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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Carling'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 · 10 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Carling's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 39 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.
$4,863,616assets under construction at December 31, 2025, against $991,400 of capital planned in the 2025 budget
The 2025 statements show the Township bought or built $4,406,448 of long-lived assets (capital) in 2025, of which $3,573,808 was added to "Assets under construction", a total that reached $4,863,616 at year end. The statements say the budget planned capital spending of $991,400. The fire hall, the largest project, is budgeted in 2026 ("Fire" capital of $4,160,608), and the project sheet says its spending was expected in 2026. Money owed to suppliers also rose, from $1,332,263 to $2,480,774. The statements do not say which projects are in the construction total.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$1,549,180the most the Township has guaranteed on the recreation centre's line of credit
Carling pays 10.5% of the costs of the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre (the Tamarack North Centre), built by six municipalities together. In 2025 the joint board took out a line of credit (a bank loan it can draw on) of up to $13,500,000. The Township is a guarantor, meaning it promises to pay if the board cannot, for up to $1,549,180. By December 31, 2025 the board had drawn $2,517,000, and the Township shows $264,285 of it as its own share of borrowing. The board's own figures show its net financial assets (what it holds minus what it owes) fell from $5,449,457 to $(127,891). The Township says the project is expected to come in within its approved budget.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$1,021,855.02roads reserve at December 31, 2025, against a $2,000,000 target
A reserve is money set aside for a future purpose. The Township's schedule gives the Roads Capital Reserve a target of $2,000,000 and an estimated balance of $1,021,855.02 at December 31, 2025. The 2025 budget planned to add $1,000,000 to it; the 2026 budget plans to add nothing and to take out $140,000. The Township says a significant road project on Bayview Road and Carling Bay Road East is expected within the next two years, and that it is in a strong financial position to manage it. Across all reserves in the schedule, the total falls by about $1,362,870 in 2026 (worked out by us), as the fire department and Henvey Inlet reserves are used up.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
October 2, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements
Audited statements are the Township's yearly accounts, checked by an outside auditor. The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is dated October 2, 2026, nine months after the year ended on December 31, 2025. The report on the 2024 statements is dated December 19, 2025. The Township says staff give information to the auditors to prepare the statements and the yearly return to the Province. We did not find a reason for the timing.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$2,059,172provincial grants in 2025, against a budget of $1,317,486
The 2025 budget counted on $1,317,486 of provincial grants. The audited statements show $2,059,172, which is $741,686 more (worked out by us). More money than planned is not a problem in itself. The statements do not say which grants made up the difference. We did not find the Township's own explanation.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$247,783landfill accretion expense in 2025, against $129,346 in 2024
Environmental services (waste sites and related work) cost $630,411 in 2025 against a budget of $419,623. The notes show a charge of $247,783 in 2025 for landfill closure and care, up from $129,346 the year before. This is a non-cash accounting charge (accretion expense): the estimated future cost grows a little each year as it is counted. Taking it out would leave $382,628 (worked out by us), below the budget. We think this is mostly accounting rather than overspending, though we could not tell from the budget whether the charge was planned.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$174,100increase in contracted services, 2025 budget to 2026 budget
Contracted services (work done by outside firms) rise from $423,100 to $597,200 in the 2026 budget, up $174,100. The Township explains the main parts: landfill mining of construction waste ($85k), rock blasting for ditch work ($50k) and road crack sealing ($25k), which add to $160,000 (worked out by us) of the $164,600 rise in operational services. We have no further question about the amount, only about whether these are one-time or yearly costs.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2023 and 2024the only years listed on the Township's page
The Township posts a yearly statement of what each member of Council was paid and what expenses were paid to them. The budget and financial statements page lists one for 2023 and one for 2024. On October 7, 2026 we did not find one for 2025. We did not fill in the pay table in this pack because the text of the posted statements prints names and amounts in separate blocks that we could not match line by line.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$4,863,616assets under construction at December 31, 2025, against $991,400 of capital planned in the 2025 budget
The 2025 statements show the Township bought or built $4,406,448 of long-lived assets (capital) in 2025, of which $3,573,808 was added to "Assets under construction", a total that reached $4,863,616 at year end. The statements say the budget planned capital spending of $991,400. The fire hall, the largest project, is budgeted in 2026 ("Fire" capital of $4,160,608), and the project sheet says its spending was expected in 2026. Money owed to suppliers also rose, from $1,332,263 to $2,480,774. The statements do not say which projects are in the construction total.
Why it matters
Residents can see what the budget promised for 2025 and what the books show. A gap this big between planned and actual capital spending, with no list of the projects in it, makes it hard to tell what the Township actually committed to, and when.
It could be because…
Work on the new fire hall may have started in late 2025 (the project sheet shows a December 2025 date), with some costs booked before the 2026 budget.
The 2026 budget may count only the part of the fire hall still to be paid for. We could not tell from the figures.
Money for a grant-funded project can be booked in the year the work is done, and the statements say grants are counted when the related costs have been incurred.
The rise in money owed to suppliers may simply be construction invoices that arrived near year end.
Questions you could ask
Which projects make up the $4,863,616 of assets under construction at December 31, 2025, and how much of each was paid in 2025?
How much of the fire hall was spent or owed by December 31, 2025, and how does that fit with the $4,160,608 in the 2026 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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 8, tangible capital assets, 2025 cost table: "Assets under construction 1,289,808 3,573,808 - 4,863,616" (balance at December 31, 2024, additions, disposals, balance at December 31, 2025). The total row reads "Total $ 30,497,362 $ 4,406,448 $ (646,127) $ 34,257,683".
Fire hall project sheet: "Council approved this project in summer of 2025 with expenses expected to be incurred in 2026 and formaly budgeted within the 2026 budget."
$1,549,180the most the Township has guaranteed on the recreation centre's line of credit
Carling pays 10.5% of the costs of the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre (the Tamarack North Centre), built by six municipalities together. In 2025 the joint board took out a line of credit (a bank loan it can draw on) of up to $13,500,000. The Township is a guarantor, meaning it promises to pay if the board cannot, for up to $1,549,180. By December 31, 2025 the board had drawn $2,517,000, and the Township shows $264,285 of it as its own share of borrowing. The board's own figures show its net financial assets (what it holds minus what it owes) fell from $5,449,457 to $(127,891). The Township says the project is expected to come in within its approved budget.
Why it matters
A guarantee is a promise that does not show up as a debt until it is called on. For a township with about $692,397 of long-term debt of its own, a promise of up to $1,549,180 is large. Residents should know the total the Township could owe, and who is responsible for any overrun.
It could be because…
The project is on track and funded by grants, donations and the partners, as the Township says.
The loan is bridge money, drawn while grants and partner payments arrive, and will be repaid from them.
The guarantee is a standard bank requirement and the partners share it, so the Township's real exposure may be its 10.5% share only. We could not check the other partners' guarantees.
Questions you could ask
What is the approved total cost of the recreation centre, and what is the Township's total share, including any guarantees?
Do the other five municipalities give guarantees on the same loan, and in what amounts?
When is the line of credit due to be repaid, and from what money?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 20: "In 2025, the WPSRCC secured a line of credit facility with a maximum available amount of $13,500,000". The Township "is a guarantor for the facility in the maximum amount of $1,549,180". "As of December 31, 2025, the WPSRC has drawn $2,517,000 on the facility, of which the Township's proportionate share of the borrowings is $264,285."
Note 18: "The Township contributes 10.5% of the operating and capital costs of the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre" and "The Centre is currently in its construction phase." The condensed table shows "Net financial assets (127,891) 5,449,457" (2025, 2024) and "Line of credit 2,517,000 -".
Budget summary: "Both projects are projected to be delivered within approved budgets and have benefited from significant grant funding." (about the new fire hall and the Tamarack North Centre).
$1,021,855.02roads reserve at December 31, 2025, against a $2,000,000 target
A reserve is money set aside for a future purpose. The Township's schedule gives the Roads Capital Reserve a target of $2,000,000 and an estimated balance of $1,021,855.02 at December 31, 2025. The 2025 budget planned to add $1,000,000 to it; the 2026 budget plans to add nothing and to take out $140,000. The Township says a significant road project on Bayview Road and Carling Bay Road East is expected within the next two years, and that it is in a strong financial position to manage it. Across all reserves in the schedule, the total falls by about $1,362,870 in 2026 (worked out by us), as the fire department and Henvey Inlet reserves are used up.
Why it matters
Reserves are how a small township pays for big road work without a sudden tax jump or borrowing. Residents should know how the next road project is meant to be paid for before the reserve is drawn down.
It could be because…
The $1,000,000 added in 2025 may have been a one-time top-up, and the target is a goal, not a rule.
The road project may be paid for partly by grants or borrowing, not only from the reserve.
The Township says Council used reserves on purpose to keep tax increases low without cutting services.
Questions you could ask
What is the expected cost of the Bayview Road and Carling Bay Road East project, and how will it be paid for?
Does Council plan to rebuild the roads reserve toward its $2,000,000 target, and by when?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Projected schedule of reserves, 2026: "Roads Capital Reserve $2,000,000.00 $1,021,855.02 $140,000.00 $881,855.02" (2026 target, estimated balance at December 31, 2025, transfer from reserve, budget ending balance). "Fire Dept. Reserves $500,000.00 $1,048,851.00 $1,048,851.00 $0.00". "Sub Total $6,585,500.00 $6,363,712.84 $5,000,842.41".
"It is also recognized that a significant capital road project on Bayview Road and Carling Bay Road East is expected to proceed within the next two years, and the Township is in a strong financial position to manage this investment."
2025 projected schedule of reserves: "Roads Capital Reserve $1,500,000.00 $21,855.02 $1,000,000.00 $1,021,855.02" (2025 target, estimated balance at December 31, 2024, transfer to reserve, budget ending balance).
Carling spent $323K on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $515K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.
Why did the cost of water, sewers and garbage grow 59% in 5 years?
Water, sewers and garbage
Prices (inflation)
−40%−20%+0%+20%+40%+60%
+59%
201920202021202220232024
Show as a table
Year
Water, sewers and garbage
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+31%
+1%
2021
−23%
+4%
2022
+1%
+11%
2023
+23%
+16%
2024
+59%
+18%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
When one area grows much faster than prices, it is either doing more (which may be great) or paying more for the same thing. Residents deserve to know which.
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
What did the extra $192K a year pay for?
Why did the dump (landfill) go from $323K to $441K?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
October 2, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements
Audited statements are the Township's yearly accounts, checked by an outside auditor. The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is dated October 2, 2026, nine months after the year ended on December 31, 2025. The report on the 2024 statements is dated December 19, 2025. The Township says staff give information to the auditors to prepare the statements and the yearly return to the Province. We did not find a reason for the timing.
Why it matters
The audited statements are the one check on the Township's own account of its money that comes from outside. The sooner they are public, the sooner voters and Council can use them. Council's 2026 budget meeting was held in February, before the 2025 accounts were final.
It could be because…
The statements include a share of a joint recreation centre that is under construction, and its own figures may have had to be finished first.
New accounting for landfill closure costs (an asset retirement obligation) may have taken extra audit time.
A small township with few staff may have to wait for the auditor's turn.
The 2024 statements were also signed late in the following year, so this may be the Township's usual pattern.
Questions you could ask
On what date did Council first receive a draft of the 2025 statements, and why did the audit finish on October 2, 2026?
When was the 2025 Financial Information Return filed with the Province?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is signed "Sudbury, Canada" and dated "October 2, 2026", for the year ended December 31, 2025.
$2,059,172provincial grants in 2025, against a budget of $1,317,486
The 2025 budget counted on $1,317,486 of provincial grants. The audited statements show $2,059,172, which is $741,686 more (worked out by us). More money than planned is not a problem in itself. The statements do not say which grants made up the difference. We did not find the Township's own explanation.
Why it matters
Grants that arrive once, often for a building project, can make a year look better than it is. Knowing which grants were one-time helps residents judge what the Township can count on in later years.
It could be because…
A one-time grant for a building project may have been counted in 2025 as the work was done.
A grant approved during the year may not have been known when the budget was set.
The Township may budget grants cautiously on purpose.
Questions you could ask
Which provincial grants, and for which projects, make up the $2,059,172 for 2025?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Revenue policy: "Government grants are recognized when approved to the extent the related expenses have been incurred and collection can be reasonably assured."
$247,783landfill accretion expense in 2025, against $129,346 in 2024
Environmental services (waste sites and related work) cost $630,411 in 2025 against a budget of $419,623. The notes show a charge of $247,783 in 2025 for landfill closure and care, up from $129,346 the year before. This is a non-cash accounting charge (accretion expense): the estimated future cost grows a little each year as it is counted. Taking it out would leave $382,628 (worked out by us), below the budget. We think this is mostly accounting rather than overspending, though we could not tell from the budget whether the charge was planned.
Why it matters
A gap between budget and actual cost looks like overspending, but budgets often leave out accounting charges that involve no cash in the year. It matters that residents can tell the two apart.
It could be because…
The charge is a required accounting entry for landfill closure and care, not money spent.
The budget may leave out this charge, as budgets often leave out amortization.
Part of the gap may be real cost, such as the contracted landfill mining planned for 2026 ($85k per the budget narrative). We did not look at the detailed accounts.
Questions you could ask
Did the 2025 budget include any amount for the landfill closure charge?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 7, asset retirement obligation: "Accretion expense for the year 247,783 129,346" (2025, 2024); "Balance, end of year $ 1,100,524 $ 852,741". The landfill is expected to reach capacity "in 19 years".
$174,100increase in contracted services, 2025 budget to 2026 budget
Contracted services (work done by outside firms) rise from $423,100 to $597,200 in the 2026 budget, up $174,100. The Township explains the main parts: landfill mining of construction waste ($85k), rock blasting for ditch work ($50k) and road crack sealing ($25k), which add to $160,000 (worked out by us) of the $164,600 rise in operational services. We have no further question about the amount, only about whether these are one-time or yearly costs.
Why it matters
Contract costs that repeat each year raise the tax base for good; one-time costs do not. The budget does not say which these are.
It could be because…
Landfill mining and ditch blasting may be one-time catch-up work.
Crack sealing may repeat every few years rather than each year.
Questions you could ask
Which of the three listed contracts are one-time, and which will repeat in 2027?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Contract Services has increased by $174,000 over the 2025 budget. The most notable change for 2026 is contracting for landfill mining of construction waste to maintain the life of the landfill at a cost of $85k, contracting rock blasting services for ditch maintenance to better manage storm water at $50k, and road Asphalt crack sealing at $25k."
2023 and 2024the only years listed on the Township's page
The Township posts a yearly statement of what each member of Council was paid and what expenses were paid to them. The budget and financial statements page lists one for 2023 and one for 2024. On October 7, 2026 we did not find one for 2025. We did not fill in the pay table in this pack because the text of the posted statements prints names and amounts in separate blocks that we could not match line by line.
Why it matters
The municipal election is on October 26, 2026. Voters should be able to see the last full year of what the sitting Council was paid before they vote.
It could be because…
The 2025 statement may exist but not yet be linked from the page.
The Township may publish the statement together with another report.
Questions you could ask
Has the 2025 statement under section 284 of the Municipal Act been prepared, and when will it be posted?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The page's list of "Mayor and Council's Expenses" links "2024 Mayor and Council's Expenses" and "2023 Mayor and Council's Expenses". No 2025 link was on the page when we read it.
Carling spent about $307 per home on snow ploughing in 2024. The typical similar town spent $111. Only 3 of 39 similar towns spent more.
Why it matters
Spending more than neighbours is not wrong by itself. It might buy better service. But it is the first place to look for costs that could be lower, such as contracts that were not competitively bid.
It could be because…
Geography: more roads, more snow, a bigger area or a landfill of its own.
Accounting: some towns record the same cost in a different category.
A one-time cost in this year.
Questions you could ask
What makes this cost higher here than in similar towns?
When were the main contracts in this area last put out to competitive tender?
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 Carling?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Snow ploughing per home: Carling $307; typical similar town $111; ranked 4th highest of 40.
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