Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Kenora is run by an elected council of 7 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

• MayorAndrew Poirier
• CouncillorRobert Bernie
• CouncillorGraham Chaze
• CouncillorMort Goss
• CouncillorLindsay Koch
• CouncillorLisa Moncrief
• CouncillorKelsie Van Belleghem

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

• Yes
  Budgets posted online

  The 2026 capital, utility and operating budgets and the 2023 to 2025 adopted budgets are posted as PDFs. The 2026 operating budget was approved on February 17, 2026. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  The 2025 statements (clean opinion from MNP LLP dated July 14, 2026) and 2023 and 2024 are posted, with a 2025 financial highlights report. The 2024 report was signed on December 9, 2025. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find a yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the budget or council pages. The City posts a Council remuneration policy (CC-15-1), which gives no amounts. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  The City says agendas and minutes for the past 20 years are on its eScribe portal, and that recordings are linked from the minutes. We did not open any minutes. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner and closed meeting reports

  Both officers are named on the City's site but we did not find any published reports. Source

• Unknown
  2022 election candidate finances

  We did not look for the 2022 candidate financial statements. Source

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

• Cost estimates and legal costs for the Kenricia Hotel expropriation

  The 2025 statements say the cost cannot be estimated and we found no line in the 2026 budgets. Related question: How much could the Kenricia Hotel expropriation cost the City, and is any of it in the 2026 budget?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request any cost estimate, appraisal summary or budget report to Council about the expropriation of the Kenricia Hotel, and the total legal and consulting costs paid on it to date.

  Copy the wording

• Breakdown of 2025 investment income

  Note 12 shows $11,110,467 of investment income and the City moved all its ONE Investment holdings in 2025. Related question: What produced $11.1 million of investment income in 2025, almost three times 2024, and how much of it will the City count on again?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the City's 2025 investment income by holding or fund, split between interest, dividends and realized gains, and between the Citizens' Prosperity Trust Fund and the general fund, and the most recent investment report to Council.

  Copy the wording

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city says a request is too broad or too costly.

1. Integrity Commissioner

   The City says Council appointed Aird & Berlis LLP as Integrity Commissioner through By-law 146-2026. The page explains how to make a complaint. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

2. Closed Meeting Investigator

   The City says it has appointed a Closed Meeting Investigator and posts a complaint form. We did not find any investigator reports.

3. Code of Conduct

   The City posts a Code of Conduct for Members of Council and says complaints go to the Integrity Commissioner.