The Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee is a joint committee between the Region of Waterloo, the Cities of Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, and the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich.

On this page:

  1. About the committee
  2. Request a compliance audit
  3. After you make a request

About the committee

The Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee (MECAC) considers applications requesting compliance audits of candidates or third party advertiser election campaign finances, any resulting auditors’ reports, and the Clerk’s Report identifying apparent contribution contraventions under section 88 of the Municipal Elections Act.

The MECAC is a joint committee between the Region of Waterloo, the Cities of Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, and the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. When an application for a compliance audit is received, a meeting is held in the applicable municipality.

Request a compliance audit

Any requests for a compliance audit of a candidate or registered third party advertiser’s election campaign finances:

  • must be done by an elector who is entitled to vote in an election
  • must be on reasonable grounds that a candidate or third party advertiser has contravened a provision of the Municipal Elections Act
  • must be for a candidate or registered third-party advertiser in the municipal election within the applicable Municipality
  • Financial Statements must be filed before the submission of an application
  • the application form must be completed and submitted to the City Clerk or designate at Kitchener City Hall, 200 King Street West
  • applications for one of the Regional Council seats must be made to the Regional Clerk

Download the request form

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

  • candidate or registered third party advertiser filing date
  • date the candidate or registered third party advertiser filed a financial statement, if the statement was filed within 30 days after the applicable filing date
  • candidate or registered third party advertiser’s supplementary filing date, if any
  • date on which the candidate or registered third party advertiser’s extension, if any, expires

After you make a request

After you request a compliance audit, these steps happen:

  • within 10 days of receiving the application, the City Clerk forwards the application to the Municipal Elections Compliance Audit Committee (MECAC)
  • within 30 days of receiving the application, the MECAC reviews it and decides whether it should be granted or rejected
  • the decision of the MECAC may be appealed to the Superior Court of Justice within 15 days of the decision, and the Court may make any decision the MECAC could have made
  • if the MECAC decides to grant the application, an auditor (licensed under the Public Accounting Act, 2004 or prescribed persons) is appointed to conduct a compliance audit of the candidate's election campaign finances
  • the auditor will conduct an audit of the third party advertiser or candidate's election campaign finances and will prepare a report outlining any apparent contravention by the candidate
    • the report is provided to the candidate or third party advertiser, the applicant, and the City Clerk
  • within 10 days of receiving the report, the City Clerk forwards the report to the MECAC
  • the committee considers the report within 30 days and may commence any legal proceedings against the candidate or third party advertiser for any apparent contravention

For more information about compliance audits, please see section 88 of the Municipal Elections Act.