January 1: Election period begins
March 10: Candidate BC residency deadline
April 16: Voter BC residency deadline
August 4: Start of period for notice of nominations
August 11 & 12: Pre-Candidate Information Sessions
August 17: Nomination Packages Available
August 19: Election and political signs may be posted within the City (except along Hwy 101)
September 1: Start of nomination period
September 2: School Trustee Info Session
September 11: End of nomination period; candidates declared
September 18: Last day for Candidates to withdraw
September 19: Start of campaign period and posting of election and political signs along Hwy 101
September 21: Declaration of election by voting or acclamation
October 7, 10, 14: Advance Voting Days
October 17: General Voting Day
October 17: Announcement of Preliminary Election Results
October 21: Last Day for Declaration of Official Election Results by Voting

Thinking of Running for Office?

Candidates can drop off their nomination papers between September 1 and September 11 at City Hall during regular business hours.

The Local Government Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has excellent resources including videos and reading materials.

Info sessions were held to inform candidates of what to expect once elected to office. The presentation can be found here.

For those interested in running for School Trustee, qathet School District is hosting a one-hour information session for prospective candidates at the School Board Office (4351 Ontario Ave) on September 2nd at 4pm. Come out to learn about the overview of the role of a school Trustee, time commitments and responsibilities, board governance, and the election process.

Prospective candidates will also have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about serving the qathet community through public education. Anyone who is considering running or simply interested in learning more about the role of a Trustee is encouraged to attend.

Please kindly register in advance by filling out this form so we can plan accordingly.

Nomination Packages

Nomination Packages are now available. Packages can be downloaded (see links below) or picked up in hard copy at Powell River City Hall during regular business hours (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding holidays).

Candidate Nomination Package – Mayor and Council (PDF)
Candidate Nomination Package – School Trustee (PDF)

Financing and Advertising

Elections BC is responsible for managing campaign financing disclosure requirements, investigations, registration of elector organizations and third-party advertising sponsors, and enforcing the campaign financing and third-party advertising provisions set out in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

For more information, go to the Elections BC Website or contact them at 1-855-952-0280, or electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca.

Information Sessions: Online Information Sessions are being offered by Elections BC for Local Candidates, Third Party Sponsors and Local Elector Organizations. See: Elections BC Information Sessions.

Election and Political Signage

Election and political signs are classed as temporary signs under the City's Sign Bylaw and must not be posted anywhere in the City until sixty (60) days prior to the October 17, 2026 election event (August 19, 2026), and must be removed within 7 days of the election event (October 24, 2026).
Highway 101 within the City is an arterial highway under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) and is subject to MOTT policies regulating such signage, including no election and political signage until the Campaign Period commences September 19, 2026, with signs to be removed by October 18, 2026.
Election and political signs may be subject to Elections BC requirements regarding election advertising and third party advertising, including "issue advertising" - refer to Elections BC resources.
Election and political signs do not require a permit but are otherwise subject to the City's Sign Bylaw and Council Policy C09-002, including the following provisions:
- Cannot be attached to a utility pole, standard or similar structure
- Must not create obstructions or impair sightlines for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles or interfere with traffic or traffic control devices
- Must not obstruct the use of public parks, facilities or circulation areas, nor compromise public safety
- Must comply with the size, height and other zoning specifications in Schedule B of the Sign Bylaw
- Are not permitted on ANY City property, other than on City boulevards, with the exception of the following boulevard locations where they are not permitted:
  - City Hall
  - Public Works Yard
  - South/Westview Harbour and North Harbour
  - Willingdon Beach Park & Campground
  - Community Gardens
  - Recreation Complex (within 100 meters of the building)
  - Powell River Airport (YPW - within 100 meters of the terminal))
Election and political signs are not permitted to be within 100 meters of the polling place during voting (Election Day and Advance Voting Days)
Election and political signs on private property (including School District property) require the consent of the property owner

For further information on signage regulations in the City, see:
Election and Political Signage Backgrounder

To report non-compliant signage on City lands, click on CREATE to report an issue at:
Powell River - Citizen Engagement

To report non-compliant signage on Highway 101, contact:

Ministry of Transportation and Transit
Lower Mainland District - Powell River Area
604-485-3610
PowellRiverAreaOffice@gov.bc.ca

Information for Voters

Voting rights are granted to citizens based on residency or property ownership. To be eligible to vote, you must be either a Resident Elector, or Non-Resident Property Elector.

A person cannot vote:

on behalf of a corporation,
as a non-resident property elector, when the property is owned wholly or in part by a corporation,
more than once for:
Mayor and Council for the City of Powell River
School Trustees for the Board of Education of School District 47 (regardless of the number of properties owned within the SD47 school trustee electoral area)

Are you registered to vote?

The City of Powell River will be using the Provincial Voters List for the 2026 General Local Election. Are you registered to vote? Register or check your registration status here: Elections BC – Online Voter Registration. Electors can also register at a voting place during Advance Voting, on General Voting Day, or when requesting a mail ballot package.

You will need to register to vote in the election if you’ve recently:

Moved to BC
Changed your address
Changed your name
Celebrated your 18th birthday in the past 3 years!
Became a Canadian citizen

Please take a few minutes to register or update your voter registration with Elections BC before August 18, 2026 to save time on election day.

Not on the voters list by election day? Don’t worry, eligible voters can still register at the time of voting.

Resident Electors:

are 18 years of age or older on General Voting Day,
are Canadian citizens
have lived in BC for at least six months before they register to vote
are residents of the City of Powell River on the day they vote
must not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment*, from voting.

* Tla’amin residents are eligible to vote in school trustee elections conducted by the qathet Regional District (qRD) if they meet voter eligibility requirements under the School Act.

Non-Resident Property Electors (NRPE):

When a person lives in one jurisdiction and owns property in another jurisdiction, they may vote in the other jurisdiction as a Non-Resident Property Elector (NRPE), provided they meet the voter eligibility requirements noted below.

18 years of age or older on General Voting Day
Canadian citizen
Have lived in BC for at least 6 months immediately prior to General Voting Day
Have owned property in the City of Powell River for at least 30 days
Not a resident of the City of Powell River
Not be disqualified by law from voting
If a person owns a property with one or more other individuals, only one person is eligible to vote as the non-resident property elector for that property; the owner entitled to vote must be designated, in writing, by the majority of the property owners.
Not entitled to vote more than once in an election

School Trustee Election

A person can only vote once in respect of the School Trustee Election for qathet School District 47, regardless of whether they live in the City or the qRD and/or own property in one or the other. In accordance with section 38(8) and 41(a) of the School Act and section 57(6) and 66(1)(a) of the Local Government Act,

(a) Resident electors in the City who own property in one or more electoral areas of the qRD may only vote within the City for school trustees, and

(b) Resident electors in the electoral areas of the qRD who own property in the City may only vote within the electoral areas of the qRD for school trustees;

(c) Electors who reside beyond the boundaries of the School District (outside the entirety of the qathet Regional District) and who otherwise qualify as Non-Resident Property Electors under the School Act and the Local Government Act may only vote for school trustees in the jurisdiction in which the property is located. If they own property in both jurisdictions, they must choose one or the other in which to vote for school trustees.

For example: Mary, a Canadian citizen, and her husband have lived in Lund for 20 years and have owned a property in the City of Powell River for the past 3 months; she can vote as a resident for the Area Director in the Electoral Area A election in Lund and for Mayor and Council in the City, if her husband consents to her being the NRPE for their Powell River Property. However, she cannot vote for school trustee in both jurisdictions as it’s the same school district electoral area and she can only vote once in that election, and must do so within the jurisdiction in which she is resident.

* For local election purposes, residents of Tla’amin Nation may vote for Mayor and Council in the City election if they meet the NRPE eligibility requirements, but would have to vote at the Tla’amin polling place for the school trustee election.

**Note: these requirements may result in the Chief Election Officer for the City or the qRD, or their designates, invalidating that portion of the ballot dealing with the School Trustee Candidates if the request for a ballot is from an NRPE residing in the other jurisdiction.

Previous Election Information

CivicInfo BC maintains information on previous local elections.

Questions

Please contact our staff if you have any questions:

Chief Election Officer: Peter DeJong
Deputy Chief Election Officer: Jessica Walls
elections@powellriver.ca
604.485.8603

Questions

Please contact our staff with any other questions:

Chief Election Officer: Peter DeJong

Deputy Chief Election Officer: Jessica Walls

Quick links:

Notice of List of Registered Electors
Notice of Nomination

Financial Disclosure Act
Financial Disclosure Act Form Regulation
AG04003-b, Financial Disclosure Act Fact Sheet

election@powellriver.ca
604-485-8603