Council | Township of Selwyn

Township Council

The Mayor and Council make up the local government for the Township of Selwyn. They represent the community and develop laws and policies that are implemented by the Township's administration.

The Township of Selwyn is a lower tier municipality governed by a five member Council comprised of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and three Councillors who represent the wards of Smith, Ennismore, and Lakefield. Selwyn is a part of the upper tier County of Peterborough with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor representing the Township on the Peterborough County Council.

At the beginning of every Township Council meeting, the chairperson says the following land acknowledgement statement then asks for 30 seconds of reflection on the principles in the statement.

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the treaty and traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to the First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings."

Mayor Sherry Senis

Cell: 705-930-6202

Email: ssenis@selwyntownship.ca

Appointments

Selwyn Public Library Board

Deputy Mayor Ron Black

Cell: 705-740-3729

Email: rblack@selwyntownship.ca

Appointments

Otonabee Conservation Board

Ennismore Councillor Mary Coulas

Cell: 705-740-4179

Email: mcoulas@selwyntownship.ca

Appointments

Joint Township-County Accessibility Advisory Committee

Smith Councillor Brian Henry

Cell: 705-740-4241

Email: bhenry@selwyntownship.ca

Appointments

Smith-Ennismore Police Services Board

Lakefield Councillor John Boyko

Cell: 705-927-3093

Email: jboyko@selwyntownship.ca

Appointments

Otonabee Conservation Board
Liaison representative on the Peterborough Police Service Board

Send an Email to all of Council

Find agendas, reports and minutes for General Committee meetings, Township Council meetings, and advisory committee meetings.

As part of our commitment to open and accessible government, Council encourages public participation in the decision making process. If you would like to make a presentation to Council, please contact the Clerk with a written request no less than 6 days prior to the Council meeting. Your request must clearly identify the reason(s) you wish to speak to Council and include the name(s) of those who will be speaking. Presentations are limited to 10 minutes.

All Township Council and Committee of Adjustment meetings are livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Video recordings of past meetings are available on our Council Meeting Calendar page .

Council Communicator

The Council Communicator is an annual newspaper publication sent to every resident of Selwyn Township.

View the 2024 Edition

Accountability and Transparency

Integrity Commissioner

The Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Boards outlines the principles and rules of good conduct and ethics that Council or Local Board members are expected to demonstrate in the performance of their duties.

In accordance with Section 223 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Township of Selwyn has the authority to appoint an Integrity Commissioner. The Integrity Commissioner has the power to assess and investigate complaints respecting alleged contraventions of the Code of Conduct or any policy, procedure or by-law adopted by Council.

The Integrity Commissioner reports to Council and is responsible for performing, in an independent manner, the following three duties:

Complaint Investigation;
Complaint Adjudication; and
Preparing and Presenting Reports to Council.

Individuals who have identified or witnessed behaviour or an action by a member of Council or a Local Board, in their capacity as members of Council or a Local Board for the Township of Selwyn, that they believe is in contravention of the Code of Conduct, may address the matter through a complaint process outlined in the Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Boards.

Integrity Commissioner

Tony Fleming
Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP
27 Princess Street, Suite 300
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 1A3
Tel: 613-544-0211 ext. 8096
Email: tfleming@cswan.com

Code of Conduct

Members of Council have the privilege of attaining elected office. That privilege carries significant responsibilities and obligations with respect to public trust. In order to strengthen the role of Council and to enhance public trust with respect to obligations of its members, the Code of Conduct By-law is established to govern and regulate the ethical conduct of all Council members.

Procedural By-law

The Procedure By-law, as amended, governs the proceedings of meetings of Council and Committees.

Open and Closed Meeting Process

All meetings of Council are open to the public with the exception of closed meetings of Council held under Section 239 of the Municipal Act. The Township of Selwyn has appointed a Closed Meeting Investigator and authorizes the Investigator to conduct investigations upon receipt of a complaint to determine compliance with the Act or the Municipal Procedural By-law and to report on the results of such investigation.