Residents in Owen Sound who plan to participate in the upcoming municipal and school board elections on October 26, 2026, are encouraged to review and update their school support designation by June 1, 2026. Ensuring this information is accurate is a key step for voters to confirm their eligibility for specific school board trustee elections, regardless of whether they have children currently attending school.
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation is responsible for collecting this designation information, which is then provided to Elections Ontario to help build the preliminary list of electors. While the corporation no longer collects general voter information for local elections as of January 1, 2024, it remains a legal requirement under the Education Act to manage school support data.
There are five support options available in Ontario, including English-Public, English-Separate (Catholic), French-Public, French-Separate (Catholic), and Protestant-Separate (Penetanguishene only). Residents should note that the default setting is English-Public if no other selection is made. In the Owen Sound area, the Bluewater District School Board and the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board are the primary boards serving the community.
Property owners and tenants can verify or change their designation online through the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation website. Completing this update before the June 1 deadline ensures that records are correctly reflected on the preliminary list of voters for the election period, which for the City of Owen Sound will take place from October 16 to October 26, 2026.
