Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

New Tecumseth is run by an elected council of 10 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

• MayorRichard Norcross
• Deputy MayorStephanie MacLellan
• Councillor, Ward 1Chris Rapin
• Councillor, Ward 2Wendy Gabrek
• Councillor, Ward 3Paul Foster
• Councillor, Ward 4Alan Masters
• Councillor, Ward 5Marc Biss
• Councillor, Ward 6Nicole Cox
• Councillor, Ward 7Shira Harrison McIntyre
• Councillor, Ward 8Andrea Jacks

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

  The 2026 budget book, called the Mayor's Approved 2026 Budget, and the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and earlier budget books are posted on one page, with the 2025 Long Range Financial Plan presentation to Council. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  The 2025 consolidated statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from BDO Canada LLP, dated July 13, 2026. Statements back to 2011 are posted. The page for 2025 shows no separate audit findings letter. Source

• Yes
  Payments (cheque registers)

  Monthly cheque summary reports are posted, August 2025 to August 2026. We did not read them. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find the yearly statement on the budget or council pages. The Town's council page links 2025 staff reports, one of which is titled Council Remuneration and Expenses, 2024, but it sits on the CivicWeb meeting portal, whose robots.txt asks automated tools to stay out. We stopped there and did not read it, so this pack has no council pay table. Source

• Partly
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas and minutes are on a CivicWeb portal, and the Town says agendas go up on the Wednesday before each meeting. We did not read agendas or minutes, so we cannot say whether they are up to date. Source

• Yes
  Council meeting video

  A YouTube playlist of meetings is linked from the council page. We did not check how far back it goes. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner and closed meeting reports

  The Town posts the code, the protocol and request forms. We did not find any reports. Source

• Unknown
  2022 election candidate finances

  The Town has a page of 2022 election archives. We did not open it. Source

• Town of New Tecumseth on YouTube

  The Town links this channel, and a playlist of council meetings, from its council page. We did not check how many meetings are posted or how long they are kept.

• Town of New Tecumseth on Facebook

  Linked from the footer of the Town's website.

• Town of New Tecumseth on Instagram

  Linked from the footer of the Town's website.

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

• Current cost and funding of the Collingwood water plant expansion

  The audited statements say $270 million and a $95 million overage for the Town; the 2026 budget book says $120M. Related question: Why does the 2026 budget put the Collingwood water plant at $120M when the audited statements say the revised cost is $270M, and who pays the difference?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent staff report or reports to Council, and the most recent cost estimate, showing the total cost of the Collingwood water treatment plant expansion, New Tecumseth's share of it, and how that share is to be funded (provincial funding, development charges, debentures), with the schedule for repaying any debentures.

  Copy the wording

• Development charge collection forecast behind the 2026 budget

  The long range plan shows collections rising from $6,998,844 in 2025 to $65,363,094 in 2026. Related question: How likely is it that development charge collections will rise from $6,998,844 in 2025 to the $65,363,094 the long range plan shows for 2026, and $154,326,450 for 2029?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the development charge collection forecast used for the 2026 budget and the 2025 Long Range Financial Plan, showing the number of units and the rate assumed for each year from 2025 to 2034 and the year-to-date 2025 and 2026 collections.

  Copy the wording

• Breakdown of "Unfunded short-term debt"

  Schedule 1 shows $34,445,538 against a $16,077,100 short-term loan in Note 7. Related question: Why did the Town's debt grow by about $23 million in 2025, and what is the $34,445,538 of "unfunded short-term debt"?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the working paper or schedule that supports the line "Unfunded short-term debt" of $34,445,538 in Schedule 1 of the Town's 2025 consolidated financial statements, showing the projects and funding sources that make it up.

  Copy the wording

• Property sold in 2025

  The statements show proceeds of $10,029,678 and a gain of $9,567,378, against a budgeted gain of $295,284. Related question: Why did the 2025 budget expect $73,104,579 from developers when $14,081,128 came in, and what was sold for a gain of $9,567,378?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request a list of every tangible capital asset or property sold by the Town in 2025, with the date, the sale price and the book value of each.

  Copy the wording

• Speed camera program results and discontinuation

  The 2025 budget counted on $1,429,200 and the 2026 budget removes the program. Related question: What is the status of the speed camera program the Town budgeted to bring in $1,429,200 in 2025, and what happens to its money?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the Town's reports to Council about the Automated Speed Enforcement program from 2024 to date, including the report on its discontinuation, the number of tickets issued, paid and written off, the program's total revenue and costs for 2025, and the balance of the Automated Speed Enforcement reserve at December 31, 2025.

  Copy the wording

• Council's amendment to the proposed 2026 budget

  The Mayor's decision of October 29, 2025 refers to an amendment resolution, but we did not find what it changed. Related question: What did Council change in the 2026 budget before it was deemed approved?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the text of every resolution Council passed to amend the Mayor's proposed 2026 budget, the minutes of the meeting where each was passed, and any written notice from the Mayor about them.

  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 and Code of Conduct

   The Town posts its Code of Conduct for members of council, a complaint protocol and a complaint form. It names an outside law firm as the person who handles Code of Conduct complaints. We did not find any reports from that office on the pages we read.

2. Closed meeting investigator

   The Town posts a closed meeting investigation policy and a request form, and names an outside law firm as its closed meeting investigator. We did not find any investigator reports on the pages we read.

3. Pecuniary interest registry and gifts registry

   The Town says written statements of conflicts of interest, and of gifts or benefits, are kept in two registries linked from its council page. We did not read either registry.

4. Mayoral decisions under the strong mayor rules

   The Town posts each written decision, direction and by-law approval by the Mayor, numbered, from 2025 to September 2026.