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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 North Bay'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.
A clear, checkable guide to North Bay's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city in northeastern Ontario, run by a mayor and ten councillors who are all elected at large (across the whole city, not by ward). Every figure links back to the public record.
$5,557.77of $17,253.01 repaid by the Mayor was found by the Integrity Commissioner to breach the Code of Conduct
An Integrity Commissioner is an independent officer a city hires to check that council members follow the Code of Conduct. In June 2025 the Mayor asked the Integrity Commissioner to look into his own expense reports and claims. The report, dated October 25, 2025, looked at his City credit card use and expense claims for 2023 and 2024 (and some 2022 items) that had already been repaid. It found that most items did not break the Code, and that three kinds of expense did: meals where the only people present were relatives, hockey tickets, and golf in 2023. Of $17,253.01 the Mayor had repaid, the report found Code breaches for $5,557.77 of it. The report leaves the response to Council, which can do nothing, reprimand, or suspend pay for up to 90 days. We did not find where Council answered.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
2 breachesfound by the closed meeting investigator on a closed session of August 12, 2025
Council can meet in private ("in camera") only for reasons the Municipal Act lists, and it must say in public what the meeting is generally about and vote on the big decisions in public. A person complained about a closed session on August 12, 2025. The closed meeting investigator, a lawyer the City names for this job, reported on November 10, 2025 that Council broke the rules in two ways: the motion to go private did not describe the subject, and Council voted on a motion that made substantive decisions. The investigator also said that discussing the allegations in private was allowed. The Act says Council must pass a resolution on how it will respond. We did not find it.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$66,910,081annual surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $27,776,345
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The 2025 statements show an annual surplus of $66,910,081 against a budgeted $27,776,345. About $18.7 million of the gap is in grants and transfers, which came in at $66,997,878 against a budget of $48,253,091 (worked out by us). Investment income was $4,758,110 against $1,760,000. A third piece is a $10,459,838 gain from re-timing the City's share of the Cassellholme care home project, which the City explains. The City also explains that its budget number is rebuilt from a cash-based budget, which adds in capital spending.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$52,617,400present value of the City's share of the Cassellholme rebuild, with payments expected to start in 2029
Cassellholme is a long-term care home that North Bay and nearby municipalities run together through a board. The board is borrowing money to rebuild it. The City has promised to pay its share, and has also signed a guarantee. The 2025 statements put the present value (what a future stream of payments is worth today) of the City's share at $52,617,400, with payments starting in 2029, and say the City's maximum liability under the guarantee is $46.1 million. The 2026 capital budget shows a different picture: a project total of $46,229,562, with $3,250,000 to be paid in 2026 out of reserve funds.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$122,670,523total cost of the airport PFAS remediation project, of which the City's budget says 97% is funded by National Defence
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of man-made chemicals that the budget says raise environmental and public health concerns. The City's 2026 capital budget has a project to clean up PFAS in soil and groundwater on the airport lands, with a total cost of $122,670,523. It says that under an agreement with the Department of National Defence, 97% of the cost is paid by National Defence and 3% by the City. That is about $3.7 million for the City (worked out by us). The 2025 statements show a liability for contaminated sites of $4,106,859, up from $1,033,162, but do not say which sites it covers. The project runs to December 31, 2038, and the budget says nothing about who pays if costs rise.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$2,422,835spent on outside fleet repairs in 2025 (before year-end adjustments), against a budget of $938,898
Fleet Management keeps the City's trucks, plows and buses running, and charges the departments that use them. Its "outside fleet repairs" account (repairs bought from private garages) was budgeted at $400,000 in 2024 and cost $1,432,293. It was budgeted at $938,898 in 2025 and cost $2,422,835 before year-end adjustments. The 2026 budget raises it to $2,250,000, and pays $1,300,000 of the Fleet Management budget from reserves. The CAO's message says the budget uses reserves "coupled with a plan to gradually phase them out". The adjustments list records the $1,300,000 as a transfer from the Tax Stabilization Reserve. We did not find a reason given for the repair costs.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$65,434.88paid in 2025 for the Integrity Commissioner, against $7,703 in 2024 and a $75,000 budget
The Mayor's office budget carries a line for legal fees, which its notes say "relate to costs associated with the Integrity Commissioner for the Mayor & Council". The City budgets $75,000 a year for it. It cost $65,267 in 2023, $7,703 in 2024 and $65,434.88 in 2025. Every payment in the three years went to the same law firm.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
Where your tax bill goes
A property tax bill in North Bay pays for the city and schools. Only part of it goes to the city, and that part is what North Bay council controls.
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