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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Greenstone'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 · 8 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Greenstone's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 9 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.
$62,300,000total Main Street project cost in the 2026 budget book, funded by a provincial grant
The 2026 capital budget is far larger than usual because of one project: rebuilding Main Street in Geraldton, with new water, sewer and storm pipes underneath. The budget book puts the whole project at $62,300,000 over 2026 and 2027, paid for by a grant from the Province of Ontario. A grant agreement only pays for costs it counts as eligible. The book sets aside a separate allowance for costs the grant will not cover, and says the list of those costs is not yet known.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$9.8 millionyearly gap between what is spent on capital and what is needed, per the 2026 budget book
Roads, buildings, pipes and vehicles wear out and have to be fixed or replaced. The Municipality's Asset Management Plan says it is spending $9.8 million a year less on capital than it takes to keep its assets in shape, down from $11.4 million before. It also says 27% of assets are in poor to very poor condition, and that keeping service levels needs $16.36 million a year ($13.03M of it from taxes). The plan asks for a further 1.9% rise in the tax levy each year, about $400,200 in 2027 and after, on top of ordinary rises. The book's 10-year list of capital needs adds up to more than $236M.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$100,000pool study line still in the 2026 capital plan after Council voted to remove it
On December 8, 2025 Council passed a motion that "the pool feasibility study be removed from the 2026 Budget". The deemed-adopted budget book still lists an indoor swimming pool feasibility study as a 2026 objective for Parks and Recreation, still carries a $100,000 line for it in the 2026 capital plan, and a project page that says it would be paid from the Pool Reserve Fund established in 2023. The book does not say whether those pages were left in by mistake.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$443,319yearly debt repayment in the 2026 budget, against $27 million-plus of projects that may need borrowing (worked out by us from the four figures printed)
The 2026 budget says debt repayment is $443,319, about 9.1% of tax-funded capital, and that no new debt was taken on for 2025. It then lists projects that "may require significant long-term financing": new fire trucks ($2M+), a new landfill ($10M+), a runway rehabilitation at the Geraldton airport ($10M+) and fleet replacements ($5M+). The book also says the tax levy and long-term debt will have to cover most of the 10-year capital need.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,125,600assessment growth from the Greenstone Mine used to reduce the 2026 tax increase
The 2026 budget says the Municipality is recognizing $1,125,600 of assessment growth from the Greenstone Mine development, which reduces the tax increase for existing owners. In 2025 it counted only part of the mine's levy because the mine could have appealed its assessment; in 2026 it counts all of it. The same book lists a 2026 objective to report to Council on reducing reliance on pipeline levies (tax paid by pipeline companies). We could not read the revenue tables, which are pictures in the book, so we cannot say how large either source is compared with the whole levy.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$960,810increase in operating expenses in the 2026 budget, as the Municipality describes it
The book says expenses rise by about $960k, while non-tax revenue falls by $71k. The Municipality explains the main causes: pay raises and three new positions ($686k), repairs and maintenance ($266k) and vehicle and equipment repair ($172k), insurance ($61k), and amounts owed to outside service partners ($249k). It also reports savings: professional fees down $134k and fuel down $186k at the airports. We include this as context because the Municipality has already explained it.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
Greenstone spent about $396 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2025. The typical similar town spent $323. Only 1 of 9 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$62,300,000total Main Street project cost in the 2026 budget book, funded by a provincial grant
The 2026 capital budget is far larger than usual because of one project: rebuilding Main Street in Geraldton, with new water, sewer and storm pipes underneath. The budget book puts the whole project at $62,300,000 over 2026 and 2027, paid for by a grant from the Province of Ontario. A grant agreement only pays for costs it counts as eligible. The book sets aside a separate allowance for costs the grant will not cover, and says the list of those costs is not yet known.
Why it matters
A grant pays for the project only as far as the agreement says. If costs run over, or if some costs are not eligible, the extra falls on local taxpayers and water and sewer users. A project this large next to a tax levy of $4,860,944 for all capital work means a small share going wrong would be large for the town.
It could be because…
The grant may be fixed in a signed agreement that already covers contingencies, and the allowance for ineligible costs is simply careful planning.
Staff say the underground pipe work and project management are included in the estimate, so the number may already carry a margin.
The list of ineligible costs may be short once the agreement terms are applied.
Questions you could ask
How much of the Main Street project is covered by the signed provincial agreement, and what happens to costs above it?
How big is the allowance for ineligible costs, and where does its money come from?
Will council see regular reports comparing Main Street spending with the grant?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Main Street Road Reconstruction project page: "The estimated cost of the project is $61.8 million. This includes all underground waterworks infrastructure that is aging and needs replacement at the time of construction, as well as project management costs, and contingency." The page says the work "is being funded by the Province of Ontario". Expenditures Total: $62,300,000, of which $40,250,000 in 2026 and $22,050,000 in 2027.
"The 2026 Draft Capital Budget proposes more than $57.5M of total expenditures, a significant increase over $9.1M from 2025, due to the first phase of the Main Street rehabilitation project ($40.3M)." Of the $57,563,759 of total expenditures, $4,860,944 is from the proposed current year tax levy, with "a provincial grant for the Main Street Reconstruction Project ($40.25M)".
Main Street Internal Contingency Allowance project page: "Funding for ineligible project costs". "Transfer Payment Agreements include \"ineligible costs\" that the Municipality will have to incur throughout the project. The specific list for these ineligible costs is not yet known."
$9.8 millionyearly gap between what is spent on capital and what is needed, per the 2026 budget book
Roads, buildings, pipes and vehicles wear out and have to be fixed or replaced. The Municipality's Asset Management Plan says it is spending $9.8 million a year less on capital than it takes to keep its assets in shape, down from $11.4 million before. It also says 27% of assets are in poor to very poor condition, and that keeping service levels needs $16.36 million a year ($13.03M of it from taxes). The plan asks for a further 1.9% rise in the tax levy each year, about $400,200 in 2027 and after, on top of ordinary rises. The book's 10-year list of capital needs adds up to more than $236M.
Why it matters
A gap like this does not go away if it is left alone: the book itself says a backlog grows into a larger mountain of repairs. Residents may face steady tax increases, borrowing, or fewer services, and councillors elected on October 26, 2026 will inherit the choice.
It could be because…
Every Ontario municipality has to publish an asset plan with a gap like this, and a large gap is common in places with many small communities to serve.
The gap is already shrinking: the book says it fell from $11.4 million after the service delivery reviews.
Much of the $236M list is a wish list that the book itself says will "ultimately not all get completed".
Questions you could ask
Will Council adopt the extra 1.9% levy for asset renewal that the Asset Management Plan recommends?
Which items on the $236M list will be dropped or delayed, and who decides?
How is the gap tracked from year to year, and where will residents see it?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Message from the C.A.O.: "the Plan indicates an annual deficit of $9.8 million between the amount we are spending on capital projects and what is required to maintain our assets effectively. This positive change ... While this is an improvement from the previous deficit of $11.4 million".
"27% of assets are in a poor to very poor condition." The Asset Management Plan says "an annual expenditure of $16.36 million ($13.03M Tax supported) is required for asset investment to maintain existing service levels."
"The recommendation of the AMP is to increase the tax supported funding envelope annually by increasing the total tax levy by 1.9% ... This would amount to approximately $400,200 in 2027 and beyond." Also: "a current backlog of more than $7M in immediate funding needed for fire apparatus, heavy equipment and large fleet."
"a total 10 year need of more than $236M. With more than $200M scheduled in the first five years, it is clear that there is a significant backlog of projects that ultimately will not all get completed". The 2026 levy increase is 3.14%.
$100,000pool study line still in the 2026 capital plan after Council voted to remove it
On December 8, 2025 Council passed a motion that "the pool feasibility study be removed from the 2026 Budget". The deemed-adopted budget book still lists an indoor swimming pool feasibility study as a 2026 objective for Parks and Recreation, still carries a $100,000 line for it in the 2026 capital plan, and a project page that says it would be paid from the Pool Reserve Fund established in 2023. The book does not say whether those pages were left in by mistake.
Why it matters
The budget is the official promise about what will be spent. If the book on the website differs from what Council voted, residents cannot tell whether $100,000 of reserve money will be spent. A reserve is money saved in earlier years for a set purpose.
It could be because…
The book was assembled before the amendment and the pages were not updated; the Municipality may simply not spend the money.
The amendment may have been meant to remove the study from the levy only, leaving the study funded from the Pool Reserve Fund.
The Municipality may have decided to bring the study back later in 2026.
Questions you could ask
Is the $100,000 pool study in the 2026 budget, and will it be spent from the Pool Reserve Fund?
Will the Municipality post a corrected budget book that shows Council's amendments?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Motion 25-366, December 8, 2025: "Amendments: Moved by Councillor Walterson, seconded by Councillor Budge: THAT Council direct that the pool feasibility study be removed from the 2026 Budget. CARRIED."
Parks and Recreation, objectives for 2026: "Engage in a feasibility study for construction and operation of an indoor swimming pool in Greenstone (Obj. 3.5)".
2026 Tax Supported Capital Plan: "Swimming Pool Feasibility Study $ 100,000". Project page: "Funding will come from the Pool Reserve Fund which was established in 2023."
$443,319yearly debt repayment in the 2026 budget, against $27 million-plus of projects that may need borrowing (worked out by us from the four figures printed)
The 2026 budget says debt repayment is $443,319, about 9.1% of tax-funded capital, and that no new debt was taken on for 2025. It then lists projects that "may require significant long-term financing": new fire trucks ($2M+), a new landfill ($10M+), a runway rehabilitation at the Geraldton airport ($10M+) and fleet replacements ($5M+). The book also says the tax levy and long-term debt will have to cover most of the 10-year capital need.
Why it matters
Debt is a promise to repay with interest from future taxes. The listed projects are many times today's yearly repayment. Residents should know the plan before a large loan is signed.
It could be because…
Some projects may receive grants or be paid from reserves, so the Municipality may need less borrowing than the headline figures suggest.
Low current debt leaves room to borrow for needed safety equipment such as fire trucks.
The book calls these projects "on the horizon", not decided.
Questions you could ask
What is the Municipality's own limit on yearly debt repayment, and how close would these projects take it?
Which of the four projects does the Municipality expect to start first, and how will it be financed?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Debt repayment comprises a projected $443,319, or approximately 9.1% of the total tax funded capital. No new debt was entered in to for 2025. However, there are noteworthy projects on the horizon which may require significant long-term financing including the purchase of new fire apparatus ($2M+), the new landfill ($10M+), Geraldton Airport Runway Rehabilitation ($10M+) along with the potential need to bridge the short-term gap in public services fleet replacements ($5M+)."
$1,125,600assessment growth from the Greenstone Mine used to reduce the 2026 tax increase
The 2026 budget says the Municipality is recognizing $1,125,600 of assessment growth from the Greenstone Mine development, which reduces the tax increase for existing owners. In 2025 it counted only part of the mine's levy because the mine could have appealed its assessment; in 2026 it counts all of it. The same book lists a 2026 objective to report to Council on reducing reliance on pipeline levies (tax paid by pipeline companies). We could not read the revenue tables, which are pictures in the book, so we cannot say how large either source is compared with the whole levy.
Why it matters
Lowering taxes for residents with money from one large taxpayer works while that taxpayer's assessment stands. A successful appeal, or the mine closing, would leave a hole. The book itself says the extra assessment also raised what Greenstone owes outside partners by $224k.
It could be because…
The Municipality says it was cautious in 2025 and has only now included the full amount, so the 2026 budget may be the more realistic one.
The pipeline levy report is already planned for 2026 and may answer the question.
The mine has a long life, and the money may be used for one-time capital costs, not ongoing costs.
Questions you could ask
What share of the 2026 tax levy comes from the mine and from pipelines?
Will the pipeline levy report be public, and when?
What would the levy have to rise by if the mine's assessment were lowered?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Similar to 2025, the Municipality is recognizing assessment growth from the Greenstone Mine development of $1,125,600 which will reduce the impact on existing tax payers." The draft budget "would provide a contribution to fund capital, debt and one-time special projects of $4.86 million (rounded)".
"As there was risk the Mine could have appealed its assessment, in 2025 the Municipality only included a portion of the assessed levy for the Mine in its budget as a risk management approach. In 2026, the Municipality is now fully recognizing the assessed levy from the Mine ... the levies from external services partners to the Municipality have increased by $224k."
Corporate Services objectives for 2026: "Prepare a report for Council on reducing reliance on pipeline levies". Council priority under Build Financial Capacity: "Report on reducing pipeline levy reliance".
Greenstone spent about $2,069 per home on long-term debt in 2025. The typical similar town spent $963. Only 1 of 9 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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Long-term debt per home: Greenstone $2,069; typical similar town $963; ranked 2nd highest of 10.
$960,810increase in operating expenses in the 2026 budget, as the Municipality describes it
The book says expenses rise by about $960k, while non-tax revenue falls by $71k. The Municipality explains the main causes: pay raises and three new positions ($686k), repairs and maintenance ($266k) and vehicle and equipment repair ($172k), insurance ($61k), and amounts owed to outside service partners ($249k). It also reports savings: professional fees down $134k and fuel down $186k at the airports. We include this as context because the Municipality has already explained it.
Why it matters
Wages, repairs and insurance together make up most of the rise, which affects the 3.14% levy increase. The book says repair costs will keep rising until the asset gap is closed, which links to the question above.
It could be because…
Cost-of-living pay increases and insurance rises are common across Ontario.
The three new positions may fill gaps the service delivery reviews found.
Questions you could ask
Where can residents see the line-by-line operating budget as a text table, not a picture?
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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"The draft Operating Budget incorporates a projected -$70,520 decrease in non-tax revenues and an increase of $960,810 in expenses."
"Salaries, benefits, and payroll overhead increased $686k overall largely due to the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and the addition of three new positions." "Professional fee costs are down -$134k". "Increased repairs and maintenance costs of $266k and increased vehicles and equipment costs of $172k". "Overall fuel costs are down $186k". "Insurance premiums have increased $61k." "Service Partner obligations have increased $249k".
"The total operating and capital needs, less new assessment revenue, results in a proposed overall tax levy increase of 3.14% for existing property owners".
Greenstone spent about $396 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2025. The typical similar town spent $323. Only 1 of 9 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 Greenstone?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Garbage, dump and recycling per home: Greenstone $396; typical similar town $323; ranked 2nd highest of 10.
Can we count your visit? With your OK, we use Google Analytics to see which pages help people. It sets cookies and sends visit data to Google. Nothing loads unless you say yes. Privacy