How to Become a Member of Council

Decide which office (mayor, councillor, school board member) you wish to be nominated for.
Check to establish that you hold the qualifications for such office (age, citizenship, etc.).
Ensure that you are not disqualified from holding such an office (occupation, residency, etc.). The onus is on the person nominated for election to an office to file a bona fide nomination paper. Council candidates must have paid taxes and charges that are liens on their property.
Appoint an official agent or file a declaration that you will be acting as your own official agent. The official agent must keep track of any campaign contributions and open a bank account for this purpose.
Note the Key Dates leading up to the Election Day.
Note the name and office location of the returning officer for the election. Often the municipal clerk is appointed returning officer. If not, the municipal clerk will give you the contact information for the returning officer.
Obtain the correct nomination paper.
Complete the nomination section of the nomination paper and determine the qualifications required for the electors who are eligible to nominate you for election to the council or school board.
Obtain the required number of signatures of qualified electors as nominators on your nomination paper. A nomination paper must be signed by at least five qualified electors whose names appear on the list of electors.
Complete and sign the "Oath and Consent" portion of the nomination paper. If you are away from the municipality, you may in writing authorize your agent to do so.
Obtain a certificate that your charges are liens and your taxes are paid (if running for council, not school board). File your nomination paper with the returning officer between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on nomination day or by appointment during the seven business days preceding nomination day. Once your nomination paper has been accepted by the returning officer, who accepts the nomination by signing the receipt, it is open for inspection by the public. Once accepted, the returning officer will provide you or your official agent with a copy of the amended list of electors entitled to vote for the office for which you are a candidate. Note that the list of electors is to be used for election purposes only and all of your copies must be returned after the election. The Municipal Elections Act does not allow the list to be open for inspection, disposed of or sold for other purposes. 1
You or your official agent may also appoint other agents or scrutineers to represent you at the polls on election day. Only one poll agent may represent you at a polling station at any one time. As a candidate, you may not act as this agent.
Election day… DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!
Remove signs, posters and other election advertising within seven days of ordinary polling day and return your copies of the voters list including any electronic copies, or confirmation of the destruction or deletion of any electronic copies. Failure to do so is an offence.
Campaign contribution disclosure forms must be filed within 60 days of the election. Failure to file or filing late is an offence

Information for Voters

Who can vote in Municipal Elections?

You qualify to vote if you meet all of the following conditions:

You are 18 years of age or older and a Canadian citizen on the first advance polling day;
You have been ordinarily resident in Nova Scotia for 6 months immediately before the first advance polling day;
You are ordinarily resident in the Town of Truro and have been so since immediately before the first advance polling day;
You are not otherwise disqualified to vote in the Municipal and School Board Elections.

Disqualified persons

You are considered a disqualified person for the purpose of a municipal election if you are:

the municipal Returning Officer
a person serving a sentence in a penal or reform institution
a person who has been convicted of bribery under this Act in the six years preceding ordinary polling day

Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP)

You qualify to vote for the CSAP if you meet the basic voter qualifications and you are an “Entitled Parent” or “Entitled Person” who meets one of the following conditions:

your first language learned and still understood is French
you received your primary school instruction in Canada in a French-first-language program
any of your children have received or are receiving primary or secondary-school instruction in Canada in a French-first-language program

(a French immersion program is not a French-first-language program)

You must confirm your status as an Entitled Parent or Entitled Person by requesting a ballot for the election of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. It is an offence to vote in an election for which you are not qualified.

Residents of Truro, like all Nova Scotians, will choose their Municipal representatives on October 17, 2020. In addition to choosing a Mayor for the Town, voters will select two Councillors for each ward.

Those who meet the special qualifications can choose to vote for the member of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial representing the new District of Truro.