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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you
Read by hand. We read Ajax's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.

Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Ajax is run by an elected council of 7 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

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

What council is paid

Every year the town has to publish what each council member was paid, and what was spent on their benefits and expenses. These are the totals from those statements, 2023 to 2023.

In 2023, the whole council cost $657,026 in pay, benefits and expenses, about $16 per home. The mayor's pay went up 0% from 2023 to 2023; prices went up 0% over the same years.
Pay, and benefits and expenses, for each council member by year
Member2023
Shaun Collier
Mayor
$151,400+ $41,709
Marilyn Crawford
Regional Councillor, Ward 1
$69,875+ $15,105
Sterling Lee
Regional Councillor, Ward 2
$62,624+ $13,499
Joanne Dies
Regional Councillor, Ward 3
$62,276+ $13,975
Rob Tyler-Morin
Councillor, Ward 1
$63,053+ $9,715
Nancy Henry
Councillor, Ward 2
$63,775+ $15,293
Lisa Bower
Councillor, Ward 3
$61,530+ $13,197

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. Only the Town’s 2023 remuneration report was found; it is the Council Remuneration Report for the fourth quarter of 2023, authorized under By-law 27-2023 and Policy 030. “Pay” is the “Remuneration/Benefits” column. “Other” is the sum of travel allowance, communication and meeting expenses, education and training, and AMO board appointment as printed (the Mayor’s also includes 22,825.12 for the Elexicon board seat, Table G). The report table prints without clear column lines, so each member’s columns were taken from the text layer in reading order and checked against the printed column totals (534,533.14; 71,525.00; 16,694.37; 10,008.08; 1,440.32). We did not find 2024 or 2025 statements.

How open is Ajax?

What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 5, 2026.

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The 2026 operating and capital budgets (both marked Amended) are posted, with 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets and presentations. The 2026 budget was released to the public on December 8, 2025 and deemed adopted on December 22, 2025 (2026 Operating Budget, PDF page 5). Source

  • Yes
    Audited financial statements

    Statements for 2023, 2024 and 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion (“present fairly”) from Deloitte LLP dated June 16, 2026. The 2024 statements carry the date June 16, 2025. Source

  • Partly
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    The Town posts quarterly summaries of council expenses for 2023 to the first quarter of 2026, and a “2023 Fourth Quarter Remuneration Report” with each member’s pay. We did not find a remuneration report for 2024 or 2025 on the page. Source

  • Yes
    Gifts and benefits disclosures

    Statements are posted by year, 2023 to 2026. Source

  • Yes
    Council meeting video

    The Town links its YouTube channel and a meetings and agenda calendar (CivicFlow) from its Online Meetings page. We did not read the agendas or minutes for this pack. Source

  • Yes
    Conflict-of-interest registry

    A registry of declarations since March 1, 2019 is posted as a PDF. We did not read the entries. Source

  • No
    2027 budget dates

    We did not find dates for the 2027 budget on the Town’s budget page when we read it on October 5, 2026. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Ajax's official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the town for its records under Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). You do not have to say why. Here is how it works, and the wording for the records that would answer the questions on this site.

  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

  • Council remuneration reports for 2024 and 2025

    The Town posts a 2023 remuneration report but we did not find one for 2024 or 2025.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the annual Council Remuneration Report (statement of remuneration and expenses of members of council, under section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001) for 2024 and for 2025, with any staff report that accompanied them.
  • Detail of the Mayor’s 2025 communication and meeting expenses

    The quarterly summary shows $16,105.47 against a $9,500.00 budget, by category only. Related question: Why did the Mayor’s communication and meeting expenses reach $16,105.47 in 2025 against an annual budget of $9,500?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the expense claims, invoices and approvals behind the Mayor’s 2025 “Communication / Meeting Expenses” of $16,105.47, and any policy or approval that allowed spending above the $9,500.00 annual budget.
  • Elexicon Memorandum of Understanding, September 15, 2025

    The audited statements say shareholders agreed to suspend dividends and to refund 2024 dividends; no reason is given. Related question: Why did Elexicon’s dividends to Ajax stop, and what does that change in the Town’s 2026 budget?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the Memorandum of Understanding dated September 15, 2025 between the participating shareholders of Elexicon Corporation, any council or staff report about it, and any report on the “Elexicon RFP process”.
  • Investment income and portfolio reports for 2025

    Investment income was $16,700,956 against a budget of $2,944,700, with $107,921,579 in pooled equity funds. Related question: Why did Ajax earn $16,700,956 on its investments in 2025 when it budgeted $2,944,700, and how much of its money is in stock-market funds?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the Town’s investment policy, the 2025 investment report to council, and a breakdown of 2025 investment income of $16,700,956 into interest and gains on pooled equity funds.

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

How to raise a concern

From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.

  1. Integrity Commissioner

    The Town’s Accountability & Transparency page says Council has appointed an outside Integrity Commissioner (SC Consulting) to receive complaints about the Council Code of Conduct, the Local Boards Code of Conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. We did not find a list of the Commissioner’s reports.

  2. Closed meetings

    The page says a request for a closed meeting investigation goes to the Ombudsman of Ontario. We did not read the Ombudsman’s reports for Ajax.

  3. Gifts and benefits disclosures

    Members file a statement for any gift over $500.00 from one source in a year. The Town posts the statements, 2023 to 2026 at the time we read the page.

  4. Pecuniary interest registry

    The Town posts a registry of declarations of pecuniary interest filed since March 1, 2019 (a PDF). We did not read its entries.

  5. Strong-mayor budget powers

    The Town’s budget pages say the 2026 budget is the Mayor’s budget under section 284.3 of the Municipal Act. Council had a veto override period from December 17 to 22, 2025 and the budget was deemed adopted on December 22, 2025 (2026 Operating Budget, PDF page 5).