Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Edwardsburgh-Cardinal 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

• MayorTory Deschamps
• Deputy MayorStephen Dillabough
• Ward One CouncillorJoseph Martelle
• Ward Two CouncillorWalter Smail
• Ward Three CouncillorChristopher Ward

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

  The final approved budgets for 2021 to 2026, each with a pre-budget presentation, and a 2026 budget summary are posted as PDFs on one page. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  The 2025 consolidated statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from MNP LLP dated May 25, 2026. Statements for 2019 to 2024 are also posted. The 2024 statements are posted as a PDF that has no text we could extract (it looks like a scan), so we did not use it; the 2025 statements print the 2024 comparison figures. Source

• Partly
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  Yearly reports are posted for 2018 to 2024. We did not find a 2025 report on the Council page on October 5, 2026. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas, minutes and videos

  The Township says agendas, minutes and video recordings are on its council meeting calendar. That site returned an access-blocked page to our request, so we did not read it. Council meets generally on the last Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Source

• Yes
  Integrity Commissioner reports

  One report, from 2021, is posted on the Council page. Source

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

• Port of Johnstown 2025 budget, actual results and staffing

  The audited statements show the Port's spending at $8,198,199 against a budget of $6,446,262, and wages at $4,063,834. A line-by-line budget and actual report, with staff counts, would show what changed. Related question: Why did the Port of Johnstown's costs rise by about $1.65 million in 2025 while its income fell, and how much does the Township depend on it?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the Port of Johnstown's 2024 and 2025 budgets and year-end actual results by line, any report to Council or the Port's management about the difference between the 2025 budget and the 2025 results, the number of full-time and seasonal staff positions at the Port in 2024 and 2025, and the schedule of payments from the Port to the Township in 2024 and 2025.

  Copy the wording

• Loan to Rideau St. Lawrence Holdings Inc.

  Note 2 says the $225,000 receivable has no specific terms of repayment and is unsecured. Related question: Why did Rideau St. Lawrence Holdings' long-term debt drop to nothing in 2025, and does the Township's $225,000 loan to it have a repayment plan?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the agreement, resolution or by-law under which the Township lent $225,000 to Rideau St. Lawrence Holdings Inc., and any report to Council since 2023 about that loan or about the company's financing.

  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 it has an Integrity Commissioner who looks into the ethical conduct of Council under the Municipal Act, and posts investigation reports on its Council page. The page lists one report, from 2021. We did not read it.

2. Council Code of Conduct

   The Township posts the by-law that adopts a code of conduct for members of council and its committees.