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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Gananoque'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 / GananoqueUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Gananoque uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Gananoque's budget, taxes and council decisions. A single-tier town in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, on the St. Lawrence River, with a mayor and five councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,961on a $180K home91% Town9% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$15.8MAbout $5,735 per household, down 13.0% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+8.4%Gananoque's own property tax came to $10.9M in 2024, against $10M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$5.8M · 37%
Water, sewers and garbage$2.7M · 17%
Parks, arena and library$2.7M · 17%
Running the town office$1.7M · 11%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Planning and business$981K · 6%
Health$737K · 5%
Roads and snow$535K · 3%
Housing$330K · 2%
Social services$246K · 2%

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

A fair comparisonHow does Gananoque compare?Among 22 similar Ontario towns, Gananoque's day-to-day spending per household is near the middle.Gananoque is here · 10 of 22, lowest to highestCompare Gananoque →

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 10 questions
Worth askingOpenness

Why were the audited statements signed so long after year end, and when will the 2025 statements be posted?

October 21, 2025date of the auditor's report on the 2024 statements

Audited statements are the Town's yearbook: an outside accountant checks them and signs a report. The auditor's report on the 2023 statements is dated February 28, 2025, and the report on the 2024 statements is dated October 21, 2025. By our count that is about 14 months and almost 10 months after each year ended (worked out by us). The finance page we read on October 7, 2026 lists statements up to 2024 and none for 2025. Both opinions are clean.

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

Worth askingMoney health

What is the new $12.9 million debenture paying for, and how will the Town cover the yearly cost?

$12.9 milliondebenture the Mayor says will triple the Town's debt

A debenture is a long-term loan. In a directive dated August 21, 2026, the Mayor says a recently approved $12.9 million debenture will triple the Town's debt, with a yearly cost of $864 000 that needs roughly a 7.5% property tax increase to cover. The Mayor adds that Council has also approved $4.1 million of in-year capital changes. The audited 2024 statements show long-term liabilities of $5,087,163 at the end of 2024, and a further $1,300,000 debenture taken on after year end for marina docks.

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

Worth askingHow decisions are made

What will residents see about the Mayor's 2027 budget ideas (police and fire options, property sales, marina rates) before they are decided?

Since May 1, 2025 the Town's Mayor has strong-mayor powers, which include proposing the budget. The Town posts the Mayor's directives. The August 21, 2026 directive asks staff to compare policing options (a regional force, OPP contract, or the current service), look at regional fire service, build market-rate marina slip fees into the 2027 budget, and show the effect of selling the Williams Street and Pine Street parking lots. The Town's page also says Council passed Motion #26-138 overriding a Mayor's veto dated July 30, 2026. The veto document is a scanned image, so we did not read it. We did not find 2027 budget meeting dates.

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

Worth askingSpending level

Casino revenue has fallen from $1,776,270 in 2016 to $1,083,586 in 2023: what is the current amount and how is it replaced?

$1,083,586casino commission revenue in 2023, the last year posted

The Town posts yearly casino commission revenue. It was $1,776,270 in 2016, $1,434,896 in 2019, $258,786 in 2020, $1,070,652 in 2022 and $1,083,586 in 2023. The 2023 figure is $692,684 below 2016 (worked out by us). The list we read stops at 2023. The August 2026 directive says the community grant budget should reflect 5% of anticipated OLG revenues.

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

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did Gananoque's property tax go up 8% in 2024?

+8%town property tax, 2023 to 2024

In 2024, Gananoque collected $846K more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 8% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 4 of 21 similar towns raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 7% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only 0.9%.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of parks, arena and library grow 45% in 5 years?

+45%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024

Gananoque spent $1.9M on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $2.7M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 3 of 21 similar towns had faster growth here.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources

Good to knowRising costs

Why did the Town spend less than half its 2024 capital budget while finishing with a much larger surplus?

$8,678,548capital spending in 2024, against a budget of $18,811,480

Capital spending means building or replacing things like roads and pipes. The 2024 budget planned $18,811,480 of it. The statements show $8,678,548 was spent. The surplus was $10,948,403 against a budgeted $6,241,598. The Town explains in Note 18 that its budget is set on a cash basis and differs from the statements.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why was almost half of taxes receivable past due at the end of 2024?

$492,929taxes receivable past due at the end of 2024

Taxes receivable is tax the Town has billed but not collected. At December 31, 2024 the gross amount was $1,049,591, of which $556,662 was current and $492,929 was past due. The Town set aside an allowance of $(216,800) for amounts it may not collect. Past due is about 47% of gross (worked out by us).

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

Good to knowMoney health

Could cleaning up the two contaminated sites the Town has identified cost taxpayers later?

The statements say the Town has identified a potential liability for two contaminated sites, a former landfill and an industrial property with environmental issues. Neither has an estimate, and the Town says a liability will be recorded if needed once a future use is known. The statements also say the amount of any possible legal claims cannot be determined.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

Good to knowHow decisions are made

How did Council respond to the Integrity Commissioner's 2025 report on the Mayor?

The Integrity Commissioner's public report on a complaint against Mayor John Beddows is dated May 16, 2025. It says some allegations were dismissed and that others were found to breach the Code of Conduct. It recommends suspending the Mayor's pay for a total of 80 days. We did not find in the documents we read what Council decided.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

2024 tax year · Gananoque, 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 Gananoque'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 Gananoque.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Gananoque
  • Schools

Gananoque council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Gananoque share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Gananoque share pays for

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

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