Our City Your Vote | Misinformation Vs Disinformation

Evaluating Campaign Claims

During municipal election campaigns, voters encounter an unprecedented volume of literature, social media debates, and campaign promises. While open discourse is the foundation of democracy, false or distorted information can undermine an informed vote.

Understanding the difference between misinformation (accidental inaccuracy) and disinformation (deliberate deception) helps residents critically analyze campaign materials, verify candidate platforms against actual municipal authority, and focus on verifiable facts.

Misinformation

False or misleading information shared without intent to harm. Often stems from misunderstanding complex municipal rules, citing outdated budgets, or repeating unverified claims in good faith.

Common Local Example A candidate or supporter posts on social media claiming the City of Cornwall spent $15M on a specific project when the approved budget was $1.5M, misreading a published financial report without malice.

Disinformation

Deliberately created and shared falsehoods intended to deceive or manipulate. Designed to alter voting behavior, suppress turnout, smear opponents, or manufacture public outrage.

Common Local Example Circulating an anonymous flyer or fabricated notice falsely stating that online voting is cancelled, or that a candidate took a council vote they were not even in office for, fabricated to deceive voters.

The Voter's Reality Check: 4 Questions to Ask

Before sharing a claim or basing your vote on campaign statements, apply these critical questions:

Is it within Municipal Jurisdiction? Does the promise fall under city control (roads, policing, parks, transit, local zoning) or is it a provincial/federal issue (healthcare administration, criminal code, income taxes)?

Can One Person Actually Decide This? In Ontario municipal government, policy and budgets require a majority vote of City Council (11 votes in Cornwall). Individual candidates cannot unilaterally enact bylaws.

Is There a Primary Record? Can the claim be cross-referenced with public City of Cornwall council minutes, audited financial reports, or official municipal staff recommendations?

Is It Provoking Emotional Outrage? Mis- and disinformation thrive on urgent fear or anger. If a graphic or post seems engineered to make you furious before checking the facts, take a breath and verify.

Who Actually Controls What?

One of the most frequent sources of election misinformation isn't malicious—it is candidates making sincere campaign promises about issues they have zero legal authority to alter.

Under the Canadian constitution and Ontario's Municipal Act, powers are strictly divided. Understanding this breakdown ensures you can hold candidates accountable for plans within actual municipal jurisdiction, rather than promises that belong at Queen’s Park or on Parliament Hill.

You Are Voting For This

Municipal

City of Cornwall Council (Mayor & 8 Councillors — Downsized for 2026)

✔ Property taxes and municipal user fees
✔ Local roads, paving, and winter snow removal
✔ Drinking water, wastewater, and storm sewers
✔ Cornwall Transit and local bus routing
✔ Local parks, recreation centres, and arenas
✔ Municipal zoning, land-use, and building permits
✔ Cornwall Fire Services and local Police Services board
✔ Waste collection, recycling, and landfill management

Campaign Reality Check: Council Size Reduction Starting this term, Cornwall City Council shrinks from 11 members down to 9 (1 Mayor and 8 Councillors). Every decision requires a collective majority vote (at least 5 votes). No single elected official can unilaterally pass bylaws, change taxes, or approve spending on their own.

Queen's Park

Provincial

Government of Ontario (MPP / Provincial Ministries)

• Healthcare system & hospital operating budgets (e.g., CCH)
• Long-term care facility licensing and base funding
• Primary and secondary education curriculum and board funding
• Provincial highways (e.g., Highway 401)
• Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and rent control laws
• Provincial court system and legal administration
• Employment standards and minimum wage legislation

Frequent Misunderstanding Municipal candidates cannot "fix ER wait times" or "hire more doctors." While the City can advocate and offer recruitment incentives, healthcare funding is 100% provincial.

Ottawa

Federal

Government of Canada (MP / Federal Parliament)

• Criminal Code of Canada and national penal laws
• Immigration, asylum processing, and citizenship
• National defence, armed forces, and border control (CBSA)
• Federal income taxes (CRA), EI, and CPP
• International trade agreements and tariffs
• Telecommunications, postal service, and aviation
• Interprovincial waterways and St. Lawrence Seaway regulation

Frequent Misunderstanding Local councils cannot amend the Criminal Code, change immigration quotas, or alter federal bail systems. Candidates can only lobby federal representatives.

Verified Civic Resources

The most effective defence against campaign misinformation and manufactured social media controversy is consulting primary public records. Primary sources represent the recorded, audited, and legal reality of municipal governance.

Before accepting a second-hand campaign narrative about city budgets, past voting decisions, or polling procedures, cross-reference the claim with these verified, non-partisan civic portals:

Elections & Polling

City of Cornwall Election Portal

The official municipal clearinghouse for the 2026 election. Use it to check if you are on the preliminary voters list, verify polling stations, view certified candidate nominations, and review key election bylaws.

Visit cornwall.ca/elections

Official Voting Records

Council Minutes & Agendas Portal

If a candidate claims council voted for or against a specific project or bylaw, verify it directly. All recorded votes, administration reports, and complete verbatim minutes are cataloged and searchable.

Access Council Records

Budgets & Expenditures

Audited Financial Statements & Budgets

Tax rates and municipal spending figures are frequently misstated during campaigns. Review the City of Cornwall’s adopted operating budgets, capital forecast books, and independent annual auditor reports.

Review City Financials

Legal Governance & Powers

Ontario e-Laws: Municipal Act

The provincial statutory framework establishing what Ontario municipalities are legally empowered to do. It outlines the statutory responsibilities of the Mayor, Council, and municipal administration.

Read the Municipal Act

Fact vs. Fiction: Platforms & Jurisdiction