Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to East Ferris' budget, taxes and council decisions. A municipality near North Bay with a mayor and four councillors, all elected by the whole municipality (there are no wards). Every figure links back to the public record.
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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.
$1.4Min savings at the end of 2024
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. East Ferris had $1.4M saved at the end of 2024, down from $2.0M in 2019. That is 16% of one year's spending. Only 1 of 22 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$6,102,696the Cassellholme redevelopment commitment at December 31, 2025
Cassellholme is the long-term care home that East Ferris and other municipalities fund together. Its rebuild is paid for by a loan, and each municipality is responsible for its share. The 2025 statements say the Municipality "identified that a financial liability related to the East Nipissing District Home for the Aged redevelopment commitment should have been recognized in prior periods." To fix this, the 2024 numbers were restated (changed after they were first published). Municipal debt for 2024 went from $6,864,846 to $12,704,733, and the accumulated surplus (everything the Municipality owns less what it owes) went from $25,263,318 to $19,423,431. At the end of 2025 the commitment is $6,102,696. The Municipality also guarantees part of the loan, up to $4,298,322.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$3,250,000municipal debt issued in 2025, against $190,000 in the budget reconciliation
The 2025 cash flow statement shows $3,250,000 of municipal debt issued. The budget reconciliation in the same statements lists "Municipal debt issued" of $190,000. Three new term loans, all ending in 2030, carry interest of 4.41%, 4.37% and 4.02%. The statements also show $1,540,000 held in guaranteed investment certificates (a bank savings product that pays a fixed rate) earning 2.50% to 2.80%. Cash at the start of 2025 was $185,706, and $600,000 of short-term borrowing was repaid during the year.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$495,146deficit before capital grants in 2025 (budget: $803,451)
Before capital grants, the statements show a deficit (spending more than revenue) in each of the last three years: $15,535 in 2023, $640,879 in 2024 and $495,146 in 2025. Each year ends in a surplus only because government grants for building projects are added below that line: $548,183 from the province and $425,409 from the federal government in 2025. The Municipality's own budget for 2025 also planned a deficit before these grants, of $803,451. Part of the deficit is amortization (the yearly wear on roads, buildings and equipment, which is a bookkeeping cost, not cash paid), at $1,571,913 in 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$1,479,907total reserves at December 31, 2025
A reserve is money a town sets aside for a later purpose. At the end of 2025 East Ferris's reserves total $1,479,907, spread over nine funds. The largest, for future capital (building and replacing things), holds $503,437. The "Fire and emergency services equipment" reserve holds $69,217. The Mayor's 2026 newsletter says land for a new fire hall was bought in 2025 and that design is the next step. The statements show net debt (what the Municipality owes less its financial assets) of $14,425,727 at the end of 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
October 5, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements
The auditor's report is dated October 5, 2026 for the year ending December 31, 2025. The 2024 statements carry an auditor's report dated July 8, 2025. The 2023 statements, as posted, carry an auditor's report dated May 27, 2025, which is more than a year after that year ended. Dates this late mean residents had no audited picture of the Municipality's finances for most of each following year.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
2021the only budget heading on the Budget page, with no document under it
The Municipality's Budget page says "Each year, Council approves a balanced budget" and explains the operating and capital budgets, but the only heading under it is "2021 Budget", with nothing inside. We did not find a 2025 or 2026 budget on the site. The Mayor's 2026 newsletter says "the Municipality's 2026 Budget is in the final stages of approval." Without the budget, the budget columns in the audited statements cannot be checked against what Council passed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
No amount giventhe statements do not estimate the cost of the contaminated site
The 2025 statements list two possible costs that are not counted in the numbers. The Municipality says it has identified a possible liability for a contaminated site known as the St. Theresa School Site, and that it "is not possible at this time to determine the amount, if any." It also says it is involved in "certain legal matters and litigations" whose results cannot yet be known, and Council's view is that any liability is unlikely to be material.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$535,391landfill closure and care obligation at December 31, 2025
The Municipality records a $535,391 obligation to close and care for its landfill (a rubbish dump) after it is full. It estimates 65% of capacity remains (226,000 m3) and about 58 years of life. The notes say the most recent waste capacity study for the landfill site was performed in a report dated February 2014.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
2024 tax year · East Ferris, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what East Ferris'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 East Ferris.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
East Ferris council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits East Ferris'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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