London mayoral candidate Kirsten Krose wants to know why it took the city clerk three-and-a-half months to notify her about a small omission on her nomination form that could have jeopardized her campaign. According to Krose, she received an email from the City of London’s Elections Office on Monday at 4:37 p.m. “I got a message that said urgent,” she tells CTV News. “It said you need to come to the elections office at city hall because there’s a problem with your nomination papers.” A copy of the email shown to CTV News warned of the consequence if the deadline was missed, “to have your nomination certified and your name appear on the ballot, you must attend the Elections Office to update your Form 1 no later than 2:00 PM Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.” Not having her name appear on the ballot would have effectively ended her campaign. Krose arrived at city hall on Tuesday morning to learn that she had omitted the word “London” on a form that she submitted back on May 1, the first day of the nomination period for the 2026 Municipal Election. In a matter of minutes she resolved the omission and her nomination was certified. However, Krose is left to wonder what would have happened if she had attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa this week, like she had in previous years when she ran a public affairs firm. “If I were at AMO in Ottawa, where I would normally have been, I don’t think I would have been able to come all the way back from Ottawa to meet that deadline in three days,” she said. For a candidate’s name to appear on the ballot, they must first submit their nominations papers to the elections office at city hall before 2 p.m. on Aug. 21. The city clerk then has until 4 p.m. on Aug. 24 to review the documents and certify the nomination. City Clerk Michael Schulthess declined CTV News’ request for an interview. Schulthess’s decision leaves unanswered questions about the 109 days it took him to notify Krose, and why her nomination form containing the omission was accepted by city staff on May 1. An emailed statement from Schulthess reads, “In accordance with section 35(1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 [“Act”], the city clerk is required to examine, before 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, each nomination that has been filed. The purpose of this review is for the city clerk to certify that they have reviewed the nomination paper, that the nominee did file with the City of London, that they are satisfied that the nominee is qualified to be nominated, and that the nomination complies with the Act.” It goes on to state, “During this review, there could be issues encountered with identification or typographical errors on forms, and candidates are contacted in advance of the close of nominations to resolve issues. This is best practice to ensure compliance with the Act.” But Krose has her own questions about those best practices, “I’m just wondering when the review period was? I’d love to know if any other candidates had also (received) emails like this? I’m just glad that I was in town and able to do it in time.” Also running for mayor are Josh Morgan (incumbent), Susan Stevenson, John Feher, Lawrence-Zachary Howe, Dan Lenart, Bronagh Joyce Morgan, Christine Rosehart, Jeff Yam, and Mustafa Zeboon. Election Day is Oct. 26.
