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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Collingwood'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.
Ontario / CollingwoodUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Collingwood uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Collingwood's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town on the southern shore of Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and seven councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$3,808on a $320K home62% Town25% County13% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$56.1MAbout $4,068 per household, up 6.6% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+4.5%Collingwood's own property tax came to $42.1M in 2024, against $40.3M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$13.7M · 24%
Water, sewers and garbage$10.9M · 19%
Parks, arena and library$10.2M · 18%
Running the town office$9.5M · 17%
Show all 7 servicesShow fewer
Roads and snow$8.0M · 14%
Planning and business$3.2M · 6%
Housing$661K · 1%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from Collingwood's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Collingwood compare?Among 44 similar Ontario towns, Collingwood's day-to-day spending per household is near the middle.Collingwood is here · 28 of 44, lowest to highestCompare Collingwood →

Questions worth asking

A closer look at the numbers.

Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.

All 8 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Who is paying for the $38,319,000 Water Treatment Plant Expansion in the 2026 budget?

$38,319,000planned for the Water Treatment Plant Expansion in 2026, all shown in the "Grants" column

The 2026 budget plans $38,319,000 of building work in 2026 for a bigger water treatment plant. In the budget table, all of it sits in one column headed "Grants". The Town's own description says the first phase is paid for partly by the neighbouring municipality of New Tecumseth and partly by a provincial grant, and it also lists water reserve money and development charges (fees paid by builders) as sources. The table does not show how the $38,319,000 splits between those.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingMoney health

How much of the 2026 levy increase is held down by one-time reserve money, and what happens in 2027?

$700,000of reserve and hotel-tax money used to lower the 2026 levy (worked out by us), against a levy rise of $598,314

The levy is the part of your property tax that the Town sets for its own spending. For 2026 it rises by $598,314, to $38,687,568. The Town's budget lists money taken from savings (reserves) to push the levy down: $390,000 from general reserve funds, $250,000 from expected 2026 hotel-tax (municipal accommodation tax) money, and $60,000 from 2025 hotel-tax money. Together that is $700,000 (worked out by us), more than the $598,314 rise. The Town says Council directed the $250,000 hotel-tax use. The budget's own outlook shows the levy rising to $40.3 million in 2027.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why are legal costs budgeted to rise, and where does the $207,000 in the levy table show up in the legal expense line?

$364,000budgeted "Legal Expenses" for 2026, up from $304,000

The levy table lists two legal-related increases for 2026: "Legal increase" of $87,000 and "Legal - OLT increase" of $120,000, together $207,000 (worked out by us). The summary by expense type shows the "Legal Expenses" line rising only $60,000, from $304,000 to $364,000. The Town explains the first as reflecting past actual spending and more services, and the second as the cost of hearings on appeals to its new Official Plan. It says 16 appeals were received.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingOpenness

Where can residents read the Town's audited financial statements without asking for them?

0audited financial statements we found posted on the Town's Financial Reports page

Audited financial statements are the yearly accounts that an outside auditor has checked. On the Town's Financial Reports page, the section for them says residents should email the finance department to request a copy. The same page links the 2025 council pay statement and two reports on development charge reserve funds (for 2022 and for 2020/2021), but we found no statements posted. The budgets page we read links the 2026 budget book and the 2026 fees and charges, and we found no earlier budgets there.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Show 4 more questionsShow fewer
Good to knowOpenness

How is the 2.39% tax rise made up, and why does the capital levy rate jump 70.97% while the other one goes to zero?

2.39%Town tax rise the Mayor reports for 2026, about $62 for the median home

The Mayor's message says the 2026 Town tax increase is limited to 2.39%, about $62 for a median home. The budget's rate table shows why the number looks small: the general rate rises only 0.96% ($22), a special capital levy of $96 on the table's sample bill is removed, and the general capital levy (a charge that builds a fund for replacing roads, buildings and equipment) rises 70.97% ($137). The Town says Council directed it to combine the two capital levies. The 2026 budget was issued by the Mayor under strong-mayor powers, which the budget describes as including a period for Council amendments.

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

Good to knowRising costs

Salaries and benefits rise 5.69% for 2026, while staff positions rise by about one per cent: what makes up the difference?

5.69%rise in salaries and benefits in the 2026 budget

The 2026 budget sets salaries and benefits at $31,239,536, up $1,777,018 from $29,462,518. The number of full-time-equivalent positions (FTEs, where two half-time jobs count as one) goes from 268.20 to 270.20, plus one new position, for 271.20. The Town has listed what drives the tax-supported part of the rise: pay increases of 2.75% for non-union staff, a fire contract increase, step moves through pay grades, and two pay-policy adjustments.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowSpending level

What does Council cost beyond salaries, and who decides it?

$429,814.51total of all 2025 columns for Council and board members (worked out by us)

The Town's 2025 statement of pay for Council and board members shows a column total of $306,411.78 in salary. That total includes fees to members of the Committee of Adjustment, a board of appointed volunteers. Council also received $5,670.00 for special meetings, $33,115.05 for professional development and discretionary spending, $59,585.24 in health premiums, $15,344.21 in CPP/EHT (pension and employer health tax) and $9,688.23 in travel. Added up, that is $429,814.51 (worked out by us). The Town's expense reports explain the rules for the discretionary part.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowHow decisions are made

Did Council publish the public report on its response to the 2020 Judicial Inquiry, as the Inquiry recommended?

306the recommendation asking Council for a public report on its response, one year after the report

In November 2020 the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry delivered its final report on two Town transactions from 2010 to 2014: the sale of a 50 percent share of the Town's electric utility, and the building of an arena and a pool. Its recommendations include a lobbyist registry, a periodic outside review of the integrity commissioner's work, and, as recommendation 306, a public report from Council on the first anniversary of the report describing its response. The Town now has a lobbyist registry and an integrity commissioner. We did not find the anniversary report.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

2024 tax year · Collingwood, Ontario

Your tax bill, worked out.

Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Collingwood'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 Collingwood.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Collingwood
  • County or region
  • Schools

Collingwood council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Collingwood share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Collingwood share pays for

Source
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Running the town office
  • Roads and snow
  • Planning and business
  • Housing

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Collingwood'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.

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.

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