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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Welland is run by an elected council of 13 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

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

How open is Welland?

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

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    Budget books for 2019 to 2026 are posted as PDFs on one page. The 2026 Budget Book is the adopted budget. Source

  • Yes
    Audited financial statements

    Statements for 2018 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Doane Grant Thornton LLP dated May 15, 2026. The 2024 statements carry an opinion dated August 12, 2025. Source

  • Partly
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    The 2025 statement is posted on the Members of Council page, with a quarterly report for each member. We found only the 2025 year. The PDF's text layer is garbled, so it can be read only as a picture of the page. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    Agendas and minutes are on events.welland.ca. That site refused a scripted request (HTTP 403, a security block), so we did not read any minutes. The City says the 2026 council calendar has no meetings in October because of the election. Source

  • Yes
    Integrity Commissioner reports

    Reports are posted on the Integrity Commissioner page, newest first, back to 2017. Source

  • Unknown
    Registry of declarations of interest

    We did not find a registry of members' declarations of interest on the pages we read. Source

Where the city speaks for itself

Welland'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.

  • City of Welland on YouTube

    The City links this YouTube channel from the footer of its website. We did not check whether council meeting videos are posted there. The City also has a council livestream page.

  • Engage Welland

    The City's online consultation site, which carries the 2027 budget survey and timeline.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the city 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 city clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the city’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 city 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 city 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 city’s decision.

The city's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

  • The 2024 land or asset sale of about $31 million

    The statements show $31,262,463 of sale proceeds in 2024 but do not name the property, the buyer or the price. Related question: What land or assets did the City sell in 2024 for $31,262,463, and what has the money paid for?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the council report, resolution, and agreement of purchase and sale for each sale of land or other tangible capital assets by the City of Welland in 2024 with proceeds over $1,000,000, and the schedule showing which reserve fund received the proceeds.

  • Withdrawals from the Economic Development reserve fund

    The fund fell from $19,352,713 to $11,441,983 in 2025. Related question: What land or assets did the City sell in 2024 for $31,262,463, and what has the money paid for?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide a list of every transfer into and out of the Economic Development reserve fund in 2024 and 2025, with the date, amount, purpose and the council resolution or by-law that authorized it.

  • Age of unpaid property taxes at December 31, 2025

    Taxes receivable rose to $17,858,104 and the City does not say how much is long overdue. Related question: Why did unpaid property taxes grow by about a third in 2025, and why did the City double its allowance for tax appeals?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the aged taxes receivable report as of December 31, 2025 (current, 1 to 12 months, 13 to 24 months, over 24 months), showing separately the amounts under assessment appeal and the shares collected for the Region and school boards.

  • Cost of the Integrity Commissioner

    The Commissioner delivered two public reports in 2026 and the budget does not show what the work costs. Related question: What has Council decided to do about the Integrity Commissioner's two 2026 reports on its own members?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the total amounts paid to the Integrity Commissioner for 2025 and 2026 to date, listed by invoice date, and a copy of the Commissioner's retainer agreement.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city 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 City's page says the Integrity Commissioner is an independent officer who investigates complaints that a member of council broke the Code of Conduct, and who reports publicly. The page names an outside law firm, Hines Law, as the contact, and lists 17 public reports from January 17, 2017 to August 11, 2026.

  2. Ontario Ombudsman (closed meetings and general complaints)

    The City's accountability page says the Ontario Ombudsman can take general complaints about municipalities and complaints about closed meetings. It does not name a separate closed meeting investigator.