Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Tyendinaga is run by an elected council of 5 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

• MayorClaire Kennellymayorkennelly@tyendinagatownship.com
• Deputy MayorHeather Langdeputymayorlang@tyendinagatownship.com
• CouncillorDon McFarlanecouncillormcfarlane@tyendinagatownship.com
• CouncillorJen Phillipscouncillorphillips@tyendinagatownship.com
• CouncillorDave Ogdencouncillorogden@tyendinagatownship.com

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

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from town to town; the note below says what this town’s statement includes. Some members take the town’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the town's statement. Typed by hand from the township’s yearly statements of council remuneration and expenses (Municipal Act, s. 284), which the treasurer presents to council. Pay is the Remuneration column (the honorarium under the council pay by-law). Other is everything else on the statement: per diems, mileage expenses, and training and conferences (the Total column minus Remuneration). The 2023 statement appeared in the April 17, 2024 agenda and the 2024 statement in the April 3, 2025 agenda, after the March 31 date the township’s own report quotes; the 2025 statement was on the March 18, 2026 agenda. The statements cover what the township paid. We did not look for pay from Hastings County. The total pay rose from $48,431.80 in 2023 to $73,512.00 in 2024 after council’s vote of November 22, 2023.

• Partly
  Budgets posted online

  The 2026 budget documents (22 pages) and a 2025 budget package (35 pages) are posted, with tax-rate by-laws for 2022 to 2025. The 2026 file is line-by-line worksheets with no written explanation of the changes; the explanations are in council reports. The link labelled “2025 Final Budget Package” opens a file named “Second-Draft-Budget-Package”, whose tax levy ($4,496,506) is not the $4,443,495 shown for 2025 in the 2026 file. Source

• Yes
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Regular meetings are on the first and third Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., with closed sessions at 3:00 p.m. The portal lists 107 regular meetings from June 21, 2021 to September 16, 2026, each with a full agenda package and staff reports. Minutes are printed in the next meeting’s package. The September 16, 2026 package carries a September 11, 2026 file date. Source

• No
  Meeting videos kept online

  Meetings are live on Zoom, with registration by name and email. We did not find recordings of past meetings on the township’s website, the portal or a video channel; the home page links Facebook, Instagram and X pages. Source

• Partly
  Council pay and expenses

  The yearly statement required by the Municipal Act (section 284) is printed in a council agenda package: we found 2023 (agenda of April 17, 2024), 2024 (April 3, 2025) and 2025 (March 18, 2026). The 2023 and 2024 statements came after the March 31 date the township’s own report quotes. Staff asked council to post the report on the website; we did not find the statements on a page of their own. Source

• Partly
  Conflicts of interest registry online

  The township says a registry of written disclosures “is available upon the request to the Clerk”; we did not find it online. Declarations appear in the minutes: we counted at least six from January 2025 to July 2026, and each time the member left the meeting for that item. Source

• Yes
  Open tenders posted

  Tenders, quotes and proposals are posted on the township’s bids and tenders portal, linked from its Bids & Tenders page. On October 1, 2026 the page listed nothing open and said the township may join purchases run by the Canoe Procurement Group. Source

• Yes
  Tender results (who won, how much)

  When council awards a tender the staff report names the bidders, prices and scores. For example, the June 4, 2025 report on the sand dome roof lists all nine bids. Source

• No
  List of contracts awarded

  We did not find a standing list of contracts, suppliers and amounts. Awards appear in council reports one at a time. The posted procurement policy shows a review date of September 7, 2025. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner and closed-meeting reports

  The township names an Integrity Commissioner and a closed-meeting investigator and posts complaint forms. We did not find any past reports on its website and do not know whether there have been any. Source

• Partly
  Audited financial statements

  Statements for 2020 to 2024 are posted. The 2025 draft went to council on September 16, 2026 and was not yet on the finance page on October 1, 2026. Opinions on the township’s own statements are clean (“present fairly”); the library board’s statements for 2024 have a qualified opinion because donations cannot be fully checked, which the auditor says is common for library boards. The statements are signed 8.5 to 13 months after year end. Source

• Partly
  Candidates' campaign finances

  The 2022 page has a summary of who filed and on what date, not the amounts. The township says the full statements are public and can be had by contacting the Clerk. The 2026 election is on October 26, 2026. Source

• Partly
  Closed sessions

  Closed sessions are held at 3:00 p.m. before regular meetings. The agenda gives the section of the Municipal Act (s. 239(2)) for each, and the minutes record that the Mayor verified only the listed topics were discussed, with a short report in open session. We found at least nine closed meetings in the minutes from February 2025 to August 2026. We have not counted them over a full year. Source

• Partly
  Freedom of information

  The township posts a request form, the $5 fee and its fee schedule. The page says the township has 45 business days to respond, which matches Ontario’s freedom-of-information law since its 2026 amendment (section 19). Source

• Partly
  Budget-to-actual reports

  Quarterly reports comparing spending with the budget are in council packages (first, second and third quarters of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026). We did not find a second-quarter 2026 report in the packages through September 16, 2026. Source

• Council portal (agendas and minutes)

  Every council agenda package, with staff reports and the minutes of the previous meeting, the meeting calendar and email sign-up. It runs on CivicWeb and lists regular meetings from June 2021.

• Live meetings on Zoom

  Regular meetings are held in person at the Recreation Hall and streamed live on Zoom. Registration with a name and email is needed. The registration links are on this page.

• News & Notices

  Official notices from the township, such as notices of public meetings.

• Engage Tyendinaga

  The township’s public consultation site. On October 1, 2026 it listed an ALTO high-speed rail timeline and a movie in the park.

• Facebook

  The township’s Facebook page, linked from its website.

• Instagram

  The township’s Instagram page, linked from its website.

• X (Twitter)

  The township’s X page, linked from 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

• Every payment the township made

  The yearly reports give totals by service, not who was paid. A list of payments is the most useful record for spotting repeat suppliers, purchases split into smaller pieces, and who the township pays for engineering, legal and consulting work.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: A list of all payments made by the Township of Tyendinaga from January 1, 2025 to the date of this request, showing for each payment the date, the name of the payee, the amount, and the description or account it was charged to (for example, the cheque register, EFT register or accounts payable listing). An electronic copy, such as a spreadsheet, is preferred.

  Copy the wording

• How old the unpaid property taxes are

  The statements give one total for taxes owed. The age of the debt, and whether the township has started tax registration and sale, shows whether it is a timing issue or a growing problem. Related question: Why are so many property taxes unpaid?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For December 31 of 2023, 2024 and 2025: the taxes receivable totals by age (current year, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years and 4 or more years), with the number of properties in each group; the number of tax arrears certificates registered under Part XI of the Municipal Act, 2001 since January 1, 2023; and the number of tax sale proceedings started. No names or addresses are requested.

  Copy the wording

• The reserve policy and each reserve’s balances

  The township transfers surpluses and deficits to the Working Capital reserve “as per the Reserves and Reserve Funds Policy”, but we did not find the policy online. The balances show what savings were spent on. Related question: Does Tyendinaga have enough saved for repairs and emergencies?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: The Reserves and Reserve Funds Policy of the Township of Tyendinaga, and for each reserve and reserve fund the opening balance, additions, withdrawals and closing balance for 2023, 2024 and 2025, with any report to council that sets or reviews a target level for the Working Capital reserve.

  Copy the wording

• The audit timetable

  The audit work is done in the spring but council gets the statements months later. These records would show what happens in between. Related question: Why do the audited statements take most of a year to finish after the audit is done?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For the audits of the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 financial statements: the engagement letters and audit plans from Baker Tilly KDN LLP, the timetable agreed for each audit (fieldwork, draft statements, final statements), and written communication between township staff and the auditor about when draft statements would be ready.

  Copy the wording

• How the sand dome roof bids were scored

  The staff report gives each bidder one total score. The score sheets would show how price, references and warranty counted. Related question: Why did the sand dome roof contract go to a bid about twice the lowest price?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For RFT-2025-04 (Sand Dome Roof Replacement): the completed bid evaluation scoring sheets showing each evaluator’s score for each criterion for every bidder, the Bid Approval Report, the signed contract, any change orders, and the final invoices.

  Copy the wording

• Council expense claims

  The yearly statements give one total for each member’s mileage, expenses, and training and conferences. The claims show what the money was spent on.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Copies of the expense claims and supporting receipts for conferences, training, mileage and any other reimbursements paid to members of Tyendinaga council in 2024 and 2025. Personal information such as home addresses or banking details can be removed.

  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. Speak or write to council

   Ask the clerk to be put on a regular meeting agenda as a delegation (form due seven business days before the meeting, 15 minutes), or write to “Mayor and Members of Council” by noon on the Thursday before a meeting to have the letter considered for the agenda. Meetings are held in the Recreation Hall, Shannonville.

2. Ask for the records

   Anyone can ask the township for its records under freedom-of-information law, for a $5 fee. The wording for useful requests is above.

3. Integrity Commissioner

   For complaints that a council member broke the Code of Conduct or the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The township appointed its current commissioner, from ADR Chambers, by council resolution on June 4, 2025. Complaints are in writing, signed, with a sworn affidavit, and go to the CAO/Deputy Clerk.

4. Closed meeting investigator

   For requests to look into whether a closed meeting broke the Municipal Act. The township uses Local Authority Services (Aird & Berlis LLP). Requests go through the CAO/Deputy Clerk, and the requester’s identity is kept confidential unless they agree otherwise.

5. Ontario Ombudsman

   Looks into complaints about how Ontario municipalities run their affairs, once local options are used up. Free.

6. Police

   If you have evidence that a crime such as fraud or theft has happened, report it to police. Questions and concerns belong with the options above; evidence of a crime belongs with police.