Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Calvin's budget, taxes and council decisions. A small township near Mattawa in the Nipissing District, with a mayor and four councillors. It calls itself the Municipality of Calvin on its documents. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Calvin in one tapWhere it goes
Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
+160%running the town office, 2019 to 2024
Calvin spent $320K on running the town office in 2019 and $834K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 1 of 42 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
+72%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024
Calvin spent $354K on roads and snow in 2019 and $611K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 2 of 42 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$6,205per home on long-term debt, 2024
Calvin spent about $6,205 per home on long-term debt in 2024. The typical similar town spent $464. Only 1 of 42 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$655,125landfill closure and post-closure accrual at December 31, 2024, counted under the old rule the auditors say is withdrawn
An audit opinion is the auditors' verdict on whether the statements are fair. For 2024 the auditors said the statements are fair only "except for" one problem. The Municipality had not finished working out what it would owe to clean up or close certain assets, including its landfill, as a new accounting rule requires. The auditors said they cannot measure how much this changes the results, for both 2024 and 2023.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,624,005recorded at December 31, 2024 for the Cassellholme redevelopment commitment, up from $1,089,781
Cassellholme is the long-term care home that several nearby municipalities own together, and it is being rebuilt. The Municipality now records $1,624,005 as the present value of what it expects to pay for its share, up from $1,089,781 a year earlier. In 2024 it booked a $534,224 expense for the increase. That one item is most of the Municipality's long-term debt, and the Municipality also signed a guarantee on the home's loan.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$3,809,500agreed in principle in 2016 to be paid jointly over 25 years, split not yet decided
In 2016 Calvin and three other municipalities agreed in principle to give $3,809,500 over 25 years toward rebuilding the Algonquin Nursing Home. The statements say the payment terms, including how the cost is split, have not been decided. Calvin keeps a reserve of $160,616 for the Algonquin Nursing Home.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,817,838net financial liabilities at December 31, 2024, up from $828,772
Net financial liabilities are what the Municipality owes minus its cash and other financial assets. They grew from $828,772 to $1,817,838 in 2024 (more than double, worked out by us). Cash fell from $1,196,628 to $803,805. The roads reserve fell from $167,752 to $26,263 and total reserves from $875,090 to $746,351. The statements show the main causes: a $534,224 Cassellholme expense and $896,320 of new capital assets bought.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
July 30, 2024the date Council adopted the 2024 budget, according to the audited statements
The statements say Council adopted the 2024 budget on July 30, 2024, about seven months into the year (worked out by us). The budget presentation says Council held two special open meetings in June and July and a public meeting on July 25, 2024.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+12%town property tax, 2023 to 2024
In 2024, Calvin collected $179K more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 12% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 6 of 42 similar towns raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 10% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only 2.5%.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources
$500,000estimated cost of the June 21, 2025 flood response, with a provincial assistance application planned
The 2024 statements report that a severe storm on June 21, 2025 flooded the Municipality, knocked down trees and washed out roads, and led to a state of emergency. Costs were estimated at about $500,000. The Municipality planned to apply to the provincial disaster assistance program to recover eligible costs. At the end of 2024 its cash was $803,805 and its roads reserve $26,263.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$200,000accrued liabilities at December 31, 2024, with no explanation in the notes
Accounts payable (money owed to suppliers and others) was $267,169 at the end of 2024, up from $179,558. The notes split it into trade payables of $19,592, accrued payroll of $47,577 and a new line, "Accrued liabilities", of $200,000. In 2023 that line was blank and trade payables were $163,959. The notes do not say what the $200,000 is for.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$836,852spent on general government in 2024, against a budget of $649,559
In 2024 general government cost $836,852 against a budget of $649,559, and protection to persons and property cost $304,397 against $161,780. Transportation cost $782,855 against $686,961. Government transfers, a revenue, came in at $711,945 against a budget of $367,396. The statements say the budget was not built the same way as the actual results.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
−$1.8Mnet financial position, 2024
In 2019, Calvin had $23,556 more in cash and money owed to it than it owed to others. By 2024 it was −$1.8M. About 36% of that change ($655K) is a new accounting rule from 2023: towns must now record the future cost of closing things like a landfill. That is not new spending or borrowing. Even leaving that out, only 1 of 42 similar towns are in a weaker position.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
2024 tax year · Calvin, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Calvin's share pays for.
Ontario still uses property values from January 1, 2016 for tax, so your assessed value is probably well below what your home would sell for today.
It is on your property assessment notice from MPAC, and on your tax bill. We filled in the typical value in Calvin.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Calvin council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Calvin's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
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