Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Middlesex Centre 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

• MayorAina DeVietdeviet@middlesexcentre.ca
• Deputy MayorJohn Brennanbrennan@middlesexcentre.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Jean Colescoles@middlesexcentre.ca
• Councillor, Ward 2Wayne Shipleyshipley@middlesexcentre.ca
• Councillor, Ward 3Hugh Aertsaerts@middlesexcentre.ca
• Councillor, Ward 4Sue Catescates@middlesexcentre.ca
• Councillor, Ward 5Frank Berzeberze@middlesexcentre.ca

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

• Yes
  Budgets posted online

  Budget books are posted for 2019 to 2026, with one-page highlights from 2020, a long-range financial plan and an Open Budget site. A Budget 2027 page is already up. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from an auditor's report dated June 17, 2026. Statements are posted for 2019 to 2025. The auditor's firm name is not in the text layer of the PDF, so we do not name it. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find the yearly statement of council remuneration and expenses on the budget, council or accountability pages we read, so this pack has no council pay table. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas are on an eScribe portal whose meeting list loads by script, so we did not read any agendas or minutes. The Municipality says meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. Source

• Yes
  Disclosure of pecuniary interest registry

  A registry for 2026 is posted on the Municipality's website, as the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act requires. Source

• Middlesex Centre YouTube channel

  The Municipality says council meetings are broadcast live on this channel. We did not check how long recordings are kept.

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

• Legal invoices and matters behind the 2026 legal cost budget

  The budget book budgets $1,122,080 for servicing cost expenses, described as legal costs, but does not say what the matters are. Related question: What is behind the jump in "Servicing Cost Expenses" to $1,122,080 in the 2026 budget, which staff say is for legal costs, and the drop in the Legal Reserve Fund?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request a list of the legal matters, by file name and law firm, for which the Municipality budgeted $1,122,080 in 2026 for legal costs, and the total legal fees paid by the Municipality in 2024, 2025 and 2026 to date, by firm. I do not request privileged advice.

  Copy the wording

• Council report and by-law approving the Community Improvement Plan loan

  Note 18 of the 2025 statements reports a $2,197,384 loan under the plan but does not say who it is for. Related question: Why did Middlesex Centre approve a $2,197,384 loan under its Community Improvement Plan, when grants under that plan in 2025 totalled $16,218?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the staff report, council resolution and any by-law or agreement approving the $2,197,384 long-term loan under the Community Improvement Plan described in Note 18 of the 2025 financial statements.

  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. Integrity Commissioner

   The Municipality says Council has appointed an Integrity Commissioner, an outside lawyer, to deal with Code of Conduct complaints and give advice to members. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

2. Registry of pecuniary interest disclosures

   The Municipality posts a registry of members' declarations of pecuniary (money) interest for 2026 as a PDF. We did not read it for patterns.

3. Closed meetings

   The Municipality links a form for requesting information about a closed meeting from its accountability page. We did not find who its closed meeting investigator is or any reports.