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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Hawkesbury 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

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 Hawkesbury?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The Town's finance page links the 2022 to 2026 budgets as PDFs. The 2026 file is the operating and capital schedules to By-Law 4-2026, headed "FINAL VERSION". We did not find a budget message or a staff report that explains the numbers in words. Source

  • Yes
    Audited financial statements

    Statements for 2022 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from MNP LLP dated June 22, 2026. The 2024 statements carry the same opinion, dated October 14, 2025. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    We did not find a yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the finance page, the council page or the clerk's page. The Town may post it somewhere we did not look. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    The meetings page says minutes are posted after Council approves them and agendas about 72 hours before regular meetings. The pages we read link only to short summaries, which point to agendas and YouTube recordings. We did not open any agenda or minutes. Source

  • Yes
    Meeting videos

    The Town says meetings are live-streamed on YouTube and the summaries link recordings. We did not open the channel. Source

  • Partly
    Tender results

    The tenders page lists three 2025-2026 public works tender notices. We did not find who won or for how much. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Hawkesbury'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.

  • Hawkesbury on YouTube

    The Town says all council meetings are live-streamed on its YouTube page, and its meeting summaries link the recordings. We did not open the channel to check how far back the videos go.

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

  • Groundwater monitoring costs at the contaminated site

    The statements give the same three-year estimate in 2024 and 2025. Related question: What could the Town owe for things it says it cannot yet price?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the amounts spent each year from 2023 to 2026 on groundwater monitoring and reporting at the contaminated site described in Note 11 of the Town's 2025 financial statements, and the budget line for 2026.

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 Town's council page says an Integrity Commissioner was appointed in January 2023 and that the term "ends on December 31, 2025". The page names the law firm Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham, LLP. We did not find a later appointment on the page, and we did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports.

  2. Code of Conduct for Council and local boards

    The Town posts its Code of Conduct and a complaint form on the council page. We did not read the Code.

  3. Joint Compliance Audit Committee (election finances)

    The Town's elections page says eight municipalities in the area share one committee that deals with questions about candidates' campaign finances. We did not read its terms of reference.