Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Carling 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

• MayorSusan Murphy
• CouncillorLisa Cook
• CouncillorAl Doubrough
• CouncillorBruce Kelly
• CouncillorPam Wing

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

• Yes
  Budgets posted online

  Budgets for 2019 to 2026 are posted on one page. The 2026 file is the package shown at the public budget meeting on February 24, 2026; we did not find a separate page that says what Council finally adopted. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  Statements for 2017 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from KPMG LLP dated October 2, 2026. The 2024 statements carry a clean opinion dated December 19, 2025. Source

• Partly
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  The page lists a Mayor and Council expenses statement for 2023 and for 2024. We did not find one for 2025. Source

• Yes
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas, minutes, highlights and recordings are listed by meeting. The page says recordings are only available for 30 days. We did not read any minutes. Source

• Unknown
  Tender results

  The Township says it advertises bids through the bids&tenders.ca platform. We did not find a page of awarded contracts. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner and closed meeting reports

  The pages describe the officers but we did not find any reports from them. Source

• Township of Carling on Facebook

  The Township links this Facebook page from its website. We did not check what it posts.

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

• Projects in assets under construction at December 31, 2025

  Note 8 of the 2025 statements shows $4,863,616 of assets under construction. A list by project shows what is in it. Related question: What is the $4,863,616 of unfinished construction on the books, when the 2025 budget planned $991,400 of capital spending?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the schedule or working paper that lists, by project, the amounts in "Assets under construction" at December 31, 2025 (note 8 of the 2025 audited financial statements), and the amount paid and the amount owed for each project at that date.

  Copy the wording

• Guarantee and agreements for the recreation centre's line of credit

  Note 20 of the 2025 statements says the Township guarantees up to $1,549,180. The agreement shows who else guarantees it and when it is due. Related question: How much could the Township owe for the shared swimming pool and recreation centre if the joint board cannot pay its loan?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the guarantee given by the Township of Carling on the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre's line of credit (note 20 of the 2025 audited financial statements), the agreement among the partner municipalities, and the most recent project budget report to the board.

  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. Integrity Commissioner

   The Township says the Integrity Commissioner reports to Council, and that complaint reports given to Council in open session are available from staff on request. We did not find any report posted on the page.

2. Closed meeting investigator and ombudsman

   The Township says it has a municipal ombudsman who acts as closed meeting investigator and looks into complaints about meetings closed to the public. We did not find any report posted on the page.

3. Registry of declarations of interest

   The Township keeps a public registry listing the date, the member, the agenda item and the reason for each declaration, with a link to each form. We did not read the forms.