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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Port Hope'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

Port Hope 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

  • MayorOlena Hankivsky
  • Deputy MayorAdam Pearson
  • Ward 1 CouncillorLes Andrews
  • Ward 1 CouncillorTodd Attridge
  • Ward 1 CouncillorClaire Holloway Wadhwani
  • Ward 2 CouncillorVicki Mink
  • Ward 2 CouncillorDarrell Toms

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

How open is Port Hope?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The adopted 2026 budget (summary, department sheets, capital sheets and a Council presentation) and the 2025 approved budget are posted as PDFs on one page. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    The newest audited statements posted are for 2024, with a clean opinion ("present fairly") from KPMG LLP dated December 3, 2025. We did not find the 2025 statements on the page we read. The page tells people to email or phone for copies of the statements, but one 2024 PDF is linked. Source

  • No
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    We did not find a yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the pages we read. The financial reports page sends readers to the provincial salary disclosure. Source

  • Partly
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    Agendas are posted through an eScribe meeting portal, and the page says minutes are published a few days after meetings. It also says some by-laws, agendas and minutes are being made accessible before they are added back into circulation, and that a document request form is available. We did not read any agenda or minutes. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Port Hope'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 town 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 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

  • Plan for the water and wastewater reserve funds

    The 2024 statements show both funds below zero. A repayment plan shows when, and from what source, they return above zero. Related question: Why do the water and wastewater reserve funds show negative balances?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the staff reports and schedules that show how the water system and wastewater system reserve funds are expected to return to positive balances, and the funding source used to cover their negative balances at December 31, 2024.

  • Statement of council remuneration and expenses

    We did not find the yearly statement that section 284 of the Municipal Act requires. Related question: Why does the Council budget line rise 19.2% in 2026, and what will the council compensation review decide?.

    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 under section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001, for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the report that brought the 2026 Council Compensation Review to Council.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the town 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. Code of Conduct and Integrity Commissioner

    The Municipality's Code of Conduct page lists Integrity Commissioner reports dated 2018, 2019, 2021 and January 2025. We did not read them for this pack.