County issues public notice for 2026 municipal election ballot question

The County of Prince Edward has published a statutory public notice about placing a question on the 2026 municipal election ballot.

The notice informs the public that County council intends to pass a bylaw placing the following question on the ballot: “Are you in favour of a third-party review of Council size and related ward boundaries?”

Council is to vote on the bylaw during its Feb. 24 meeting.

After the bylaw is passed, any person or entity may appeal the wording of the question to the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario. Appeals must be based on the grounds that the question is not clear, concise, and neutral, or that it cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” (per Section 8.1(2) of the Municipal Elections Act).

A notice of appeal setting out the objections and supporting reasons must be filed with the Municipal Clerk within 20 days of municipality issuing a notice that the bylaw has passed.

The results of this ballot question will be legally binding on the municipality under Section 8.2 of the Municipal Elections Act only if:
– At least 50 per cent of the eligible electors in the municipality vote on the question; and
– More than 50 per cent of the votes cast on the question are in favour of the result.

If the majority vote “Yes”, the municipality is to do everything in its power to implement a third-party review in a timely manner. The estimated cost of conducting this review is between $75,000 and $100,000.

If the majority vote “No”, the municipality will not take any action to implement a third-party review of council size or ward boundaries for a period of four years following voting day.

Visit the County website for more information or contact Catalina Blumenberg, Municipal Clerk, at 613.476.2148 ext. 1020 or by email at cblumenberg@pecounty.on.ca