Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Owen Sound 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

• MayorIan Boddyiboddy@owensound.ca
• Deputy MayorScott Greigsgreig@owensound.ca
• CouncillorTravis Doddtdodd@owensound.ca
• CouncillorJon Farmerjfarmer@owensound.ca
• CouncillorBrock Hamleybhamley@owensound.ca
• CouncillorMarion Koepkemkoepke@owensound.ca
• CouncillorSuneet Kukrejaskukreja@owensound.ca
• CouncillorCarol Mertoncmerton@owensound.ca
• CouncillorMelanie Middlebro'mmiddlebro@owensound.ca

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 Mayor's Budget (tabled December 22, 2025), a plain-language guide to it, the 2025 budget book and capital project list, and budgets back to 2012 are posted on one page. Source

• Partly
  Audited financial statements

  Statements are posted for 2012 to 2024. When we read the page (October 5, 2026), 2024 was the newest. The posted 2024 audit report carries the date "TBD, 2025", and the 2023 audit report is dated December 23, 2024. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find a yearly statement of council remuneration and expenses on the finance, council or reports pages or in the site map. The council pay table is left out of this pack. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas, minutes and video

  The City says every council and committee agenda, minutes and livestream or recording is reached through a calendar on its meetings page. The calendar is built by script, and we did not read any minutes. Source

• Yes
  Strong mayor decisions published

  The City lists each mayoral decision and direction by number and date, with the signed document linked, from May 1, 2025 to September 28, 2026. 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

• Signed 2024 auditor's report and the date Council received it

  The posted 2024 statements print the auditor's report date as "TBD, 2025". The signed report and the date it went to Council show how late the audit was. Related question: Why was the 2023 audit signed almost a year after the year ended, and why does the posted 2024 audit report have no date?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the signed Independent Auditor's Report on the City's consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, the agenda item or staff report by which Council received those statements, and the auditor's audit findings report or communication to Council for 2023 and 2024.

  Copy the wording

• List of 2024 capital projects not completed

  About $8.5 million of the planned 2024 capital purchases was not made. A project-by-project list shows what was held back and why. Related question: Why did the City spend about two thirds of its planned 2024 capital money?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the City's list of 2024 capital projects by project, showing for each the approved budget, the amount spent in 2024, the amount carried forward into 2025, and any year-end report to Council on capital spending against budget.

  Copy the wording

• Statements of council remuneration and expenses, 2022 to 2025

  We did not find the yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the City's website, so no council pay table is shown in this pack.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the yearly statements of remuneration and expenses paid to each member of Council and to members of local boards and committees, required under section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001, for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

  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 has appointed Principles Integrity as its Integrity Commissioner, to investigate Code of Conduct complaints and to advise members of council. The City's news post of February 27, 2024 says the commissioner's annual report counted 13 advice requests and one complaint, which ended with a disposition letter. We did not find the report itself on the pages we read.

2. Closed meeting investigator: Ontario Ombudsman

   The City says the Ontario Ombudsman is the closed meeting investigator for the City. We did not look for Ombudsman reports about Owen Sound.

3. Mayoral decisions and directions (strong mayor powers)

   The City posts each written decision and direction the Mayor makes under the strong mayor rules, including the December 1, 2025 direction on the 2026 operating budget.