Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Pelham 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

• MayorMarvin Junkinmjunkin@pelham.ca
• Deputy Mayor, Ward Two CouncillorBrian Eckhardtbeckhardt@pelham.ca
• Councillor, Ward TwoJohn Winkjwink@pelham.ca
• Councillor, Ward One (appointed 2025)Bryce Brunarskibbrunarski@pelham.ca
• Councillor, Ward OneKevin Kerkker@pelham.ca
• Councillor, Ward ThreeBob Hildebrandtbhildebrandt@pelham.ca
• Councillor, Ward ThreeShellee Nizniksniznik@pelham.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

  The 2026 operating and capital budgets, and every year back to 2019, are posted as PDFs on one page. The Mayor's budget page also explains the strong-mayor budget steps and gives the 2026 schedule. We found no budget dates for 2027. Source

• Partly
  Audited financial statements

  Signed statements for 2019 to 2025 are posted. The 2024 and 2025 files have no text layer (they are pictures of pages), so they cannot be searched or read by a screen reader, and we did not use them. The 2025 annual report carries the Treasurer's written overview as text; its statement pages are also pictures. The annual report says Deloitte LLP was appointed auditor for 2025. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find a yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the Town's budget, council or accountability pages. It may be in the meeting portal, which we could not open. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas, minutes and videos are on a separate meetings calendar. It returned a block page to a plain script request, so we did not read any minutes and did not try to get around it. Source

• Partly
  Mayoral decisions posted

  Four Mayoral decisions and directions are listed. Two of the PDFs are pictures with no text layer and we did not read them. Source

• Yes
  Conflict of interest registry

  A 2022 to 2026 term registry table is posted and has been updated several times (versions dated July 2, 2025 and August 5, 2026 are linked). Source

• Council meeting live stream and videos

  The Town's council page says meetings are live streamed and that agendas, minutes and videos are on its Council and Committee Meetings Calendar. We could not open that calendar with a plain script (it returned a block page), so we did not check how long videos 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

• Actual winter control cost for 2025 and how the overrun was paid for

  The annual report says winter control was $666,000 over budget, but the budget book prints only the 2026 budget of $737,490. Related question: Why is the 2026 winter control budget almost the same as 2025's, after winter control ran far over budget?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the actual 2025 winter control expenditure by line (salaries, materials, contract services), the source of funds used to cover any amount over the approved budget, and any year-end report to Council that explains the variance.

  Copy the wording

• What the $887,696 reserve transfer in 2024 was

  The 2026 budget book shows a transfer to reserve of $887,696 in Shared Administrative Overhead in 2024, where the 2025 budget book approved none. Related question: Why did shared administrative overhead cost $1,591,816 in 2024 when $892,443 was budgeted?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the report, resolution or journal entry that records the transfer to reserve of $887,696 from Shared Administrative Overhead in 2024, naming the reserve that received it, and a breakdown of the 2024 contract services expense of $139,617.

  Copy the wording

• The positions behind the $135,000 in the 2026 budget

  Note 1 on salaries and wages says $135K is for new positions and position changes "not approved by Council". Related question: What does the 2026 budget mean by $135,000 for new positions "not approved by Council"?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the list of new positions and position changes included in the 2026 operating budget under the $135K described in Summary of Major Expenditures note (1), each with the report, resolution or delegated decision that approved it and the date, and Mayoral Decision 2025-01 on delegation of organizational structure and employment matters.

  Copy the wording

• Yearly statements of council pay and expenses

  We did not find the yearly statement of council remuneration and expenses on the Town's website.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the statements of remuneration and expenses paid to each member of council and to local board members for 2023, 2024 and 2025, as required by section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001.

  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 Town says council has appointed an outside Integrity Commissioner, who takes complaints under the Code of Conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and also gives advice to members. Complaints must be sworn and go through the Town Clerk. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

2. Closed meeting investigator: Ontario Ombudsman

   The Town says anyone who believes a meeting was closed wrongly can ask the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate. We did not look for Ombudsman reports about Pelham.

3. Registry of declarations of interest

   The Town posts a summary table of conflict of interest declarations for the 2022 to 2026 term and says the written declarations can be seen at the Clerk's Office. We did not build any question on the declarations.

4. Mayoral decisions and directions

   Because the Mayor has strong-mayor powers, the Town posts each written Mayoral decision and direction on one page.