Council BooksPeterboroughOntarioSign inSubscribe
Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you
Read by hand. We read Peterborough's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.

Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Peterborough is run by an elected council of 11 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

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

How open is Peterborough?

What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 5, 2026.

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    Budget books for 2021 to 2026 are posted as PDFs on one page. The 2025 book posted is the November 2024 draft. The 2026 book is dated December 2025. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    The page posts financial reports for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2024 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Baker Tilly KDN LLP dated September 25, 2025, but the file is named "redacted" and we did not find a 2025 report on the page we read. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    The City's news release says Council received the 2025 Council Remuneration and Expense Statements on March 30, 2026. The statement is on the City's eSCRIBE meeting portal, which refused a scripted download (HTTP 403), so we did not read it and we did not find it on the budget and financial reports page. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    Agendas, reports and minutes are on an eSCRIBE portal. It refused every scripted download we tried (HTTP 403), so we did not read any minutes or staff reports. Source

  • Yes
    Travel, training and hospitality expenses

    The City says it posts online professional development, hospitality and travel claims that took place outside the city, cost more than $200 and happened after May 1, 2010. We did not read the claims. Source

Where the city speaks for itself

Peterborough's official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the city for its records under Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). You do not have to say why. Here is how it works, and the wording for the records that would answer the questions on this site.

  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

  • Police station cost estimate and total project budget

    The 2026 budget book shows a total project budget of $91,900,000 and cites Report FCSFPM25-065 and a Class C cost estimate. The 2025 draft listed $48,000,000 of construction. Related question: Why does the police station project show a total project budget of $91,900,000 when the 2025 budget plan listed $48,000,000 over three years?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request Report FCSFPM25-065 dated November 17, 2025, the Class C cost estimate by the construction manager for the Police Stations Renovation and Expansion project (#20-109), and the breakdown of the $91,900,000 total project budget by design, land, construction and other costs.

  • Debt capacity worksheet and approved-not-issued debt list

    The 2026 budget says debt approved but not issued is $204.9 million and capacity falls from $38.3 million to $19.3 million. Related question: Why will Peterborough's debt reach $388.0 million, when its own rule limited new debt costs to 1% of the all-inclusive tax increase a year?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the debt capacity calculation behind the 2026 Budget Book's "Remaining Debt Capacity" pages, and the list of debenture financing approved but not issued at December 31, 2025, by project, amount and source of repayment.

  • Council remuneration reports and statements

    The 2025 Council Remuneration and Expense Statements and Report FCSFS25-008 are on a portal that did not let us download them. Related question: What will the new council pay formula cost from December 2026, and why is it not in the 2026 budget?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the 2025 Council Remuneration and Expense Statements received by Council on March 30, 2026, and Report FCSFS25-008 dated April 22, 2025, with its appendices showing the comparator municipalities and the resulting pay for the Mayor and each councillor.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city says a request is too broad or too costly.

How to raise a concern

From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.

  1. Integrity Commissioners

    The City says it has two Integrity Commissioners. One, from the firm Ewart O'Dwyer, gives advice to Council members. The other, from the firm Boghosian and Allen LLP, handles complaints. The page says the Integrity Commissioner inquiry form is currently unavailable. We did not look for their reports.

  2. Closed meeting investigator: Ontario Ombudsman

    The City says it has appointed the Ontario Ombudsman's Office as its closed meeting investigator. The City's news release on the March 30, 2026 Council meeting says Council received a report on an Ombudsman closed meeting investigation that concluded the meeting was properly closed.

  3. Member conflict registry

    The City's council page links a Member Conflict Registry and a Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest form. We did not read the registry.