Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026Details
This is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 youRead by hand. We read Burlington'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
Burlington is run by an elected council of 7 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.
Current council
- MayorMarianne Meed Ward
- Councillor, Ward 1 (Deputy Mayor for Business and Red Tape Reduction)Kelvin Galbraith
- Councillor, Ward 2 (Deputy Mayor for Community Engagement and Partnerships)Lisa Kearns
- Councillor, Ward 3 (Deputy Mayor for the Environment)Rory Nisan
- Councillor, Ward 4 (Deputy Mayor for Housing)Shawna Stolte
- Councillor, Ward 5 (Deputy Mayor for Strategy and Budgets)Paul Sharman
- Councillor, Ward 6 (Deputy Mayor for Recreation and Community Services)Angelo Bentivegna
Names and official email addresses from the city's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.
How open is Burlington?
What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 5, 2026.
- YesBudgets posted online
The approved 2026 budget book is posted whole and in nine parts. The budget page also says the 2027 budget process starts in December 2026, after the election. Source
- YesAudited financial statements
Statements for 2011 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry an unmodified opinion ("present fairly") from Deloitte LLP. The auditor’s report date is not printed in the text we could read. Source
- PartlyCouncil pay and expenses (s. 284)
Statements for 2020 to 2023 are posted. We found none for 2024 or 2025. The 2023 statement gives pay by title, not by person. Source
- PartlyIntegrity Commissioner reports
Four periodic reports are linked, each covering about two years. The 2024 report covers June 1, 2023 to April 30, 2025. We could not open them. Source
- UnknownClosed meeting investigations
The page explains how to complain and who reviews complaints. It lists no investigation reports; we do not know whether none were made. Source
- PartlyMeeting agendas, minutes and reports
Agendas and reports are in an online portal (burlingtonpublishing.escribemeetings.com). Its document downloads returned an access-denied page to our automated reader, so we did not read agendas or minutes. Source
How to raise a concern
From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.
Integrity Commissioner
Looks into complaints that a council member broke the Code of Good Governance. The City names Principles Integrity as its commissioner. The City’s page lists periodic reports for June 18, 2018 to April 30, 2020; May 2020 to July 31, 2021; August 1, 2021 to May 31, 2023; and June 1, 2023 to April 30, 2025. The reports sit in the council portal, which refused our automated reader.
Closed meeting investigator
Complaints about meetings closed to the public are reviewed by Aird Berlis LLP by way of LAS. If it investigates, it reports to an open meeting of council. The page lists no past reports.
Audit Committee
The City has an Audit Committee. Its page links the committee’s terms of reference.