Compliance Audit Committee

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA) requires each municipality and school board in Ontario to establish a compliance audit committee to consider compliance audit applications.

If an eligible elector believes, on reasonable grounds, a candidate or registered third party has contravened the rules of the MEA relating to election campaign finances, they can request a compliance audit of the candidate's or registered third party's finances.

The lower-tier municipalities in Grey-Bruce are partnering to establish a Grey County Joint Compliance Audit Committee.

Purpose of the Committee

• To consider whether to grant or reject a compliance audit application made by an eligible elector;
• To appoint an auditor, if the application is granted;
• Receive and consider the auditor's report and decide whether legal proceedings should be commenced;
• Consider reports from the Clerk identifying contributors who appear to have contravened election contribution limits and decide whether legal proceedings should be commenced.

Powers and functions of the committee are found in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. 

Compliance Audit Applications

The Grey County Joint Compliance Audit Committee reviews and makes decisions on applications for compliance audits of finances for municipal candidates and registered third party advertisers.

An elector who is entitled to vote in an election and believes on reasonable grounds that a candidate has contravened a provision of the Act relating to election campaign finances may apply for a compliance audit of the candidate's election campaign finances, even if the candidate has not filed a financial statement.

Applications must be made within 90 days after the latest of the following dates:

1. The filing date under section 88.30 of the MEA. 
2. The date the candidate or registered third party filed a financial statement, if the statement was filed within 30 days after the applicable filing date under section 88.30 of the MEA.
3. The candidate's or registered third party's supplementary filing date, if any, under section 88.30 of the MEA.
4. The date on which the candidate's extension, if any, under subsection 88.23(6) of the MEA expires, or the date on which the registered third party's extension, if any, under subsection 88.27(3) of the MEA expires.

An application must be completed and submitted to the Office of the Clerk of the municipality for which the candidate was nominated for office.