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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

The money · 2025

How Bonnechere Valley's money works

A town is a bit like a household. Money comes in (mostly taxes and grants), and money goes out to pay for services like roads, fire trucks and the arena. Here is what that looked like in 2025, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2025 and not this year? A budget is a plan. These figures are what actually happened, checked by an auditor and reported to Ontario.

Money in: $11.6M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Bonnechere Valley revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$4.4M38%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.6M14%
  • Grants for specific projects$2.5M21%
  • Fees people pay$1.9M16%
  • Other$910K8%
  • Everything else$378K3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,368,71637.6%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,609,20013.8%
Grants for specific projects$2,491,87021.4%
Fees people pay$1,865,70216.1%
Other$909,6207.8%
Everything else$377,8653.3%
Total$11,622,973100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Money from Ontario (no strings)
A yearly grant from the Province that the town can spend on anything. Small rural towns get more.
Grants for specific projects
Money from Ontario or Canada that must be spent on a certain thing, often a road or building.
Fees people pay
Water and sewer bills, dump fees, arena rentals, permits and similar charges.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $7.3M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $2.0M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Bonnechere Valley spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.1M15%
  • Police, fire and safety$1.3M17%
  • Roads and snow$2.5M33%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$1.4M20%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.1M15%
  • Planning and business$19,0760%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,100,13215.0%
Police, fire and safety$1,261,94017.2%
Roads and snow$2,450,42833.4%
Water, sewers and garbage$1,436,18019.5%
Parks, arena and library$1,079,40414.7%
Planning and business$19,0760.3%
Total$7,347,160100%

Roads and snow

$2.5M

Fixing and paving roads, bridges and culverts, ploughing snow, and street lights.

+58% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$954K+76%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Gravel roads$847K+82%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Snow ploughing$583K+31%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Street lights$39,903

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  5. Bridges and culverts$26,565−66%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$953,763+75.8%
Gravel roads$847,382+82.5%
Snow ploughing$582,815+31.1%
Street lights$39,903–
Bridges and culverts$26,565−65.7%

Water, sewers and garbage

$1.4M

Clean tap water, the sewer system, garbage pickup, the dump and recycling.

+23% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water treatment$543K+28%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  2. Sewage treatment$318K+42%

    Cleaning sewage before it goes back into nature (Tweed uses lagoons).

  3. The dump (landfill)$230K−12%

    Running the landfill, and saving up to close it safely one day.

  4. Recycling$132K+9%

    Recycling and composting.

  5. Garbage pickup$78,684+35%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

  6. Water pipes$76,130−5%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  7. Sewer pipes$58,578+59%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water treatment$542,796+28.2%
Sewage treatment$318,162+41.9%
The dump (landfill)$229,931−12.1%
Recycling$131,899+9.4%
Garbage pickup$78,684+34.9%
Water pipes$76,130−4.7%
Sewer pipes$58,578+59.2%

Police, fire and safety

$1.3M

Paying for police, the fire department, building inspectors and by-law officers.

−1% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$780K+4%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$379K+30%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$83,458−20%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$19,254−85%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$779,897+3.8%
Fire department$379,331+29.7%
Building permits$83,458−20.3%
By-law and animal control$19,254−84.6%

Running the town office

$1.1M

Council, managers, the clerk, accounting, computers, insurance and the town hall itself. Every town needs some of this, but it does not fix a road or put out a fire.

+22% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$923K+36%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$177K−20%

    Pay and expenses for the mayor and councillors, and council meetings.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$923,133+36.0%
Council$176,999−20.2%

Parks, arena and library

$1.1M

Parks, the arena, the pool, sports fields, programs and the library.

+13% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$512K+17%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Library$329K+21%

    The public library.

  3. Parks$127K−11%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Programs$78,531+16%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  5. Museums$16,972

    Local museums.

  6. Arts and culture$16,089

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$511,766+16.9%
Library$329,025+21.4%
Parks$127,021−11.4%
Programs$78,531+16.1%
Museums$16,972–
Arts and culture$16,089–

Planning and business

$19,076

Deciding what can be built where, and trying to bring businesses and visitors to town.

+30% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$14,648

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Planning and zoning$4,428

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$14,648–
Planning and zoning$4,428–

What the money bought

The same 2025 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Supplies and utilities$3.3M

    Gravel, salt, fuel, electricity, heating, office supplies and repairs.

  2. Staff pay and benefits$3.2M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  3. Outside companies$762K

    Work the town pays other companies to do, like policing, paving or consultants.

  4. Interest on loans$147K

    The extra money paid to lenders for money the town borrowed.

  5. Money given to others$3,082

    Grants and payments to other groups, like the conservation authority.

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Supplies and utilities$3,274,483
Staff pay and benefits$3,238,582
Outside companies$762,128
Interest on loans$146,700
Money given to others$3,082

Staff

People on the town's payroll at the end of each year, as reported to the Province.

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201925501
202025501
202125415
202225415
202324406
202425340
202525336

How things have changed since 2019

Money in compared with day-to-day spending, each year. When the orange line is above the blue one, the town spent more than it took in and made up the difference from savings or loans. Grants for big projects arrive in some years and not others, which makes "money in" jump around.

Money in and day-to-day spending by year
$11.6M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$9.6M$5.9M
2020$8.5M$5.7M
2021$7.5M$5.7M
2022$8.2M$6.6M
2023$7.8M$6.8M
2024$9.1M$7.4M
2025$11.6M$7.3M

Town property tax

Up 29% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$4.4M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$3.4M
2020$3.5M
2021$3.6M
2022$3.7M
2023$3.8M
2024$4.1M
2025$4.4M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$4.9M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$2.9M
2020$4.0M
2021$4.5M
2022$4.4M
2023$4.5M
2024$4.6M
2025$4.9M

What the town owes

Long-term loans plus short-term (temporary) loans at year end.

Debt by year
$2.4M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$2.8M$0
2020$2.7M$0
2021$2.3M$0
2022$2.9M$0
2023$3.3M$0
2024$2.7M$98,810
2025$2.4M$0

Building new things

Spending on new or rebuilt roads, pipes, buildings and equipment, compared with how fast existing ones wear out.

Capital spending and wear by year
$2.0M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$2.6M$1.8M
2020$757K$1.6M
2021$1.5M$1.6M
2022$2.9M$1.7M
2023$1.2M$1.8M
2024$1.2M$2.0M
2025$2.0M$2.0M

Source: Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), Schedules 10, 40, 51, 60, 70, 74 and 80 (archived copy). Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved 2026-10-01. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.