Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 An older report. We have no 2024 report for Haldimand County in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late. Read by hand. We read Haldimand County'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.
Questions · 10 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Haldimand County's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 11 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.
What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking
Worth asking
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$165,049,676held in principal protected notes whose return depends on equities, at December 31, 2025
At December 31, 2025 the County held investments with a carrying value of $311,271,709. Most of that is in "principal protected notes", a bank product that promises to give the original money back at the end, with any extra return tied to stock indexes or funds. Note 4 lists $96,272,184 in notes with a fixed interest return and $165,049,676 in notes whose return depends on equities. Together that is $261,321,860, or about 84% of the carrying value (worked out by us). In the 2025 statements the County says it had recorded these notes at their cost, decided they should be shown at their fair value, and corrected the 2024 figures: investments went up by $13,784,134 and the accumulated surplus by $10,610,324. For 2025 it reports a further net gain of $46,511,539 that has not been turned into cash.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$15,033,564investment income in 2025, against a budget of $1,647,300
The 2025 budget counted on $1,647,300 of investment income. The audited statements show $15,033,564 (2024: $10,172,275). The County's annual surplus for 2025 was $37,721,946 against a budgeted $11,779,310, and $9,503,196 of federal transfers came in against $3,239,510 budgeted. The County has explained the way it treats investment gains: under its Investment Policy, differences of more than $100,000 from the budgeted earnings go into the Investment Income Stabilization Reserve, which grew from $8,204,480 to $15,103,421 in 2025. It has also said that the reported surplus is a "book value adjustment, not a cash surplus".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
207.4%tax reserves as a share of taxation in 2024, against a survey average of 98.1% (BMA study)
At the end of 2025 the County's reserves and reserve funds totalled $125,678,181, and a separate Hydro Legacy Fund held $105,346,130 (2024: $101,294,356). A consultant's 2025 study of Ontario municipalities, which the County posts, puts the County's tax reserves at 207.4% of its taxation, against a survey average of 98.1%. The draft 2026 tax-supported operating budget shown to Council on February 12, 2026 gave a "Budget Increase Summary - 3.74%". The County's answer is that growth needs heavy spending on roads, water and buildings: its credit rating report says so, and its draft budget puts a growing share of the levy into capital.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
120 dayssuspension of pay recommended for the Mayor by the Integrity Commissioner
On May 26, 2025 Council confirmed a decision to ask the Integrity Commissioner to look into the leak of confidential papers about the merger of two public health boards. In his report of September 8, 2025, the Commissioner found that Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley broke the Code of Conduct four times by releasing confidential information and recommended a 120-day suspension of her pay and a public apology. He recorded that the Mayor denied wrongdoing in a newspaper article and told him she has no idea how the person who posted the documents obtained them. His report is only advice; Council decides. We did not find what Council decided.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
At the end of 2023, $10M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 10% of everything billed. Only 1 of 11 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $9.3M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
3Integrity Commissioner complaint reports on sitting members that we read, September 2024 to June 2026
In his report of September 17, 2024 the Integrity Commissioner found that Councillor Rob Shirton (only) broke the Code of Conduct over comments at two meetings, and dismissed the complaints against five other members, including the Mayor. In his report of June 18, 2026 he found that Councillor Debera McKeen broke the rule on decorum in emails to other councillors in March 2026 and recommended a formal reprimand and a public apology. He also said she did not answer the complaint on its substance. Together with the report on the Mayor, that is at least three reports of this kind in about two years from a seven-member council; the County also posts a fourth, dated March 19, 2026, which we could not read.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
June 27, 2025date of the Mayor's decision to dismiss the Chief Administrative Officer
The County says strong mayor powers were extended to Haldimand County on May 1, 2025. Under a decision dated June 27, 2025 the Mayor revoked the appointment of the Chief Administrative Officer and dismissed them "effectively immediately", and named senior managers to fill the job weekly in rotation. In September 2025 she handed the choice of a new Chief Administrative Officer to Council, and on November 18, 2025 she ended the interim appointment after Council had named a new one. The decision gives no reason, and we did not find one on the pages we read.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
3.74%increase in the draft 2026 tax-supported operating budget (draft of February 12, 2026)
The draft deck shown to a special Council meeting on February 12, 2026 gave a total increase of 3.74%. Staffing is the largest piece it breaks out: $2,782,600, or 3.02% on the levy, made up of $2,097,770 for existing staff, $239,550 for approved and $445,280 for new positions. The policing contract rises by $970,000. For the average home, the deck shows $145 more a year on $4,060 in total taxes. We read the draft deck only. The final approved budget is in the County's online budget book, which we could not download, so the final figures may differ.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
March 31the County's own yearly deadline for the council pay and expenses report, under its Council Eligible Expense Policy
The County's Council Eligible Expense Policy, in effect since June 23, 2025, says the Treasurer must report each year what council members were paid and reimbursed for the year before, by March 31. We did not find that statement on the County's website pages for budget and finances or council. We have not filled in a council pay table, because we did not find a statement to copy it from.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$165,049,676held in principal protected notes whose return depends on equities, at December 31, 2025
At December 31, 2025 the County held investments with a carrying value of $311,271,709. Most of that is in "principal protected notes", a bank product that promises to give the original money back at the end, with any extra return tied to stock indexes or funds. Note 4 lists $96,272,184 in notes with a fixed interest return and $165,049,676 in notes whose return depends on equities. Together that is $261,321,860, or about 84% of the carrying value (worked out by us). In the 2025 statements the County says it had recorded these notes at their cost, decided they should be shown at their fair value, and corrected the 2024 figures: investments went up by $13,784,134 and the accumulated surplus by $10,610,324. For 2025 it reports a further net gain of $46,511,539 that has not been turned into cash.
Why it matters
Savings that are protected only if held to the end of the note, and whose extra return follows the market, can be worth less than the book value if they have to be sold early. The books now show the notes at fair value, which is more honest, but a reader of the 2024 statements was told a different number. Residents should know how much of the County's savings sits in these notes, when they mature, and what happens to the County's plans if markets fall.
It could be because…
The notes promise to return the original amount at maturity, and the statements list their maturities as 2026 to 2035, so a market fall may only matter if a note had to be sold early.
Moving to fair value is what the accounting standard the County cites (PS 3450) requires. Fixing it, and saying so plainly in a note to the statements, is how a correction should be done, and the 2025 auditor's opinion says the statements present fairly.
The County says its investments are chosen by an Investment Committee with the advice of an outside investment manager, and that it reports the results to Council each year.
The $46,511,539 gain is reported in a separate statement (remeasurement gains) from the annual operating results, so it does not feed straight into the budget.
Questions you could ask
What does each note pay, and what does it pay if the index or fund it follows falls? Please publish the schedule of notes with issuer, amount, purchase date, maturity date and return basis.
How much of the $57,121,863 in accumulated gains is still unrealized, and what would the books show if markets fell by a tenth?
Why were the notes reported at cost in 2024, and what did the Investment Committee and Council learn from the correction?
Is there a limit in the Investment Policy on how much can be held in equity-linked notes?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 3, "Restatement of prior year balances": "The County previously recorded PPNs at amortized cost." It says management "determined that these investments should have been measured at fair value in accordance with PS 3450." The table gives 2024 investments as previously reported 237,584,013, an adjustment of 13,784,134, and as restated 251,368,147; the accumulated surplus adjustment is 10,610,324.
Note 4, "Investments": government and corporate bonds 8,829,203; GICs and money market instruments 12,891,140; high interest savings 18,229,506; fixed interest senior notes 10,000,000; "Principal protected notes - fixed interest" 96,272,184; "Principal protected notes - equity" 165,049,676; total carrying value $311,271,709 (2024, restated: $251,368,147). "Maturity dates on the investments in the portfolio range from 2026 to 2035 and interest rates range from 1.89% to 9.05%."
Consolidated Statement of Remeasurement Gains and Losses, 2025: unrealized gains on investments 58,438,327; amounts reclassified to the statement of operations (11,926,788); net remeasurement gains for the year 46,511,539; accumulated remeasurement gains at the end of the year $57,121,863 (2024, restated: $10,610,324).
The County's own 2024 report to Council says the total book value of the investment portfolio at December 31, 2024 was $264.4 million, "comprised of $158.7 million in fixed income investments and $105.7 million in growth/equity investments", and that in 2024 it liquidated two growth investments and "reinvested the combined $28 million principal into two new seven-year growth Principal Protected Bank Notes." It says this was done "Upon review by the Investment Committee and with the assistance/advice of the County's Investment manager".
$15,033,564investment income in 2025, against a budget of $1,647,300
The 2025 budget counted on $1,647,300 of investment income. The audited statements show $15,033,564 (2024: $10,172,275). The County's annual surplus for 2025 was $37,721,946 against a budgeted $11,779,310, and $9,503,196 of federal transfers came in against $3,239,510 budgeted. The County has explained the way it treats investment gains: under its Investment Policy, differences of more than $100,000 from the budgeted earnings go into the Investment Income Stabilization Reserve, which grew from $8,204,480 to $15,103,421 in 2025. It has also said that the reported surplus is a "book value adjustment, not a cash surplus".
Why it matters
A budget is the promise made to taxpayers about what the year will cost. If investment income is budgeted at a tenth of what it turns out to be, the gap can be set aside for later, or it can mean taxes were set higher than needed. The reserve is the County's own answer, so the open question is how much of each year's extra is real cash, and how it is used.
It could be because…
The County budgets investment income cautiously on purpose, because returns swing from year to year, and moves the extra into a stabilization reserve to smooth out bad years. That is what its own policy says.
The budget Council adopts is not prepared on the same basis as the statements. The County says so in Note 19 and adds amortization and capital items to the budget figures, so part of the "surplus" is accounting, not cash.
Gains on the growth investments are only counted when an investment is sold or matures, so a good result may be several years of gain arriving at once. The County's 2024 report says this directly.
Questions you could ask
How much of the $15,033,564 was cash earned in 2025, and how much was gains realized when notes were sold or matured?
How much of the 2025 gap went into the stabilization reserve, and what is the reserve's target balance?
Is the 2026 budget for investment income still set cautiously, and does the County plan to use the reserve to hold down tax increases?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 14, "Other income": "Investment income" budget 1,647,300, 2025 actual 15,033,564, 2024 actual 10,172,275. Statement of operations: "ANNUAL SURPLUS" budget $11,779,310, 2025 $37,721,946, 2024 $20,371,082. Note 12: federal transfers budget 3,239,510, actual 9,503,196.
Note 19, "Budget figures": the budget "was not prepared on a basis consistent with that used to report actual results". Budgeted transfers to accumulated surplus 43,484,700, principal payments on debt 7,263,768, less budgeted transfers from accumulated surplus (9,877,560), budgeted transfers from capital fund (546,290) and amortization (28,545,308) give a "Budget surplus per Consolidated Statement of Operations" of $11,779,310.
Note 10, "Accumulated operating surplus": the "Investment income stabilization" reserve was 15,103,421 at the end of 2025 and 8,204,480 at the end of 2024.
The County's 2024 report to Council: "As per the Investment Policy, variances in investment earnings, greater than $100,000, are to be transferred to or from the Investment Income Stabilization Reserve". It also says: "It must be emphasized that the PSAB reported net 2024 surplus of $20.4 million is a book value adjustment, not a "cash" surplus." The 2024 "cash" surplus it reports is $5,972,954.
207.4%tax reserves as a share of taxation in 2024, against a survey average of 98.1% (BMA study)
At the end of 2025 the County's reserves and reserve funds totalled $125,678,181, and a separate Hydro Legacy Fund held $105,346,130 (2024: $101,294,356). A consultant's 2025 study of Ontario municipalities, which the County posts, puts the County's tax reserves at 207.4% of its taxation, against a survey average of 98.1%. The draft 2026 tax-supported operating budget shown to Council on February 12, 2026 gave a "Budget Increase Summary - 3.74%". The County's answer is that growth needs heavy spending on roads, water and buildings: its credit rating report says so, and its draft budget puts a growing share of the levy into capital.
Why it matters
Savings protect a town against bad years, and the County's AA credit rating is partly built on them. But reserves are residents' money. If they are far above what is needed, residents may be asked for more tax than the plan requires. If they are about right, the County should be able to show what they are for.
It could be because…
Reserves are saved for roads, water, wastewater and buildings that will need replacing, and the County's credit rating report expects "significant capital works and higher annual borrowings through 2027".
The County has a large liability it has not set aside specific assets for: its share of closing two landfill sites, $36,568,821, which it says is in its 10-year capital forecast and "funded from capital reserves".
The County says a typical rule of thumb is a minimum contingency reserve of 10% of tax-supported operating costs, which it worked out at $15.8 million for 2024. Its contingency reserve was $27,722,521 then and $23,263,889 at the end of 2025.
The "Community Vibrancy Fund" was below zero, at (4,300,149), and the County has said it is to be recovered from future receipts, so some funds are in the red while others are well ahead.
Questions you could ask
What is the target size for each reserve, and for the Hydro Legacy Fund, and when will the promised reserve policy come to Council?
How much of the $125,678,181 is already promised to projects in the 10-year capital plan?
What was the final approved 2026 increase, and how much of it was paid for by drawing on reserves?
When will the Community Vibrancy Fund be back above zero?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Vulnerability indicators for 2024: "Tax Reserves (less WWW) as % of Taxation" 207.4% for Haldimand against 98.1% for the total survey average; "Tax Reserves / Capita" $3,452 against $1,093.
The County's 2024 report to Council: "Although there are no set guidelines for an optimal balance, a typical rule of thumb is a minimum of 10% of tax supported operating costs. This would require, at a minimum, a balance of $15.8 million." It says the Contingency Reserve "has a balance of approximately $27.7 million", that the Hydro Legacy Fund was $101.3 million and the Community Vibrancy Fund "has a negative balance of $5.3 million to be recovered from future receipts", and that staff "are working on completing a comprehensive updated reserve and reserve fund policy".
Draft 2026 budget: "Budget Increase Summary - 3.74%" (slide 17). Capital Levy "$1.4 million - 1.50% Levy Impact", "Increased from 1.25% in 2025", "$25.1 million in contributions", "Ties to AMP requirements" (slide 7). The average residential taxpayer slide shows "$4,060 Total Taxes", "$145 Yearly Increase" and "$288,022 Assessment Value" (slide 20).
S&P Global Ratings, May 8, 2025: "We expect Haldimand County's growth needs will require significant capital works and higher annual borrowings through 2027." It adds "operating results will remain robust, and liquidity will be more than sufficient to cover debt service."
Note 7, landfill sites: "It is estimated that Haldimand County's share of the total costs to close and maintain the sites are approximately $36,568,821." "Haldimand County has not designated any specific assets to assist with the cost of closing the sites. However, Haldimand County's share of the capital costs to close the sites have been included in the 10-year Capital Forecast and have been funded from capital reserves."
120 dayssuspension of pay recommended for the Mayor by the Integrity Commissioner
On May 26, 2025 Council confirmed a decision to ask the Integrity Commissioner to look into the leak of confidential papers about the merger of two public health boards. In his report of September 8, 2025, the Commissioner found that Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley broke the Code of Conduct four times by releasing confidential information and recommended a 120-day suspension of her pay and a public apology. He recorded that the Mayor denied wrongdoing in a newspaper article and told him she has no idea how the person who posted the documents obtained them. His report is only advice; Council decides. We did not find what Council decided.
Why it matters
This is an independent, official finding against the head of council, and the Code says a council can act on it. The public interest is in whether the Mayor's fellow councillors weighed the advice in public, how each voted, and what it cost. The pay suspension would have come from the Mayor's remuneration, so it is a matter of public money.
It could be because…
The Commissioner's advice is not binding. Council may have voted on it in public or in closed session and decided on a different step, and the minutes are on a meeting portal we could not read with a script.
The Mayor denies wrongdoing. She has said she does not believe the documents are or should be confidential, and she is entitled to answer the report before Council.
Council itself started the investigation, by a resolution in May 2025, so the process was not one person's complaint.
Questions you could ask
How did each member of Council vote on each of the Integrity Commissioner's recommendations on this report, and where is the recorded vote?
Was any of the Mayor's pay suspended, and did she make the public apology?
What was the total cost to Haldimand taxpayers of the outside investigation and the Integrity Commissioner's investigation?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"By Resolution made at its Council-in-Committee meeting on May 20, 2025, Haldimand County Council directed me to conduct an investigation into whether a member of Haldimand County Council leaked confidential information pertaining to the Brant County-Brantford/Haldimand-Norfolk Boards of Health merger". "The CIC motion was confirmed at the May 26th meeting of Haldimand County Council."
"I conclude that Mayor Bentley breached s. 6.2 of the Haldimand County Code of Conduct". "I further find that Mayor Bentley breached s. 6.3 of the Code of Conduct". The report finds "two additional, independent violations of s. 6.2" for giving the documents to the Hamilton Spectator and posting them on her mayoral Facebook page. It dismisses a separate complaint that she should have declared a pecuniary interest.
"A 60 day suspension of pay for the initial violation"; "A further 30 day suspension of pay for each of the leaking of the documents to the Hamilton Spectator and the posting of the said documents on her Mayoral Facebook page, for a total of 60 additional days' suspension of pay"; "The total suspension of pay recommended for the four independent Code of Conduct violations I have found is therefore 120 days"; and a public apology to the Mayor of Norfolk County.
The report records the Mayor's side. In a May 27, 2025 newspaper article she said "I did not post the documents online originally, and I did not hand them to anyone who did". "Mayor Bentley stated that she has no idea how" the person who posted them "obtained the documents". Through her lawyer she declined to take part in the earlier outside investigation unless certain conditions were met, which the investigator found "unacceptable".
The County's page lists "Integrity Commissioner Complaint Report: September 8, 2025" among the posted reports, and says that complaints "may not be made to the Integrity Commissioner during the Election Period (Nomination Day to Voting Day)". The page does not say what Council decided on any report.
Haldimand County spent $15.1M on running the town office in 2019 and $23.4M in 2023. Prices only went up about 16% in that time.
Why did the cost of running the town office grow 55% in 4 years?
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
+0%+20%+40%+60%
+55%
20192020202120222023
Show as a table
Year
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+10%
+1%
2021
+2%
+4%
2022
+33%
+11%
2023
+55%
+16%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
Money spent running the office is money not spent on roads, water or safety. When office costs grow much faster than the services people see, it is fair to ask what the extra money is buying.
It could be because…
The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.
Questions you could ask
What did the extra $8.3M a year pay for?
Why did senior management go from $9.5M to $16.4M?
Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly budget?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Running the town office: 2019 $15.1M, 2020 $16.6M, 2021 $15.4M, 2022 $20.1M, 2023 $23.4M.
At the end of 2023, $10M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 10% of everything billed. Only 1 of 11 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $9.3M.
Why are so many property taxes unpaid?
$0$2.0M$4.0M$6.0M$8.0M$10M$12M
$10M
20192020202120222023
Show as a table
Year
Unpaid property tax at year end
2019
$7.1M
2020
$9.5M
2021
$11.5M
2022
$9.3M
2023
$10M
Why it matters
When taxes go unpaid, everyone else carries the cost, and the town may borrow to cover the gap. The Province's financial indicators treat 10% to 15% as a moderate risk and more than 15% as a high risk. Collection is the town's job, so a rising number is worth asking about.
It could be because…
The final tax bill was due late in the year, so some payments simply arrived in January.
A few large properties are in dispute or being sold for back taxes.
Hard times for residents, which the town may be handling with payment plans.
Questions you could ask
How much is more than one year overdue, and from how many properties?
Are the rules for chasing unpaid taxes applied the same way to everyone?
Has the town registered tax arrears certificates on properties about two years behind? If still unpaid a year after that, Ontario law lets the town sell the property.
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Taxes receivable: 2019 $7.1M, 2020 $9.5M, 2021 $11.5M, 2022 $9.3M, 2023 $10M. Of the 2023 total, $1.8M was from earlier years.
3Integrity Commissioner complaint reports on sitting members that we read, September 2024 to June 2026
In his report of September 17, 2024 the Integrity Commissioner found that Councillor Rob Shirton (only) broke the Code of Conduct over comments at two meetings, and dismissed the complaints against five other members, including the Mayor. In his report of June 18, 2026 he found that Councillor Debera McKeen broke the rule on decorum in emails to other councillors in March 2026 and recommended a formal reprimand and a public apology. He also said she did not answer the complaint on its substance. Together with the report on the Mayor, that is at least three reports of this kind in about two years from a seven-member council; the County also posts a fourth, dated March 19, 2026, which we could not read.
Why it matters
A council that cannot talk to itself politely finds it harder to make careful decisions in public. The reports show the complaint system working. What matters to residents is that Council deals with each report in public, and whether the tone on the council floor is improving in an election year.
It could be because…
Most of the 2024 complaint was dismissed: the Commissioner found no evidence of the gender discrimination alleged and cleared five of six members.
The councillor in 2024 told the Commissioner his choice of words was poor and offered to apologize publicly.
The 2026 councillor was elected in a by-election in April 2025 and is described in the report as relatively new, and her lawyer argued the process was unfair; the Commissioner rejected that.
The Code of Conduct sets a plain rule on decorum, and a complaints system that issues public reports is what Ontario law asks of councils.
Questions you could ask
How did Council vote on the reprimand and apology in each of these reports?
Does the Commissioner's yearly report show how many complaints were made, dismissed and upheld over the term?
Will the new council in November 2026 review the Code of Conduct's rules on decorum and the process for responding to complaints?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"I have ultimately found that Cllr. Shirton (only) breached the Code of Conduct. The rest of the Complaints are therefore dismissed." He recommended "that Cllr. Shirton be reprimanded by Council and that he apologize" to two members.
"I have found Cllr. McKeen to have breached s. 7.1 of the Code of Conduct in several respects in the course of the email exchange over the period March 4-7, 2026 and have recommended that she be reprimanded for these breaches and required to make a formal, public apology". If she refuses to apologize, "I recommend that Council impose a penalty of a suspension of pay for some duration".
The report notes that the councillor's lawyer argued the Commissioner should step aside and that the process was unfair. The Commissioner wrote that "the Respondent has offered no defence or explanation for the comments she made that are the subject of the investigation."
The County posts five yearly Integrity Commissioner reports (2021 to 2022 through 2025 to 2026) and four complaint reports (September 17, 2024; September 8, 2025; March 19, 2026; June 18, 2026). We read the three complaint reports we could download, not the yearly reports or the March 19, 2026 report.
June 27, 2025date of the Mayor's decision to dismiss the Chief Administrative Officer
The County says strong mayor powers were extended to Haldimand County on May 1, 2025. Under a decision dated June 27, 2025 the Mayor revoked the appointment of the Chief Administrative Officer and dismissed them "effectively immediately", and named senior managers to fill the job weekly in rotation. In September 2025 she handed the choice of a new Chief Administrative Officer to Council, and on November 18, 2025 she ended the interim appointment after Council had named a new one. The decision gives no reason, and we did not find one on the pages we read.
Why it matters
The chief administrator runs the County's staff and carries out Council's decisions. A mayor can change the person in that job without a Council vote under the 2025 rules. Residents may reasonably want to know whether Council was told why, and what it cost to change course.
It could be because…
Reasons for ending a person's employment are normally private, and the law lets the Mayor make this decision in writing without giving them.
The Mayor then delegated the choice of a new Chief Administrative Officer to Council, so Council, not the Mayor, picked the new one.
The County posts the Mayor's decisions in writing, as the law requires, so this decision is on the public record.
Questions you could ask
Was Council told the reasons for the dismissal, and in what session?
What did the change in the top job cost the County in 2025, including interim arrangements and the search?
Will the new council in November 2026 get a report on how the strong mayor powers were used in this term?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Mayoral Decision 2025-05, June 27, 2025: "To revoke the Appointment of the Chief Administrative Officer of Haldimand County and dismiss them from said position effectively immediately; and To appoint members of the Haldimand County Senior Management Team to fill the role of interim Chief Administrative Officer on a weekly rotating basis."
Mayoral Decision 2025-08, September 22, 2025: the Mayor delegated to Council the power to select the successful applicant to appoint as Chief Administrative Officer, "from a short list of two (2) candidates provided by the Chief Administrative Officer Selection Committee."
Mayoral Decision 2025-14, November 18, 2025: "Pursuant to the appointment of a new Chief Administrative Officer by Haldimand County Council", the Mayor rescinded the interim appointment of the General Manager, Financial Services, who "will continue in his permanent role".
"As of May 1, 2025, the Ontario government has expanded Strong Mayor Powers to Haldimand County". The powers include to "Appoint the municipality's Chief Administrative Officer". The page lists the Mayor's decisions, including 2025-05 and the others above.
3.74%increase in the draft 2026 tax-supported operating budget (draft of February 12, 2026)
The draft deck shown to a special Council meeting on February 12, 2026 gave a total increase of 3.74%. Staffing is the largest piece it breaks out: $2,782,600, or 3.02% on the levy, made up of $2,097,770 for existing staff, $239,550 for approved and $445,280 for new positions. The policing contract rises by $970,000. For the average home, the deck shows $145 more a year on $4,060 in total taxes. We read the draft deck only. The final approved budget is in the County's online budget book, which we could not download, so the final figures may differ.
Why it matters
Most of a tax bill is the cost of people and contracts. Knowing the single largest drivers lets a resident judge whether the increase is about keeping services going or adding new ones.
It could be because…
Part of the staffing cost is for people the County is already paying (base, 2.28%), and some new roles are temporary or funded from reserves or grants rather than the levy.
The policing contract is a cost the County does not set itself, and the draft deck shows it on a slide headed "External Drivers".
Some of the staffing is paid from other money: the draft deck labels some positions "Fully Funded" and others "Temporary Funded", so not every dollar lands on the levy.
Questions you could ask
What was the final approved 2026 increase, and which of the draft items changed?
Which of the new positions are permanent and which end after one to three years?
Can the County publish the approved 2026 budget as a downloadable document as well as an online budget book?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Slide 17: "Budget Increase Summary - 3.74%". Slide 8: "Staffing Impacts $2,782,600 - 3.02% Levy Impact", "Base - $2,097,770 - 2.28%", "Approved - $239,550 - 0.26%", "New - $445,280 - 0.48%". Slides 9 and 10 carry the headings "Temporary Funded Staffing" and "Fully Funded Staffing".
The County's Budgets page lists "2026 Approved Tax Supported Operating Budget" as a link to its online budget book, and the "2026 Draft Tax Supported Operating Budget Presentation" as a PDF. The page says the 2026 budget preparations "begin early in the year, and all proposed projects and initiatives undergo several rounds of internal review".
March 31the County's own yearly deadline for the council pay and expenses report, under its Council Eligible Expense Policy
The County's Council Eligible Expense Policy, in effect since June 23, 2025, says the Treasurer must report each year what council members were paid and reimbursed for the year before, by March 31. We did not find that statement on the County's website pages for budget and finances or council. We have not filled in a council pay table, because we did not find a statement to copy it from.
Why it matters
The Municipal Act requires an annual statement of pay and expenses for each member of council. It is the only place residents can see what each member received. With an election on October 26, 2026, residents choosing among candidates, including those now on council, should be able to find it.
It could be because…
The statement may be a report on a council agenda or in the minutes on the County's meeting portal, which blocked our script, so we could not look.
It may be posted somewhere on the County's site that we did not find.
Questions you could ask
Please publish, or point residents to, the statement for 2025 (due by March 31, 2026) and earlier years.
Does the statement show each member's pay and expenses separately, including pay for service on boards and outside bodies?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Haldimand County?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council Eligible Expense Policy 2025-06, effective June 23, 2025, Reporting: "The Treasurer must report, on an annual basis, the Haldimand County Council remuneration and expenses in respect of services as Members of Council, local boards, or other bodies for the preceding year, by March 31st."
The Budget and Finances page lists Budgets, Credit Ratings and Financial Statements, User Fees, Property Taxes and Development Charges. It does not list a council pay and expenses statement.
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