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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for St Marys in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read St Marys'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

St Marys 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 St Marys?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The 2026 capital and operating budget (adopted November 20, 2025) and the 2025 operating and capital budgets are posted as PDFs on one page, with a short summary of the tax impact. Source

  • Partly
    Audited financial statements

    The Financial Reports page links one set of statements, for 2023. We did not find the 2024 or 2025 statements on the Town's website. Source

  • Unknown
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    We did not find the yearly statement of council remuneration and expenses on the pages we read. It may be in a council agenda, which we could not open. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    Agendas and minutes are on a separate calendar site. It answered our request for its robots.txt with a security block, so we did not go further and did not read any agendas or minutes. The Town says meetings are livestreamed and recorded on YouTube. Source

  • Unknown
    Integrity Commissioner reports

    The page describes the role and the complaint process. We did not find any reports. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

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

  • Town of St. Marys YouTube channel

    The Town says all Council and committee meetings are available on this channel, and links it from its Mayor & Council and Agendas & Minutes pages. We did not check which meetings are posted or how long they are kept.

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

  • Council report and purchase records for 90 Carling Street

    The 2026 budget says the land was bought "for future development" with a $1.2 million bank loan and gives no other detail. Related question: What does the Town plan to build at 90 Carling Street, and why was the land bought with a two-year loan?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the staff report and by-law 45-2025 authorizing the borrowing for the purchase of 90 Carling Street, the purchase price, any appraisal, and any report to Council on the planned use of the property.

  • Reserve and reserve fund balances at December 31, 2025

    The 2026 budget opens with an estimate of $26,074,916.84, while the 2025 budget planned $17,642,687.48 for the end of 2025. Related question: Why do the Town's reserves swing so much from plan to actual, and why do some reserves go below zero?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the schedule of each reserve and reserve fund balance as at December 31, 2025, and the audited financial statements for 2024 and 2025 with the auditor's reports.

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 has an Integrity Commissioner who gives advice to members of Council and investigates Code of Conduct complaints. The page explains how to file a complaint. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

  2. Registry of Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest

    The Town posts a registry of the written disclosures members make when they have a money-related interest in an item, for 2026 and 2025. We did not build any finding on it.

  3. Mayoral Decisions (strong-mayor powers)

    The Town lists the decisions the Mayor has made under the strong-mayor powers that took effect on May 1, 2025, by date, number and subject.