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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Your city, in plain words

How Kenora uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Kenora's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city in northwestern Ontario, on the Lake of the Woods, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Property tax raised in 2025$38Mall property in Kenora87% City13% SchoolsSee where your tax bill goes →
City spending, 2025$56.3MAbout $7,408 per household, up 6.0% from 2024.See the money →
Property tax change+8.6%Kenora's own property tax came to $34.4M in 2025, against $31.7M in 2024.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday city.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$12.3M · 22%
Water, sewers and garbage$10.5M · 19%
Roads and snow$8.3M · 15%
Parks, arena and library$7.5M · 13%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Running the city office$7.3M · 13%
Planning and business$3.3M · 6%
Health$3.0M · 5%
Social services$2.6M · 5%
Housing$1.6M · 3%

Day-to-day spending in 2025, from Kenora's report to the Province.

Where it comes fromWho pays for Kenora's services?Property taxes40%Fees people pay23%Other16%Grants for specific projects16%Smaller sources5%$85.9M came in during 2025.See the money →

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

Why did Kenora end 2025 with a surplus of $21.4 million when its budget planned for $6.7 million?

$21,389,755surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $6,734,294

A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The City's 2025 budget, as restated in the statements, planned a surplus of $6,734,294. The audited statements show $21,389,755. Revenue came in at $86,935,179 against a budget of $71,583,527, while spending was close to plan. Grants for building projects explain a large part: capital grants from Canada and Ontario together were about $11.7 million in 2025 (worked out by us), up from about $3.6 million in 2024 (worked out by us). The statements also show the City spent $20,892,872 on capital assets against a budget of $11,422,300, so some of the extra money was spent on projects. Investment income is the other large piece (see the next question).

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

Worth askingMoney health

What produced $11.1 million of investment income in 2025, almost three times 2024, and how much of it will the City count on again?

$11,110,467investment income in 2025, against $3,994,401 in 2024

The City's statements list "Investment income" of $11,110,467 for 2025, against $3,994,401 for 2024. The 2026 operating budget plans for interest income of $2,150,000 a year. Most of the City's investments sit in the Citizens' Prosperity Trust Fund, set up in 2008 from the sale of the City's telephone system, to keep the money safe and use the income to replace the telephone dividends the City used to receive. In 2025 the City sold all its ONE Investment holdings and moved them to funds run by PH&N. The statements also record $662,296 of unrealized losses (paper losses, not yet sold) for the year.

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

Worth askingMoney health

How much could the Kenricia Hotel expropriation cost the City, and is any of it in the 2026 budget?

Not estimatedcost of the Kenricia Hotel expropriation, per the 2025 statements

The City announced on July 24, 2025 that it is proceeding with expropriating the Kenricia Hotel, a heritage building downtown. Expropriation means the City takes a private property for a public purpose and must pay the owners compensation. The 2025 audited statements say the outcome and any related costs cannot be reasonably estimated, so no liability is recorded. We searched the text of the 2026 operating budget and the 2026 capital budget and did not find the words Kenricia or expropriation in either.

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

Worth askingOpenness

Why were the 2024 audited statements signed on December 9, 2025, when the 2025 ones were signed on July 14, 2026?

December 9, 2025date the auditor signed the report on the 2024 statements

The auditor, MNP LLP, signed its report on the City's 2024 statements on December 9, 2025, and Council approved the statements on December 16, 2025, almost a year after the year ended. For 2025 the report is dated July 14, 2026, and Council approved on July 21, 2026. Both reports give a clean opinion (the statements "present fairly"). We did not find a public explanation for the later date in 2024.

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

Show 4 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did general government and planning and development spend more than their budgets in both 2024 and 2025?

$6,478,017spent on general government in 2025, against a budget of $5,323,616

In the audited statements, general government (administration, council, finance, human resources) spent $5,588,105 in 2024 against a budget of $4,621,241, and $6,478,017 in 2025 against a budget of $5,323,616. Planning and development spent $4,000,553 in 2024 against a budget of $2,873,829, and $3,502,447 in 2025 against a budget of $2,855,150. The overspending was about $0.97 million and $1.13 million in 2024, and $1.15 million and $0.65 million in 2025 (worked out by us). Most other areas were close to budget or under it.

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

Good to knowMoney health

What could stop Synergy North from paying the City back, and what is the City's $8 million stake in it worth?

$8,000,000long-term investment in Synergy North, December 31, 2025

The City holds an $8,000,000 long-term investment in Synergy North Corporation, the electric company formed in 2019 when Kenora Hydro joined with Thunder Bay Hydro. It is made up of shares (8.31% of the common shares, recorded at cost, $6,930,721) and a promissory note ($1,069,279 left), which Synergy North repays at $500,000 a year. The statements say both principal and interest on the note can be held back under a subordination agreement "based on certain criteria". They do not say what the criteria are.

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

Good to knowMoney health

What debts of other groups has the City promised to cover, and could any of them land on taxpayers?

$4,587,250bank debt of the Kenora Health Care Centre guaranteed by the City, end of 2025

The City guarantees bank debt of the Kenora Health Care Centre, $4,587,250 at the end of 2025. It also carries a share of the cumulative deficit of the District of Kenora Home for the Aged, estimated at $910,017, though the statements say a bill to municipalities is not expected. The 2024 statements add that the City "has no recourse if a loan guarantee must be exercised". None of this is recorded as a debt in the statements. They also say several claims against the City are pending and no amount is recorded for them.

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

Where your tax bill goes

A property tax bill in Kenora pays for the city and schools. Only part of it goes to the city, and that part is what Kenora council controls.

Tax bill split: Kenora 87%, Schools 13%
$38Mraised in 2025
  • Kenora87%
  • Schools13%

  • 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

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

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