Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Sioux Lookout 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

• MayorDoug Lawrance
• CouncillorJoe Cassidy
• CouncillorCory Lago
• CouncillorJoyce Timpson
• CouncillorReece Van Breda
• CouncillorJoan Cosco
• Councillor (appointed August 13, 2025, to fill a vacancy)Darlene Angeconeb

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 approved operating and capital budgets, the 2026 draft budget and presentation, the 2025 approved and draft budgets and presentation, and the 2024 operating budget are posted as PDFs on one page. Source

• Partly
  Audited financial statements

  The statements page lists audited statements for 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 only. The 2023 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Doane Grant Thornton LLP dated December 12, 2024. We did not find 2024 or 2025 statements. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find a yearly statement of council remuneration and expenses on the pages we read, so the pack has no council pay table. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  The Council Agendas page has tabs for Agendas and Archives, which our plain download did not return as documents. We did not read any agendas or minutes. The Municipality posts short "Council Brief" news items after meetings and says they are not the approved minutes. Source

• Unknown
  Tender and RFP notices

  The site has a Tenders, RFPs and EOIs page. We did not check whether results (who won, how much) are published. Source

• Sioux Lookout on YouTube

  The Municipality links this YouTube channel from the footer of its website. The 2026 budget page says the January 27, 2026 budget presentation is a live stream video. We did not check whether council meeting videos are kept there.

• Municipality of Sioux Lookout on Facebook

  The Municipality links this Facebook page from the footer of its website.

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

• OPP billing statements for 2024 to 2026

  The budgeted policing cost rose by $296,196 for 2025 and fell by $396,899 for 2026, and the budget does not say why. Related question: Why did the budget for policing rise by $296,196 in 2025 and then fall by $396,899 in 2026?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the Ontario Provincial Police billing statements and any reconciliation notices received by the Municipality for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and any staff report to Council about the 2026 policing cost.

  Copy the wording

• Staff report and cost estimate for the Airport Parking Lot Expansion in the 2026 capital budget

  The 2026 capital list shows 6,000,000 for a project described as location, geotechnical and design work. Related question: Why does the 2026 capital list show $6,000,000 for an airport parking lot, when the 2025 budget put $630,190 into one whose design was already done?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the staff report, business case and cost estimate supporting the 2026 capital project 001-CP-APT-26, Airport Parking Lot Expansion, and the design report for the 2024 airport parking lot design.

  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 Municipality says it has a Code of Conduct and an independent Integrity Commissioner who receives and manages complaints about Council members and Council-appointed board and committee members. The page posts the Code of Conduct and a Complaint Protocol. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the page.

2. Closed meeting investigator: Ontario Ombudsman

   The Municipality says it has appointed the Ontario Ombudsman as its closed meeting investigator, links the Ombudsman's complaint form, and posts its Closed Meeting Investigation Policy and Procedure. We did not find reports about Sioux Lookout.

3. Declaration of Interest Registry

   The page links a registry titled "2018-2022 Declaration of Interest Registry". We did not find a registry for the current term (2022 to 2026) on the page. We did not read the posted registry.