School Support Designation toolkit
Homeowners and tenants have until June 1, 2026 to update their school support designations to be accurately included on the Preliminary List of Electors ahead of the October 2026 municipal and school board elections.
To support you in sharing this information with your communities, a school support designation toolkit with curated resources is available. The toolkit includes ready-to-use content for newsletters and website, downloadable graphics, FAQs, and key messages. Check back for additional updates, such as reshareable social media content, coming soon.
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To ensure your correct school support designation is provided to Elections Ontario in time for the next municipal and school board elections on October 26, 2026, it should be reviewed and, if needed, updated by June 1, 2026. While Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors in Ontario for provincial, municipal, and school board elections, MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) is legislatively responsible for collecting school support designation information. What is school support? How to update school support designations A step-by-step guide is available in English or French. Please note: Registration may take up to 24 hours to activate. You can submit a paper Application for Direction of School Support form in English or French and mail or email it to MPAC. To learn more or update a school support designation, visit mpac.ca/schoolsupport. |
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Did you know your school support designation determines which trustee election you can participate in for in the next municipal and school board elections? In Ontario, property owners and tenants can choose which school board they support. This designation also helps determine how you’re listed on the Preliminary List of Electors, placing you on the correct voters list for the municipal and school board elections. MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) is legislatively responsible for collecting school support designation data. This information is provided to Elections Ontario to help build and maintain the Preliminary List of Electors. School support designations should be reviewed and, if needed, updated by June 1, 2026, to be accurately included on the Preliminary List of Electors for the election on October 26, 2026. To learn more about school support and update your designation, visit mpac.ca/schoolsupport. |
Key messages to help with your content
- Your school support designation determines which trustee election you can participate in.
- Unless you’ve made a change, your school support defaults to the English-Public school board.
- Make sure your designation reflects your choice—update it by June 1, 2026.
- Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors in Ontario, but MPAC still collects school support information to help municipalities and school boards run smooth elections.
- It’s quick and easy to update your designation online at mpac.ca/schoolsupport
Ready to use graphics
Include a graphic with your content. Right-click to save and download.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Whether you own or rent your home, your property is linked to a school board – even if you don’t have children or your children aren’t currently attending school. While you’re not required to make a designation, you do have the option to choose which school board you support. If you don’t make a choice, your support will default to the English-Public school board.
By default, your school support is directed to the English Public School Board unless you’ve chosen otherwise. You may be eligible to support the English Catholic, French Public, French Catholic, or Protestant Separate (Penetanguishene only) school boards.
To check your current designation:
- Use MPAC’s secure online tools at mpac.ca/schoolsupport
- Or call MPAC's Customer Contact Centre for assistance
Elections Ontario is now responsible for maintaining the Permanent Register of Electors, which is used for the municipal and school board elections. MPAC is legislatively responsible for collecting school support designation information under the Education Act. The designation is included on the annual Assessment Roll and informs the Preliminary List of Electors, which will be used in the October 2026 municipal and school board elections.
The next municipal and school board elections in Ontario will take place on Monday, October 26, 2026. To vote for a school board trustee, your school support designation must be up to date.
If you’re planning to vote in the next municipal or provincial election in Ontario, you can register for both elections in one place. Visit RegisterToVoteON.ca to check, update, or add your information to the voters’ list for municipal, district social services administration board, school board, and provincial elections in Ontario.
