Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Addington Highlands is run by an elected council of 5 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

• ReeveTony Fritschtfritsch@addingtonhighlands.ca
• Deputy ReeveKen Hookkhook@addingtonhighlands.ca
• Councillor (Ward 1)Kirby Thompsonkthompson@addingtonhighlands.ca
• Councillor (Ward 1)Maurice Leveillemleveille@addingtonhighlands.ca
• Councillor (Ward 2)E. Helen Yanchhyanch@addingtonhighlands.ca

Names and official email addresses from the town's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from town to town; the note below says what this town’s statement includes. Some members take the town’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the town's statement. From the Clerk’s Statement under Municipal Act s.284 presented to council each March. “pay” is the annual allowance. “other” is travel, per diems and other expenses, so pay plus other equals each member’s total in the statement. The statements also list amounts for members’ service on other bodies, shown separately and not in these rows: in 2025, $1,448.30 for Councillor Yanch (Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority) and $1,990.08 for Councillor Thompson (Quinte Conservation); in 2024, $400.00 for the Reeve (OPP detachment board) plus $1,363.67 and $1,458.60 for those two councillors. The Reeve at the time, Henry Hogg, died on October 15, 2025; Tony Fritsch was appointed Head of Council on December 2, 2025. The 2024 statement was first presented on March 4, 2025 and corrected on March 18, 2025 (the Reeve’s per diems were first printed as $525.00 and corrected to $125.00); we show the corrected one. The statements do not show the cost of benefits: the budget says the SunLife line “includes Council Coverage”. We did not look for statements before 2023.

• Partly
  Budgets posted online

  The draft 2024 (April 11, 2024), 2025 (March 20, 2025) and 2026 (March 24, 2026) budgets are posted in full in the budget-meeting agendas: each department’s lines with last year’s actual, short staff reports, and a summary of the levy (the tax the township raises for itself). The finance page says the passed budget is a public document that you can view or request from the Treasurer. We did not find the passed budget as its own file. Source

• Yes
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  The portal lists regular council meetings back to June 5, 2018 and up to September 15, 2026, with the agenda package for each one we opened. Minutes are posted for all 55 regular meetings from January 16, 2024 to September 1, 2026 (as PDF and web page, except February 6, 2024, which is web page only). The September 15 meeting’s minutes were not yet posted. One file listed as the July 7, 2026 minutes is headed “Meeting held – August 4, 2026”, so we could not read the July 7 minutes on their own. Source

• Yes
  Meeting videos posted

  Meetings are streamed on YouTube and the agendas give the link. The channel’s feed showed the newest 15 uploads, from the May 5, 2026 meetings to the September 15, 2026 regular meeting, most posted the day after. We could not see how far back the archive goes. Source

• Yes
  Council pay and expenses

  The yearly statement required by Municipal Act s.284 goes to council each March, in the agenda. We read 2023, 2024 (first presented March 4, 2025 and corrected on March 18, 2025) and 2025. Source

• Yes
  Bills paid are listed in the minutes

  Each set of minutes carries the list of cheques paid since the last meeting (date, who was paid, what for, amount), approved by council as “Accounts”. This makes it possible to check individual payments without a freedom-of-information request. Source

• Partly
  Conflicts of interest registry online

  The town’s page lists 11 declarations from January 14, 2020 to September 15, 2026, with date, name and agenda item. It does not say what each interest is. We found at least one declaration in the minutes that is not on it (January 14, 2025), and two entries with date slips (“Septtember 15, 2026” and a March 18, 2026 entry that matches a March 18, 2025 vote). See the question below. Source

• Yes
  Closed meetings reported in public

  After each closed session, the minutes carry a “Rise and Report” saying when it met, the Municipal Act section and, in general words, what it dealt with (for example union talks, hiring, or “litigation or potential litigation affecting the municipality”). Council votes in public to adopt what came out of it. By our count 31 of the 54 sets of minutes we read from 2024 to 2026 report one. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  Statements for 2017 to 2025 are in the document centre. The auditor (KPMG LLP) says the 2025 statements “present fairly”; the report is dated June 2, 2026. Earlier reports are dated May 6, 2025 (2024), May 21, 2024 (2023) and May 2, 2023 (2022). The auditor’s presentation to council is also in the minutes. Source

• Partly
  Tender and bid results

  Awards are reported in council minutes with the winner and price, for example the Denbigh landfill remediation tender on July 8, 2025 ($498,958.28 including HST). We did not find a bids-and-tenders page or a list of all contracts awarded. Source

• Partly
  Asset management plan posted

  The finance page links the 2022 plan. Council adopted a 2026 plan on August 4, 2026, but the posted folder we found still held only the 2022 plan. Source

• No
  Freedom-of-information page

  We did not find a page or form about freedom-of-information requests on the town’s website or in its policies. The Clerk’s Department page says the Clerk keeps the records and gives public access to them. Send requests to the Clerk (clerk@addingtonhighlands.ca). Source

• Unknown
  2022 election finance statements

  The 2022 election folder on the portal has the notice of nomination, the candidate list, the results and election statistics. We did not find the candidates’ financial statements there. Source

• Council and committee portal

  Agendas, minutes (as PDF and web page), the document centre (by-laws, policies, tax rates, financial statements) and the meeting calendar, on CivicWeb. There is a Subscribe page for alerts.

• YouTube

  Council, Committee of Adjustment and special meetings are streamed live and kept here. The newest 15 uploads (back to May 5, 2026) were mostly posted the day after the meeting.

• Public notices

  Notices from the township, such as road work, the Denbigh landfill closing and provincial projects, on the town’s website.

• E-newsletter

  A sign-up form for the township’s monthly e-newsletter, linked from the town’s website.

• Facebook

  The township’s Facebook page, linked from its website. The finance page says budget meeting notices are posted here too.

1. Send the request in writing to the town clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the town’s form or in a letter, with the $5 application fee.
2. Describe the records, not the answer you want. Dates, departments and the kind of record (a list, invoices, emails) make a request quicker and cheaper.
3. The town has 45 business days to answer (the law changed in 2026; older guides say 30 days). It can charge for search time and copies, but must send an estimate first if the fees will be over $25.
4. Some parts can be held back, such as legal advice or personal information about other people. The town must say which part of the law it relied on.
5. If you are refused, or the fees seem too high, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 business days of the town’s decision.

The town's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

• What the township has paid its lawyers, and for what

  The pay lists show individual payments, but not the total by matter. Council has discussed a lawsuit or possible lawsuit in private at least eight times, and the public cost is not published. Related question: What legal matter has council discussed in private at least eight times since September 2025, and what will it cost?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For each of 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 to the date of this request, the total paid by the Township of Addington Highlands to each law firm, split by general kind of matter (for example tax sales, labour relations, planning, and the litigation or potential litigation reported in the “Rise and Report” items from September 16, 2025), and any amounts recovered from insurance or from others. I am not asking for any legal advice or for the names of private individuals.

  Copy the wording

• Tax sales: how many, how much owed, what it cost

  The auditor says taxes receivable are up because of tax sales. The yearly counts, the amounts and the legal costs are not in the public documents. Related question: Why are so many property taxes unpaid?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For each year 2022 to 2025 and 2026 to date: the number of properties registered for tax sale or in the tax-sale process; the total tax arrears on them at year end; the legal and other costs paid by the Township for those files and how much was recovered from sale proceeds or added to the tax accounts. I am asking for counts and totals only, not owners’ names or addresses.

  Copy the wording

• The plan behind the levy and the reserves

  The staff reports say the levy sets funds aside for “future capital expenditures and infrastructure replacement”, but no target or multi-year plan is posted. Related question: Why has the township raised its levy three years in a row while ending each year with money left over and $9.3 million in reserves?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Any report to council or policy since January 1, 2022 that sets a target for the size of reserves or for yearly contributions to reserves, or a multi-year levy or financial plan; and the year-end reports on how each year’s surplus was allocated to reserves for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

  Copy the wording

• What closing the Denbigh landfill cost, and how the $4.4 million was worked out

  The 2025 budget set aside $650,000 and the tender was $498,958.28. The final cost and the estimate for the other sites are not posted. Related question: How will the township pay the remaining $4.4 million cost of closing and watching over its landfills?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For the Denbigh Landfill remediation: the tender documents, the engineering firm’s recommendation to council (July 8, 2025), any change orders, and the payments made. For the landfill closure and post-closure obligation of $4,382,517 in note 6 of the 2025 audited financial statements: the engineer’s report or other workings by site, with the assumptions on closing dates, discount rate and inflation.

  Copy the wording

• The 2026 asset management plan and why it was late

  Council adopted a new plan on August 4, 2026 after missing the Province’s July 1, 2025 deadline, but only the 2022 plan is posted. Related question: Why did the township miss the Province’s July 1, 2025 deadline for its asset management plan, and where is the new plan?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: The 2026 Asset Management Plan adopted on August 4, 2026; the staff report presented with it; the agreement with Hemson Consulting Ltd. for the work (scope and price); and any staff report to council about the July 1, 2025 deadline under Ontario Regulation 588/17.

  Copy the wording

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the town says a request is too broad or too costly.

1. Speak to council

   Regular council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. (the first in the Council Chambers in Flinton, the second at the community centre in Denbigh). To be a delegation, send a request to the Clerk by noon on the Tuesday before the meeting.

2. Ask for the records

   Anyone can ask the township for its records under freedom-of-information law, for a $5 fee. Suggested wording for requests is below.

3. Integrity Commissioner

   Looks into complaints that a council member broke the Code of Conduct. The pay lists show payments to Aird Berlis for “Integrity Commissioner Services”, and on October 7, 2025 council agreed to extend that agreement for two years. The Code of Conduct is on the town’s site.

4. Formal complaints

   The Clerk’s Department has a formal complaint policy and a formal complaint form (we did not read them).

5. Closed meeting investigation

   Anyone can ask for an investigation into whether a closed meeting was allowed. Unless a town names its own investigator, the Ontario Ombudsman does this. We did not find that Addington Highlands has named another.