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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Brighton'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

Brighton 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

  • MayorBrian Ostrander
  • Deputy MayorRon Anderson
  • CouncillorAnne Butwell
  • CouncillorHannah MacAusland
  • CouncillorEmily Rowley
  • CouncillorJeff Wheeldon
  • CouncillorBobbi Wright

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

How open is Brighton?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The Budgets page links the public budget presentations for 2022 to 2026, a 2025 budget bulletin and the 2025 draft budget books. The draft books are on the meeting portal, which we did not read. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    Statements for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 are listed. We did not find 2021 or 2025. The 2024 file is a scanned image with no readable text, so we read none of it. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    We did not find the yearly statement on brighton.ca. The Council Member Remuneration By-Law is linked from the elections page to the meeting portal, which we did not read. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    Agendas and minutes are on a CivicWeb portal (brighton.civicweb.net). Its robots.txt asks all automated readers to stay out, so we did not read any agendas or minutes. Source

  • Unknown
    Integrity Commissioner and closed meeting reports

    The Code of Conduct page names the officers. We did not find reports from them on the pages we read. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Brighton'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.

  • Municipality of Brighton on YouTube

    The Municipality links this YouTube channel from the footer of its home page. We did not check whether council meeting videos are posted there.

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 pay and expenses statements, 2023 to 2025

    We did not find the yearly council pay and expenses statement on brighton.ca, so this pack has no pay table.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the statements of remuneration and expenses paid to each member of Council that the Municipality publishes under section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001, for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the Council Member Remuneration By-Law now in force.

  • Financing plan and loan details for the new sewage treatment plant

    The 2026 budget says almost $35 million is a grant and the balance will be an outside loan, without giving the size, term or rate. Related question: How much will Brighton borrow for its new $51 million sewage plant, and what will that do to water and sewer bills?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent staff report or financing plan for the new wastewater treatment plant showing the project cost, grants received, planned debenture amount, term and expected interest rate, and the projected effect on water and sewer rates and development charges.

  • Cost estimate and status of the new fire and paramedic station

    The 2025 budget showed $13,167,000 of Fire Services capital and the 2026 budget funds only $500,000 for design. Related question: What is the status of the $13,167,000 that the 2025 budget showed for fire services capital, when the 2026 budget funds only the design of a new fire station?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent cost estimate, project schedule and financing plan for the new Station #1 fire and paramedic base, and a record of how the $13,167,000 Fire Services capital amount in the 2025 budget was spent, carried forward or reallocated.

  • ASE revenue and costs by year

    The 2026 budget lists the end of ASE revenue as a challenge without an amount. Related question: How much budgeted revenue did Brighton lose when speed-camera income ended and building revenue was overstated in 2025?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request, for each year since the Automatic Speed Enforcement program began, the revenue budgeted and received and the program costs, including staff costs charged to it.

  • Auditor's reports to Council on the 2023 and 2024 audits

    The 2023 audit report is dated about 14 months after year end. Related question: Why were Brighton's 2023 audited statements not signed until February 2025, and why is the newest year posted a scanned image?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the auditor's audit findings reports and management letters to Council or the Treasurer for the 2023 and 2024 audits, and the audit plans showing the planned completion dates.

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 Municipality says Council has appointed ADR Chambers Inc. as its Integrity Commissioner, who handles Code of Conduct complaints. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

  2. Closed meeting investigator: Ontario Ombudsman

    The Municipality says Council has appointed the Ontario Ombudsman as its closed meeting investigator. We did not look for reports about Brighton.