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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Kawartha Lakes is run by an elected council of 9 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

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 Kawartha Lakes?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The Mayor's 2026 Budget (PDF) and the budget schedule with presentations are on one page, and the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 budgets are on the Previous Budgets page. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    The 2024 consolidated statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Deloitte LLP dated July 31, 2025. For 2025, the Previous Budgets page says to contact the Supervisor, Treasury; we did not find the 2025 statements posted on October 5, 2026. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    We did not find the yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the pages we read. The City's election page prints the salary it has set for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillors for 2027 to 2030 and a Council Expense Policy (CP2026-015) is on the council policies page. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    The City says agendas are posted five days ahead, draft minutes within two weeks, and meetings are livestreamed. Its meeting calendar and its eScribe document links refused a scripted download (HTTP 403), so we did not read any agenda, minutes or staff report. Source

  • Yes
    Conflict of interest registry

    A table of declared conflicts is posted for each year from 2019 to 2026, with the reason each member gave. Source

  • Yes
    Integrity Commissioner reports

    Three investigation reports are posted (2022, 2022 and 2025). The page does not say what council decided after each report. Source

  • Yes
    Election candidates' financial statements

    Statements for the 2022 election and the 2025 Ward 5 by-election are posted, with candidates in default listed. We did not total them. Source

Where the city speaks for itself

Kawartha Lakes' official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

  • Kawartha Lakes YouTube channel

    The City says council and Committee of the Whole meetings are broadcast live and captured on this channel, with current and previous meetings. It also lists YourTV (Cogeco channel 10) as a live broadcaster. We did not open the channel to check how far back the videos go.

  • Jump In, Kawartha Lakes

    The City's online engagement platform. The 2026 budget book says more than 1,700 residents visited its budget page in August 2025.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the city 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 city clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the city’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 city 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 city 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 city’s decision.

The city's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

  • Payments in the professional fees account, 2024 and 2025

    The budget book shows $8,685 thousand of professional fees in 2024 against a budget of $5,219,520, with Victoria Manor at $3,469 thousand. A list by payee shows what is inside the line.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request, for 2024 and 2025, a list of every payee paid from the Professional Fees account, with the amount paid to each, the department and, for Victoria Manor, the purpose (management contract, agency staffing, consulting or other). I also request any amendment to the support contract with Sienna Senior Living made since January 1, 2024, and the amount paid under it each year.

  • Statements of council remuneration and expenses, 2023 to 2025

    We did not find the yearly statement of council pay and expenses (Municipal Act, s. 284) on the City's pages.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the annual statement of remuneration and expenses of each member of council, as required by section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001, for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the staff report that presented each to council.

  • Council's decisions on Integrity Commissioner reports IC-14166-0621, IC-16215-0422 and IC-35567-0525

    The City lists the reports but not what council decided about the recommended pay suspensions.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the council resolutions and minutes of the meetings of March 22, 2022, May 17, 2022 and October 21, 2025 that record council's decision on Integrity Commissioner investigation reports IC-14166-0621, IC-16215-0422 and IC-35567-0525, and any record showing whether remuneration was suspended.

  • Detail of the 2026 Budget Efficiency line

    The 2026 budget has a negative $7,579 thousand "Budget Efficiency" line that is not broken down in the book.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the working papers that show, for each department, the positions, contracts and other items that make up the Budget Efficiency amounts in the Mayor's 2026 Budget, and the list of changes the Budget Committee made to the draft shown to it on September 16, 2025.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city 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

    An outside Integrity Commissioner (an investigator with ADR Chambers) handles Code of Conduct complaints and advice on conflicts of interest. The City posts three investigation reports on one page: October 21, 2025, May 17, 2022 and March 22, 2022 (the dates they went to council).

  2. Registry of declared conflicts of interest

    The City posts a table for each year from 2019 to 2026 listing the member, meeting, item and the reason given. We read the tables but did not analyse them.

  3. Closed meeting complaints: Ontario Ombudsman

    The City's accountability page sends closed meeting complaints to the Ontario Ombudsman's complaint page. We did not look for Ombudsman reports about Kawartha Lakes.