur expenses on your campaign is from Saturday, June 1, 2024, up until Sunday, December 15, 2024
- expenses incurred for the preparation of election advertising materials, website development, signs and other incidental financial charges required to accept campaign contributions may be incurred before the campaign expenses period but must be recorded and disclosed as campaign expenses.
Campaign Spending Limit
- The general spending limit for members of Council (Mayor and City Councillors) is determined based on the formula in Bylaw No. 8491, The Campaign Disclosure and Spending Limits Bylaw, 2006 which includes the CPI and the total population of the City.
- The spending limit for Councillors is 10% of the allowable campaign expenses for the Mayoral office.
- The maximum allowable expenses for the 2024 Civic Elections shall be calculated and determined in March 2024
- The school divisions determine the maximum campaign expenses for the School Board Trustee candidates
Campaign Bank Account
For campaign contributions that are not donations in kind, candidates must open a bank account used solely for the purpose campaign contributions; and the account must be used only for the election campaign of the candidate
Campaign Disclosure
All candidates must keep an accurate record of all contributions received and expenses incurred to their campaigns and report their campaign expenses in the prescribed manner to the Returning officer by the filing deadline for the Offices that they run for - whether they were elected or not.
Public Documents
Copies of the nomination papers will be posted at the Election Office for viewing during regular business hours (Monday-Friday – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays). Nomination papers can be inspected by any person upon request to the Returning Officer.
Candidates' campaign disclosure documents are also public documents that will be published on the Election webpage by the Returning Officer and will include the names of persons who contributed $100 or more as filed to the Returning Officer.
This page will be updated regularly as more information and guidelines are received from the Province and the School Divisions.