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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Renfrew 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

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 Renfrew?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The 2026 budget recap, the Mayor's proposed 2026 budget and budget reports back to 2019 are posted on one page. The page says the 2026 budget was deemed adopted after a 30-day council amendment period that ended with no amendments proposed. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    The newest audited statements posted are for 2024, with an auditor's report dated 27 January 2026. The opinion is qualified (see the finding on asset retirement obligations). No 2025 statements were posted when we looked on October 5, 2026. Statements back to 2015 and the yearly Financial Information Returns are posted. Source

  • Partly
    Council meeting agendas and video

    The Town says meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and that agendas are linked from the meetings calendar. We did not open the agendas. The page of council meeting summaries lists meetings from 2023 to December 9, 2025 and no 2026 meetings when we looked. Source

  • Partly
    Council pay and expenses

    The Town links the treasurer's 2024 statement of remuneration and expenses from its council page. The PDF is a scanned image with no text we could read reliably, so we did not copy any figure from it. We did not find a statement for 2025. Source

  • Yes
    Tender results

    A PDF of tender results for 2025 to 2026 is posted on the bids and tenders page. We did not read it. Source

  • Yes
    Quarterly reports from staff

    Staff quarterly reports are posted for 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2025. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Renfrew'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

  • Annual Repayment Limit worksheet for 2026

    The 2026 recap shows room falling from $1,512,523 to an estimated $1,091,576 once $5,315,348 of new borrowing is counted. The worksheet shows how existing and new payments were counted. Related question: How much room to borrow will Renfrew have left after its 2026 plans?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the Annual Repayment Limit calculation used in the 2026 Budget Recap, including the worksheet that shows how existing debt payments and the estimated payments on the proposed new borrowing were treated.

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. Integrity Commissioner

    The Town says its Integrity Commissioner reports directly to council, investigates Code of Conduct complaints and also reviews requests about whether a meeting was properly closed to the public. The page links the code of conduct and a complaint form. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.