Questions · 11 so far
We read Moosonee's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 26 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.
These are unusual enough that residents deserve a clear answer from council.
$643Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2023
At the end of 2023, $643K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 30% of everything billed. Only 2 of 26 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $713K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$580per home on council, 2023
Moosonee spent about $580 per home on council in 2023. The typical similar town spent $76. Only 1 of 26 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
July 28, 2026date of the auditor's report on the year that ended December 31, 2024
Audited statements are the Town's yearly accounts, checked by an outside accountant. The Town's 2024 statements, for the year that ended December 31, 2024, carry an auditor's report dated July 28, 2026, and a senior staff member signed the management letter the same day. That is about nineteen months after the year ended. The Town's financial reporting page lists no later statements, and its Operating Budget heading is empty.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
July 31, 2024the date the statements say council approved the 2024 operating and capital budgets
A budget is the plan for the year's spending and income. The audited statements say the 2024 budget they show was approved by council on July 31, 2024. By then the Town had been spending for seven months. The same note shows that the budget council approved was a balanced one, with a surplus of nil.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$744,419airport deficit in 2024, against a surplus of $498,136 in 2023
The Town runs the Moosonee Airport, which the statements say serves Moosonee and the James Bay coast. The statements split the Town's results by service. In 2023 the airport showed revenue of $2,207,943 against costs of $1,709,807, a surplus of $498,136. In 2024 its revenue was $1,175,662 against costs of $1,920,081, a deficit of $744,419. Its fees and user charges fell from $1,717,423 to $1,159,867, and a $376,000 federal grant in 2023 does not appear in 2024. Over the same year the "airport improvement fee" held as deferred revenue (money received and kept to be counted as revenue later) grew from $355,016 to $712,776.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$1,062,445set aside because the Town does not expect to collect it, on past-due taxes of $877,392
Taxes receivable are property taxes billed but not yet paid. The Town's note shows $667,086 of current taxes, $877,392 past due, and $319,352 of penalties and interest, a total of $1,863,830 (worked out by us). The Town has set aside an allowance (money it expects it will never collect) of $1,062,445, which leaves $801,385 on the books. The past-due amount grew from $816,097 and the allowance from $1,008,382 the year before. Tax revenue for the year was $2,416,444.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$2,784,743environmental services expenses in 2024, against a budget of $2,591,231
Environmental services is the Town's water and wastewater system, landfill and waste collection. It cost $2,784,743 in 2024, against a budget of $2,591,231 and an actual of $2,230,211 in 2023. That is the largest single service in the statements. In the Town's own breakdown the service earned $1,815,501 and finished with a deficit of $969,242.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
Background that helps make sense of the rest.
$87,459surplus in 2024, against a budgeted deficit of $1,912,090
The 2024 budget in the statements planned a deficit of $1,912,090. The actual result was a surplus of $87,459. Revenue came in at $8,681,122 against a budget of $6,980,187. Ontario grants were $2,398,911 against $1,707,661, and Canada grants were $383,476 against nothing budgeted. Spending was $8,593,663 against a budget of $8,892,277. The budget also assumed $2,000,000 of new borrowing and $500,000 taken from reserves. The statements show long-term debt fell, from $1,109,599 to $877,387.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$247,382 vs $2,473,000the same 2024 budget item, printed two ways in the audited statements
Capital assets are things the Town buys that last for years: buildings, vehicles, runways. The statement of change in net financial assets shows a 2024 budget of $247,382 for acquiring them. Note 13 shows $2,473,000 for "purchases of capital asset". Each statement adds up on its own, so one of the two numbers may be a typing error, or they may mean different things. Actual purchases were $1,539,647.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$2,098,344deferred revenue at the end of 2024, up from $1,471,498
At the end of 2024 the Town held $8,079,049 in cash. Against that, $2,098,344 was deferred revenue (money received for a specific purpose, counted as income only when spent) and $566,061 was federal gas tax money that must be used on approved projects. The largest piece of deferred revenue was $1,022,723 from OCIF (a provincial infrastructure fund), up from $831,723. Deferred revenue grew by $626,846 (the same figure the cash flow statement shows) while actual spending on capital assets was $1,539,647, below the $3,403,650 of 2023.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$618per home on garbage, dump and recycling, 2023
Moosonee spent about $618 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2023. The typical similar town spent $354. Only 3 of 26 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$643Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2023
At the end of 2023, $643K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 30% of everything billed. Only 2 of 26 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $713K.
| Year | Unpaid property tax at year end |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $790K |
| 2020 | $595K |
| 2021 | $595K |
| 2022 | $713K |
| 2023 | $643K |
When taxes go unpaid, everyone else carries the cost, and the town may borrow to cover the gap. The Province's financial indicators treat 10% to 15% as a moderate risk and more than 15% as a high risk. Collection is the town's job, so a rising number is worth asking about.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Taxes receivable: 2019 $790K, 2020 $595K, 2021 $595K, 2022 $713K, 2023 $643K. Of the 2023 total, $1.1M was from earlier years.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2023 · Schedule 70, lines 0610 to 0699 · archived copy
Typical among similar towns: 10.7% of taxes billed.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2023, 26 similar municipalities · Schedules 26 and 70 · archived copy
$580per home on council, 2023
Moosonee spent about $580 per home on council in 2023. The typical similar town spent $76. Only 1 of 26 similar towns spent more.
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.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council per home: Moosonee $580; typical similar town $76; ranked 2nd highest of 27.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2023, 26 similar municipalities · Schedule 40 and Schedule 2 · archived copy
July 28, 2026date of the auditor's report on the year that ended December 31, 2024
Audited statements are the Town's yearly accounts, checked by an outside accountant. The Town's 2024 statements, for the year that ended December 31, 2024, carry an auditor's report dated July 28, 2026, and a senior staff member signed the management letter the same day. That is about nineteen months after the year ended. The Town's financial reporting page lists no later statements, and its Operating Budget heading is empty.
Residents decide how to vote, and how much to trust the numbers, on the latest accounts they can see. Accounts that arrive close to two years late are harder to use. A small town may also lose time and money if it cannot show its figures to lenders and to the governments that send it grants.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The Independent Auditor's Report from KPMG LLP in Sudbury is signed and dated "July 28, 2026". Its opinion says the statements "present fairly" the Town's position as at December 31, 2024.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Independent Auditor's Report · Independent Auditor's Report, PDF pages 4 and 6 (scanned image)
Management's Responsibility for the Financial Statements is signed by a senior staff member and dated "July 28, 2026".
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Management's Responsibility · Management's Responsibility for the Financial Statements, PDF page 3 (scanned image)
The Town's page lists one document under Financial Statements, "2024 Audited Financial Statements", and an "Operating Budget" heading with no document under it.
Financial Reporting page · Financial Statements and Operating Budget headings
July 31, 2024the date the statements say council approved the 2024 operating and capital budgets
A budget is the plan for the year's spending and income. The audited statements say the 2024 budget they show was approved by council on July 31, 2024. By then the Town had been spending for seven months. The same note shows that the budget council approved was a balanced one, with a surplus of nil.
A budget that arrives after most of the year's early spending cannot guide it. It also leaves residents unable to see the plan for tax money until the year is well under way.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 13, Budget information: "The budget data presented in these financial statements is based upon the 2024 operating and capital budgets approved by Council on July 31, 2024." Budgeted surplus approved by Council: nil (printed as a dash).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 13 · Note 13, Budget information, PDF page 22 (scanned image)
$744,419airport deficit in 2024, against a surplus of $498,136 in 2023
The Town runs the Moosonee Airport, which the statements say serves Moosonee and the James Bay coast. The statements split the Town's results by service. In 2023 the airport showed revenue of $2,207,943 against costs of $1,709,807, a surplus of $498,136. In 2024 its revenue was $1,175,662 against costs of $1,920,081, a deficit of $744,419. Its fees and user charges fell from $1,717,423 to $1,159,867, and a $376,000 federal grant in 2023 does not appear in 2024. Over the same year the "airport improvement fee" held as deferred revenue (money received and kept to be counted as revenue later) grew from $355,016 to $712,776.
The airport's costs are a large part of the Town's budget: $1,920,081 in 2024, against property tax revenue of $2,416,444. If its income falls, the gap is covered from other money.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Segmented information, 2024, Transportation Services - Airport: fees and user charges 1,159,867; total revenue 1,175,662; total expenses 1,920,081; annual surplus (deficit) (744,419). Federal grants: nil.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 18 (2024 schedule) · Note 18, Segmented Information, 2024 schedule, PDF page 26 (scanned image, page printed sideways)
Segmented information, 2023, Transportation Services - Airport: fees and user charges 1,717,423; federal grants 376,000; total revenue 2,207,943; total expenses 1,709,807; annual surplus (deficit) 498,136.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 18 (2023 schedule) · Note 18, Segmented Information, 2023 schedule, PDF page 27 (scanned image, page printed sideways)
Note 9, Deferred revenue: Airport improvement fee 712,776 (2023: 355,016); total deferred revenue 2,098,344 (2023: 1,471,498).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 9 · Note 9, Deferred revenue, PDF page 20 (scanned image)
Statement of operations: Transportation services - airport expenses, 2024 budget 1,867,731, 2024 actual 1,920,081, 2023 actual 1,709,807. Taxation revenue 2024 actual 2,416,444.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Operations · Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus, PDF page 8 (scanned image)
$1,062,445set aside because the Town does not expect to collect it, on past-due taxes of $877,392
Taxes receivable are property taxes billed but not yet paid. The Town's note shows $667,086 of current taxes, $877,392 past due, and $319,352 of penalties and interest, a total of $1,863,830 (worked out by us). The Town has set aside an allowance (money it expects it will never collect) of $1,062,445, which leaves $801,385 on the books. The past-due amount grew from $816,097 and the allowance from $1,008,382 the year before. Tax revenue for the year was $2,416,444.
Property tax pays for roads, water and the arena. Taxes that stay unpaid for years mean everyone else carries the cost. A very large allowance also means the Town expects to lose most of what is past due.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 4, Taxes receivable (2024; 2023): current 667,086 (519,724); past due 877,392 (816,097); penalties and interest 319,352 (315,428); allowance for doubtful accounts (1,062,445) ((1,008,382)); net 801,385 (642,867).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 4 · Note 4, Taxes receivable, PDF page 15 (scanned image)
Statement of operations: taxation revenue 2,416,444 (2024 actual); penalties and interest on taxes 147,013.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Operations · Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus, PDF page 8 (scanned image)
$2,784,743environmental services expenses in 2024, against a budget of $2,591,231
Environmental services is the Town's water and wastewater system, landfill and waste collection. It cost $2,784,743 in 2024, against a budget of $2,591,231 and an actual of $2,230,211 in 2023. That is the largest single service in the statements. In the Town's own breakdown the service earned $1,815,501 and finished with a deficit of $969,242.
These services must work every day, and their cost shows up in water bills and taxes. A jump of a quarter in a year needs an explanation, and so does a service that costs more than it earns.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Statement of operations, environmental services expenses: 2024 budget 2,591,231; 2024 actual 2,784,743; 2023 actual 2,230,211.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Operations · Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus, PDF page 8 (scanned image)
Segmented information 2024, Environmental Services: total revenue 1,815,501; materials 733,289; contracted services 679,245; amortization 709,769; total expenses 2,784,743; annual surplus (deficit) (969,242).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 18 (2024 schedule) · Note 18, Segmented Information, 2024 schedule, PDF page 26 (scanned image, page printed sideways)
$87,459surplus in 2024, against a budgeted deficit of $1,912,090
The 2024 budget in the statements planned a deficit of $1,912,090. The actual result was a surplus of $87,459. Revenue came in at $8,681,122 against a budget of $6,980,187. Ontario grants were $2,398,911 against $1,707,661, and Canada grants were $383,476 against nothing budgeted. Spending was $8,593,663 against a budget of $8,892,277. The budget also assumed $2,000,000 of new borrowing and $500,000 taken from reserves. The statements show long-term debt fell, from $1,109,599 to $877,387.
When the result is far better than the plan, it is fair to ask whether the plan was cautious on purpose or set without full information. A budget that relies on new borrowing the Town did not take shows that the planned capital work may not have happened.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Statement of operations, 2024 budget and actual: total revenue 6,980,187 and 8,681,122; Ontario grants 1,707,661 and 2,398,911; Canada grants nil and 383,476; total expenses 8,892,277 and 8,593,663; annual surplus (deficit) (1,912,090) and 87,459.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Operations · Statement of Operations and Accumulated Surplus, PDF page 8 (scanned image)
Note 13 reconciles the budget: principal repayment on long-term debt 183,763; purchases of capital asset 2,473,000; amortization (2,068,853); transfer from reserves (500,000); issuance of long term debt (2,000,000); budgeted deficit per financial statements (1,912,090).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 13 · Note 13, Budget information, PDF page 22 (scanned image)
Statement of cash flows: repayment of long-term debt (232,212) in 2024; no cash from new borrowing is shown in financing activities. Statement of financial position: long-term debt 877,387 (2023: 1,109,599).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Cash Flows · Statement of Cash Flows, PDF page 10, and Statement of Financial Position, PDF page 7 (scanned images)
$247,382 vs $2,473,000the same 2024 budget item, printed two ways in the audited statements
Capital assets are things the Town buys that last for years: buildings, vehicles, runways. The statement of change in net financial assets shows a 2024 budget of $247,382 for acquiring them. Note 13 shows $2,473,000 for "purchases of capital asset". Each statement adds up on its own, so one of the two numbers may be a typing error, or they may mean different things. Actual purchases were $1,539,647.
If the budget figure is wrong in the audited statements, the reader cannot tell whether the Town bought far less than planned or about two thirds of what it planned.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Statement of change in net financial assets: acquisition of tangible capital assets, 2024 budget (247,382), 2024 actual (1,539,647), 2023 actual (3,403,650).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets · Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets, PDF page 9 (scanned image)
Note 13, Budget information: purchases of capital asset 2,473,000.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Note 13 · Note 13, Budget information, PDF page 22 (scanned image)
$2,098,344deferred revenue at the end of 2024, up from $1,471,498
At the end of 2024 the Town held $8,079,049 in cash. Against that, $2,098,344 was deferred revenue (money received for a specific purpose, counted as income only when spent) and $566,061 was federal gas tax money that must be used on approved projects. The largest piece of deferred revenue was $1,022,723 from OCIF (a provincial infrastructure fund), up from $831,723. Deferred revenue grew by $626,846 (the same figure the cash flow statement shows) while actual spending on capital assets was $1,539,647, below the $3,403,650 of 2023.
Money given for a purpose has to be spent on that purpose. Large balances that stay unspent for years can be asked back or can mean projects are late.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Statement of financial position, 2024 (2023): cash and cash equivalents 8,079,049 (6,290,117); deferred revenue 2,098,344 (1,471,498); deferred revenue - obligatory reserve funds 566,061 (613,782).
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Statement of Financial Position · Statement of Financial Position, PDF page 7 (scanned image)
Note 9, Deferred revenue: OCIF 1,022,723 (2023: 831,723); airport improvement fee 712,776 (355,016); NORDS 294,074 (219,405); total 2,098,344 (1,471,498). Note 10: Federal gas tax allowance 566,061.
2024 Audited Financial Statements, Notes 9 and 10 · Notes 9 and 10, PDF page 20 (scanned image)
Statement of Cash Flows (2024, 2023), Capital activities: "Cash used to acquire tangible capital assets (1,539,647) (3,403,650)". The Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets shows "Acquisition of tangible capital assets" budget (247,382), 2024 (1,539,647), 2023 (3,403,650).
Town of Moosonee 2024 Audited Financial Statements · PDF page 10 (printed page 4), Statement of Cash Flows; PDF page 9, Statement of Change in Net Financial Assets (scanned pages, read by OCR and by eye)
$618per home on garbage, dump and recycling, 2023
Moosonee spent about $618 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2023. The typical similar town spent $354. Only 3 of 26 similar towns spent more.
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.
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 Moosonee? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Garbage, dump and recycling per home: Moosonee $618; typical similar town $354; ranked 4th highest of 27.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2023, 26 similar municipalities · Schedule 40 and Schedule 2 · archived copy