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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Questions · 2 so far

Things worth asking about

We read Brethour's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 3 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.

What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking

Worth asking

There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.

Worth askingOpenness

Why doesn't Brethour post its audited financial statements online?

On October 14, 2026 we read the home page and the Council, Meetings, By-Laws and Taxes & Finance pages of the Township's website. None of them links to audited financial statements, a budget or a council pay statement. The Meetings page has no agendas or minutes, and the By-Laws page lists titles with no by-law text.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources

Each question in full

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

Why doesn't Brethour post its audited financial statements online?

On October 14, 2026 we read the home page and the Council, Meetings, By-Laws and Taxes & Finance pages of the Township's website. None of them links to audited financial statements, a budget or a council pay statement. The Meetings page has no agendas or minutes, and the By-Laws page lists titles with no by-law text.

Why it matters

Residents can only judge spending they can see. Without the statements and the budget posted, residents have no easy way to check how the Township's money was spent or what council decided.

It could be because…

  • Copies are available at the Township office or on request, and residents may simply ask for them.
  • The Township is small and has a small staff, so posting documents online may not have been done yet. The website looks new and unfinished.
  • The documents may have been shared another way, such as a notice, a mailing with the tax bill or another web page we did not find.
  • The website may still be under construction, and the documents may be added when it is finished.

Questions you could ask

  1. Where can residents read the latest audited financial statements and the budget?
  2. Will council post the statements, the budget and the agendas and minutes on the Township's website?
  3. When was the yearly statement of council pay and expenses for 2025 presented to council, and where can residents read it?

You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.

Speak for Brethour? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. The page shows a menu (Home, Council, Meetings, By-Laws, Taxes, Roads, Forms, Contact) and four boxes titled "Agendas & Minutes", "Taxes & Finance", "Road Services" and "Public Notices". The boxes have no links or documents. It says "Council meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month." No financial statement, budget or council pay statement is linked.

    Home page (Township of Brethour website) · Whole page, checked October 14, 2026

  2. The page lists the Reeve and three Councillors by name, a line "Vacant Council Seat", and two staff positions. It ends with "Add biographies and photos here." It has no link to a council pay and expenses statement.

    Council & Administration page (Township of Brethour website) · Whole page, checked October 14, 2026

  3. The page is titled "Agendas & Minutes". Its only content is the line "Create folders: agendas/2026, minutes/2026 etc. Add PDF links here." No agenda, minutes or other document is linked.

    Agendas & Minutes page (Township of Brethour website) · Whole page, checked October 14, 2026

  4. The page is titled "Taxes & Finance". It says "Pay by cheque or e-transfer." and lists "Installment 1", "Installment 2" and "Final Installment" with no dates, amounts or links. It has no budget and no financial statements.

    Taxes & Finance page (Township of Brethour website) · Whole page, checked October 14, 2026

  5. The page is titled "By-Law Library" and lists seven titles: Tax Rate, Tax Ratio, Procurement, Investment, Debt, Animal Control and Construction & Demolition. None is a link and no by-law text is shown.

    By-Law Library page (Township of Brethour website) · Whole page, checked October 14, 2026

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Worth askingFound automatically from financial reports

Why did the cost of running the town office grow 48% in 5 years?

+48%running the town office, 2019 to 2024

Brethour spent $92,993 on running the town office in 2019 and $137K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.

Why did the cost of running the town office grow 48% in 5 years?
+48%
Show as a table
YearRunning the town officePrices (inflation)
2019+0%+0%
2020+5%+1%
2021+7%+4%
2022+2%+11%
2023+64%+16%
2024+48%+18%

Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.

Why it matters

Money spent running the office is money not spent on roads, water or safety. When office costs grow much faster than the services people see, it is fair to ask what the extra money is buying.

It could be because…

  • The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
  • Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
  • Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
  • Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.

Questions you could ask

  1. What did the extra $44,264 a year pay for?
  2. Why did senior management go from $82,420 to $123K?
  3. Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly budget?

You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.

Speak for Brethour? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Running the town office: 2019 $92,993, 2020 $97,699, 2021 $99,535, 2022 $95,218, 2023 $153K, 2024 $137K.

    Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2024 · Schedule 40 · archived copy

  2. Biggest driver: Senior management, from $82,420 to $123K.

    Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2024 · Schedule 40 · archived copy

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