North Frontenac’s work is recorded in the minutes. In 2025, those minutes show a Councillor who shows up and contributes. Fred Fowler has a perfect record—one hundred percent attendance on the year’s posted meetings—and, among Councillors, he’s the only one at that mark. The Mayor confirms his records also show Fowler at 100%. Attendance makes the rest possible; Fowler is consistently in the chair.
Pictured above, from left to right – South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, MPP John Jordan, North Frontenac Councillor Fred Fowler, Frontenac County Warden and North Frontenac Mayor, Gerry Lichty, and MPP Ted Hsu.
When council reoriented housing into a single accountable lane, Fowler helped move the decision that created the Housing Advisory Task Force and closed out overlapping efforts. That put responsibility in one place and set a clear route for recommendations to come back to council. On infrastructure, he supported the County’s K&P Trail rehabilitation bid and tied the stance to a Township contribution. The recorded vote carried; if funding is approved, residents should see trail and bridge repairs scheduled and reported. On public health and environment, he backed a pause on aerial glyphosate spraying pending updated assessment—an uncomfortable file that needed a position on the record.
Public safety followed the same steady approach. Council appointed Fowler to the Frontenac OPP Detachment Board, where costs and service levels are worked out. Alongside support for routine fire reporting and statutory receipts, the pattern is consistent: be present, keep the paperwork current, and leave a public trail people can check.
Above Artist: Fred Fowler
The energy file tested transparency. On the proposed battery-storage project, Fowler supported a clear public process—consultations on the record, information posted, and a review of any municipal-land options. The point is simple: decisions tracked in public, with dates and documents attached.
June offered the clearest look at principle and pressure. During debate on endorsing a ban on Nazi symbols, Fowler voted against endorsement on free-expression grounds while the majority carried the motion. In the exchange, Councillor Hermer pressed him hard in open council. Fowler held his ground and kept his position, but he didn’t drive it—he met the moment at the bare minimum. In a room that hot, residents needed a firmer, clearer defense to match the vote he cast.
Above Artist: Fred Fowler
Fowler’s style is measured. Neighbours know him as an artist and a family man—polite in debate, clear about where he stands. That reserve helps with routine business and can hold him back when a stronger voice is needed. He defends positions he believes are right, but he yields the spotlight easily. Speaking earlier and more directly on difficult files would strengthen his impact. There is more turning in his head than he says out loud; finding that voice is the next step.
Set plainly, the 2025 record shows a councillor with perfect attendance, a hand in the housing governance reset, support for the K&P rehabilitation package with Township dollars attached, a precautionary stance on aerial herbicides, a seat at the county policing table, and steady backing for a transparent process on major energy planning. The output is consistent and visible. It can grow stronger where the heat is highest.
Council should acknowledge the contribution. The public already does.
