Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Laird 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

• MayorShawn Evoy
• CouncillorTodd Rydall
• CouncillorWayne Junor
• CouncillorMatthew Frolick
• CouncillorBradley Shewfelt

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

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from town to town; the note below says what this town’s statement includes. Some members take the town’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the town's statement. From the one-page Statement of Remuneration and Expenses staff gave Council under the Municipal Act, 2001, s. 284, printed in the January 15, 2026 agenda. "Pay" is the yearly honorarium. "Other" is the meeting stipend plus mileage, added by us from separate columns. Members are paid at different rates for different roles, so we make no comparison between them. Only the 2025 statement was read.

• Yes
  Budgets posted online

  The 2023 to 2026 budgets are posted as PDFs on one page. The 2026 budget is marked as passed on April 16, 2026. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  Statements for 2020 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from the township's auditors, dated April 18, 2026. Source

• Partly
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  The 2025 statement is a one-page table inside the January 15, 2026 meeting agenda. We did not find it posted as its own document on the pages we read. Source

• Yes
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Full agenda packages and minutes are posted as PDFs for every 2026 meeting we saw, up to the September 17, 2026 agenda. Minutes are posted after the next meeting has approved them. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting videos

  We did not find a video channel linked from the pages we read. Source

• Yes
  Budget-to-actual reports

  Council receives a budget variance report during the year; the July 16, 2026 agenda includes a line-by-line report to July 14, 2026. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner reports

  We did not look for these on the township's site beyond the pages named here. 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

• The 2026 fire services agreement and the cost comparison behind it

  The price moved from $74,100 in 2025 to $132,650 in 2026 and the agreement itself is not posted. Related question: Why is the township's fire services agreement costing $132,650 in 2026 when it cost $74,100 in 2025?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: A copy of the fire services agreement Council directed to be signed on May 21, 2026, any earlier agreement it replaces, and any staff report or calculation showing how the 2026 price was set.

  Copy the wording

• Cost estimates for the Laird Fairgrounds sewage system upgrade

  Council has approved study costs over budget; the engineers' proposal leaves out cost estimates for the work itself. Related question: Why is the Laird Fairgrounds sewage study already projected at $47,000 against a $20,000 budget, and what will the fix itself cost?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Any cost estimate, class of estimate or budget range for the Laird Fairgrounds sewage system upgrades, and any record showing which project number, 2025-13 or 2025-23, the June 18, 2026 overage applies to.

  Copy the wording

• Transfers into and out of the landfill closure reserve, 2024 to 2025

  The reserve fell by $165,115 in 2025 while the budget planned to add $20,830. Related question: Why did the landfill closure savings fall from $306,775 to $141,660 in 2025, when the budget planned to add $20,830?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: The journal entries, council resolutions or staff reports that record each transfer into or out of the landfill closure and post-closure reserve during 2024 and 2025.

  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. Joint Compliance Audit Committee

   In July 2026 Council approved the township's participation in a Joint Compliance Audit Committee. We did not read the committee's rules.