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 Centre Wellington, and 2025 for 17 similar towns. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.

2. Township of Centre Wellington, budget documents

   Township of Centre Wellington · retrieved 2026-10-01

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

3. The Corporation of the Township of Centre Wellington, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2025 (KPMG LLP, June 23, 2026)

   Township of Centre Wellington (auditor: KPMG LLP) · retrieved 2026-10-05

   Audited statements for 2025. Clean opinion dated June 23, 2026. 39 PDF pages.

4. The Corporation of the Township of Centre Wellington, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2024 (KPMG LLP, July 4, 2025)

   Township of Centre Wellington (auditor: KPMG LLP) · retrieved 2026-10-05

   Audited statements for 2024. Clean opinion dated July 4, 2025. Read for the auditor's report only.

5. Township of Centre Wellington 2026 Budget (Final Budget Book)

   Township of Centre Wellington · retrieved 2026-10-05

   The 2026 budget book, 272 PDF pages (printed page = PDF page minus 6). Deemed adopted December 2025. Its 2025 actual figures are unaudited.

6. Township of Centre Wellington 2025 Budget (Final Budget Book)

   Township of Centre Wellington · retrieved 2026-10-05

   The 2025 budget book, 269 PDF pages (printed page = PDF page minus 6). Used for 2024 budget and actual figures.

7. Integrity Commissioner Report on MCIA Applications 2023-01 and 2023-02 (Aird & Berlis LLP, November 16, 2023)

   Township of Centre Wellington (Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-05

   Two applications about a termite management vote on September 25, 2023.

8. Integrity Commissioner Report, Code of Conduct Complaint 2024-01 and MCIA Application 2024-01 (January 14, 2025)

   Township of Centre Wellington (Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-05

   A complaint and an application about the Mayor, Riverfest and electrical work at Bissell Park.

9. Integrity Commissioner Addendum Report, Complaint 2024-01 and Application 2024-01 (January 23, 2025)

   Township of Centre Wellington (Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-05

   A two-page correction about the Township's part in a volunteer open house. It does not change the findings.

10. Integrity Commissioner Report, Code of Conduct Complaint 2024-03 and MCIA Application 2024-02 (March 6, 2025)

    Township of Centre Wellington (Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-05

    A complaint and an application about the Mayor's part in a vote on short-term rentals.

11. Integrity Commissioner Report, Code of Conduct Complaint 2024-02 (March 28, 2025)

    Township of Centre Wellington (Integrity Commissioner) · retrieved 2026-10-05

    A complaint about a councillor's conduct. Not sustained.

12. Mayor's Golf Tournament (Township web page)

    Township of Centre Wellington · retrieved 2026-10-05

    The Township's page on the tournament: who received the money and a notice about procurement.

13. Budget (Township web page)

    Township of Centre Wellington · retrieved 2026-10-05

    The Township's summary of the 2026 budget and links to budget books for 2014 to 2026.

14. 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 town 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 town reported to the Province for that year.

Similar towns

Ontario lower-tier municipalities with 60% to 160% of this population that had filed their 2025 return, in 2025. This gives 17 towns. "Typical" means the median: half of similar towns are above it and half below. The size limits are a judgement call; moving them a little adds or drops a few towns, so treat small differences in rank as noise. Per-home figures use the household counts each town reports to the Province. Towns 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 towns; when a measure of money health is worse than 80% of similar towns; or when a one-year tax increase is higher than 80% of similar towns and well above inflation. "Needs an answer" means worse than 90% of similar towns. When there are fewer than 20 similar towns, 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 town'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.