Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Trent Hills 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

• MayorBob Crate
• Deputy MayorMichael Metcalf
• Councillor, Ward 1Gene Brahaney
• Councillor, Ward 2Rob Pope
• Councillor, Ward 3Daniel Giddings
• Councillor, Ward 4Rick English
• Councillor, Ward 5Dennis Savery

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

  Municipal budget books are posted as PDFs for each year from 2016 to 2026. The 2026 book says the budget by-law was passed on January 13, 2026. Source

• Partly
  Audited financial statements

  Consolidated statements are posted for 2015 to 2024. The 2024 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Baker Tilly KDN LLP dated August 12, 2025. We did not find 2025 statements on the page on October 5, 2026. Source

• Unknown
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  We did not find the yearly statement of council pay and expenses on the website pages we read. It may be on the meeting portal, which we could not read. Source

• Unknown
  Meeting agendas, minutes and videos

  The Municipality says agendas, minutes and meeting videos are on its meeting portal. The portal's robots.txt asks automated tools to stay out, so we did not read it and cannot say how up to date it is. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner reports

  The Municipality names an Integrity Commissioner and explains how to complain. We did not find any reports on the pages we read. Source

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

• Total cost and funding of the Sunny Life Recreation and Wellness Centre

  The 2023 statements commit $21,648,700 plus HST. The 2024 statements show $6,723,827 of unfunded capital for the centre but no total cost. Related question: How much will the Sunny Life Recreation and Wellness Centre cost in the end, and how much of it is still to be paid for?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent report to Council showing the total cost to date, the budgeted total cost, and the sources of funding (grants, sponsorships, reserves and borrowing) for the Sunny Life Recreation and Wellness Centre.

  Copy the wording

• Estimated cost and financing plan for the Public Works depot and the 2026 Frank Street and Saskatoon Street loan

  The 2026 budget shows $100,000 for depot design and a "Loan" among the funding for a $2,485,000 project, without totals or terms. Related question: How much new borrowing is in the 2026 budget, and what will the planned new Public Works depot cost?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent staff report or estimate of the total cost of the new Public Works depot, and any report to Council on the amount, term and interest rate of borrowing planned for the Frank Street and Saskatoon Street project in 2026.

  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 names an Integrity Commissioner who handles Code of Conduct complaints about council members, by email at integrity@adr.ca or through an online form. The page says no investigation or report may proceed during an election period. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.