Sources and method

Where this comes from

Everything on these pages comes from public documents. Here they are, with how we used them, so anyone can check our work.

Documents

1. Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR)

   Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing · retrieved 2026-10-01

   The numbers behind the money and compare pages: 2019 to 2025 for Brampton, and 2025 for 1 similar places. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.

2. City of Brampton, council remuneration and expense statements

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

   What each council member was paid, and spent on benefits and expenses, 2024 to 2025. One statement a year; the link is the latest, and the council page links each year.

3. City of Brampton, budget documents

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-01

   The city’s published budgets. Used to check its plans against what it reported.

4. The Corporation of the City of Brampton 2025 Financial Report

   City of Brampton (auditor: KPMG LLP) · retrieved 2026-10-03

   Audited consolidated financial statements for 2025 (33 pages), with the auditor’s report dated June 24, 2026, notes and a statistical section.

5. City of Brampton 2026 Adopted Budget (full document)

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

   The adopted 2026 operating and capital budget (842 pages), with departmental plans, advocacy list and amendments.

6. Statement of Remuneration and Expenses, 2025, Appendix A

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

   What each member of council was paid and reimbursed in 2025 (Municipal Act s. 284).

7. Statement of Remuneration and Expenses, 2024, Appendix A

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

   The same statement for 2024.

8. Mayor's Office Expense Statement (November 2022 to 2026)

   City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

   Budget, actual and remaining budget by year for the Mayor’s office, with transactions (15 pages).

9. Integrity Commissioner Annual Report 2023 (August 2, 2024)

   Integrity Commissioner · retrieved 2026-10-03

   Summary of 2022 and 2023 complaints (7 pages).

10. Integrity Commissioner Periodic Report (August 18, 2022)

    Principles Integrity (interim Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-03

    Activity since April 6, 2022, including council referrals (9 pages).

11. Integrity Commissioner Report 2024-02

    Integrity Commissioner · retrieved 2026-10-03

    Investigation report to council on a complaint about a councillor; the Commissioner found no breach (106 pages).

12. Internal Audit: Transit Revenue Audit Report 2025

    Internal Audit, City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    The city’s summary of the audit findings, report date 12/1/2025.

13. Internal Audit: Building Permit Audit 2024 Report

    Internal Audit, City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    The city’s summary of the audit findings, report date 2/23/2025.

14. Internal Audit: Road Resurfacing Audit Report

    Internal Audit, City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    The city’s summary of the audit findings, report date 12/2/2024.

15. Internal Audit: Property Tax Audit 2023

    Internal Audit, City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    The city’s summary of the audit findings, report date 11/6/2023.

16. Internal Audit: Development Charges Audit Q2 2023

    Internal Audit, City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    The city’s summary of the audit findings, report date 6/11/2023.

17. News release: Appointment fills vacancy (September 1, 2026)

    City of Brampton · retrieved 2026-10-03

    Gael Miles appointed Regional Councillor for Wards 7 and 8 after the resignation of the previous member.

18. Statistics Canada, Consumer Price Index, annual average (table 18-10-0005-01)

    Statistics Canada · retrieved 2026-10-01

    How much prices went up each year, so cost growth can be compared with inflation.

How the numbers are worked out

Day-to-day spending

Total expenses as reported, minus amortization ("wear and tear"), which is an accounting cost rather than cash spent that year. Costs are shown in the service where they were recorded, before the city spreads its office overhead across services, so the cost of running the office stays visible.

Per home

An amount divided by the number of households the city reported to the Province for that year.

Similar places

Ontario lower-tier municipalities with 60% to 160% of this population that had filed their 2025 return, in 2025. This gives 1 places. "Typical" means the median: half of similar places are above it and half below. The size limits are a judgement call; moving them a little adds or drops a few places, so treat small differences in rank as noise. Per-home figures use the household counts each city reports to the Province. Places do not all count the same way: some include seasonal homes, so per-home comparisons are a guide, not exact.

Faster than prices

Growth is compared with Canada's Consumer Price Index over the same years.

When a question is raised automatically

When a cost grew at least 25 percentage points faster than prices and faster than 80% of similar places; when a measure of money health is worse than 80% of similar places; or when a one-year tax increase is higher than 80% of similar places and well above inflation. "Needs an answer" means worse than 90% of similar places. When there are fewer than 20 similar places, automatic questions go no higher than "Worth asking", because one rank moves a lot in a small group.

What this cannot see

These records show totals by category, not individual payments. They cannot show whether a particular contract was fair, whether a purchase was split to avoid tendering, or who was paid. That needs the city's list of payments (its cheque register or accounts payable list), which residents can ask for under Ontario's freedom-of-information law (MFIPPA). That is the next thing we plan to add.