Municipal Government, Elections & Budget Setting

Municipal Governments provide valued public services and are our rural Ontario partners.

Municipal services include maintenance of many (but not all) local roads, garbage & sewage & water services, fire and public health services, planning and bylaws and permitting. Read onward, or jump directly to more information about:

Voting in Municipal Elections

Getting Involved with Local Budget Setting

About Environmental Priorities & Official Plans 

In Ontario, the municipal level of government delivers some of our most prized public services. However, municipalities are also a creature of the Province, owing their very existence, their powers and obligations to the Province under the Municipal Act.

This level of government may be described as “municipal” (e.g., Town of Espanola; Township of Tay); “single-tier” – that is, certain cities that are geographically within a county, but are governed distinctly (e.g., City of Kawartha Lakes; City of Greater Sudbury); “upper-tier” – that is, a county or regional government (a federation of the local municipalities) that provides some municipal services (e.g., Bruce County); or “lower-tier” – that is, a municipality underneath an upper-tier government (e.g., Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula). The powers of municipal governments are determined by the provincial government.

For more, including links to municipal websites, visit the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Also, for more about municipalities, review a slide presentation About Local Government (PDF, 53 slides) from 2016 by the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario.

FOCA is the largest non-farm landowner group in rural Ontario, representing the 250,000 waterfront property-owning families across the province.

For our Municipal partners: FOCA’s 50,000 member families are YOUR rural residents, and thriving and sustainable rural communities are our common goal! We encourage you to:

  • Read FOCA’s new Economic Impact report about the  $11.44 billion annual contribution of waterfront property owners across Ontario. 
  • Download an overview About FOCA & our Municipal Partners (PDF, 2 pages).
  • Sign up to receive the FOCA Elert (monthly e-news) for the pulse of cottage country, including quick policy updates & regional event notices. Got news to share with rural residents? Send it to FOCA.

FOCA has print and digital resources for our municipal partners to circulate about: cottage country septic systems, healthy waterfronts, invasive species, lake planning, and much more. 

January 2023 – FOCA joined 1600 delegates at the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference. This year’s theme was Breaking New Ground, and included the opportunity to meet and hear from Ontario’s Cabinet, along with elected municipal officials and senior staffers.

Important issues discussed at ROMA 2023 included land use planning, rural health care, electricity planning, affordable housing and more. FOCA met with our colleagues at Conservation Ontario, Hydro One, MPAC, Good Roads, Emergency Management Ontario and others.

FOCA presented to a full room on the topic of short term rentals (STR) in rural Ontario. Learn more in FOCA’s recent STR report, posted to our webpage: https://foca.on.ca/rental/. (image above: the crowd at the STR session at ROMA 2023)

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The following resource - FOCA's Municipal Engagement Guide for Community Associations - is only available to our Member Associations.

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Vote for Your Future: Municipal Elections

FOCA encourages all waterfront property owners to participate in the democratic process at election time and throughout your representatives’ terms of office.

The most recent Ontario municipal elections took place on Monday, October 24, 2022. Review election results and vote statistics from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. 

Ontario Municipal elections happen in October every 4 years. The term of office for elected representatives is December 1st of that year to November 30th, four years later. (Current term: 2022 to 2026)

FOCA encourages permanent and seasonal waterfront property owners to get engaged in municipal elections. Learn who in your community best represents your position on the issues that mean the most to you and your family. Also, engage others in your waterfront community, and “get-out-the-vote” at election time.

For engagement tips, FOCA members can access our Association Vote Toolkit, watch our July 2022 webinar about getting out the vote in your waterfront community, and download FOCA’s Municipal Engagement Guide:

You're missing members-only content!

The following resources are only available to members of our Member Associations.

If you are already registered on the FOCA website, please login below with your Username and Password.

Need help with your login? Contact us for assistance during business hours. Not yet a Member Association? Find out why you should be!