Compliance Audit Committee

The City of Pickering partnered with the Town of Ajax, the City of Oshawa, the Town of Whitby, and the Durham District School Board to form a Joint Compliance Audit Committee. The Compliance Audit Committee (CAC) reviews and considers compliance audit applications submitted by an elector who believes that a Candidate or Registered Third Party Advertiser has contravened a provision of the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) relating to election campaign finances. The CAC is also responsible for reviewing reports submitted by the City Clerk with respect to any contributor who appears to have contravened any of the contribution limits to a candidates’ election campaign or to a Registered Third Party Advertiser. The Committee has the authority to:

• Grant or reject a compliance audit application;
• Appoint an auditor to conduct an audit where the application is granted;
• Consider the auditor’s or Clerk’s report within 30 days of receiving it; and
• Decide whether to commence legal proceedings against the Candidate, a contributor or Registered Third Party for any apparent contravention.

Applying for a Compliance Audit

If an eligible elector believes that a Candidate or Registered Third Party Advertiser has contravened the election finance rules, they may apply for a compliance audit of the campaign finances. An application must be made in writing, include the reasons for the application, and be submitted to the City Clerk on the prescribed form, within 90 days of the deadline to file the initial campaign financial statement.

In accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, the deadline to file initial financial statements is the last Friday in March. Since March 26, 2027, falls on Good Friday, and March 29 is Easter Monday, in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act and the Legislation Act, initial financial statements may be filed with the Clerk until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30, 2027.

Key Dates

• Initial Financial Statement Filing Deadline
  Tuesday, March 30, 2027 at 2:00 pm
• Compliance Audit Application Deadline
  Monday, June 28, 2027