Council BooksNorth GrenvilleOntarioSign inSubscribe
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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Grenville'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 · 7 so far

Things worth asking about

We read North Grenville's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 65 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.
Needs an answer

Needs an answer

These are unusual enough that residents deserve a clear answer from council.

Needs an answerRising costs

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 55% in 5 years?

+55%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024

North Grenville spent $2.9M on roads and snow in 2019 and $4.5M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 5 of 65 similar towns had faster growth here.

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

Worth asking

Worth asking

There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.

Worth askingMoney health

How will North Grenville pay for the Bell Hall project, which the 2026 capital budget funds with $24,596,336 of borrowing?

$24,596,336of debt proceeds in the 2026 capital budget, about 60 per cent of $40,898,987 (worked out by us)

Capital means money spent on buildings, roads and equipment that last for years. The 2026 capital budget is $40,898,987. Of that, $29,075,600 is under Planning Services, and the budget list shows $28,881,100 of it as the Bell Hall renovation (turning the building at Kemptville Campus into 60 affordable housing units). The funding table shows $24,596,336 of "Debt Proceeds", which is money the Municipality would borrow. The Municipality's news release describes the project differently: a "five million dollar investment" from North Grenville that helps "leverage an additional seventeen million in external funding". In the draft budget, all the debt the Municipality owed at the start of 2026 added up to a remaining balance of $7,754,100. The documents we read do not say who would repay the new borrowing.

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

Worth askingSpending level

What was cut or paid for from savings to bring the proposed 2026 tax increase down from 3.15% to 1.9%?

1.9%final 2026 tax rate increase, down from 3.15% in the draft

The draft 2026 budget proposed a 3.15% tax rate increase, or $63.70 more a year on a home assessed at $300,000. The final budget, dated March 11, 2026, settled on 1.9%, or $38.45 more. Between the two, the plan to take money from reserves (savings set aside for later) in the operating budget rose from $1,097,889 to $1,297,889, and tax revenue fell from $20,646,124 to $20,521,124. The reserves used for the capital budget rose from $4,737,247 to $5,496,247 while $734,000 of projects were added. Meanwhile the draft slides show total municipal reserves falling from $23,400,185 (2022) to $20,479,061 (2024, unaudited). The Municipality says its reserves are "significantly above the threshold that the province uses to define a healthy, resilient municipality", but its documents do not say what was cut to get to 1.9%.

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

Worth askingSpending level

Where would the $17,000,000 for the proposed Sports Dome come from, when the draft budget lists it as "unbudgeted"?

$17,000,000Sports Dome line under "Unbudgeted Projects" in the draft 2026 capital list

The draft 2026 budget lists "Installation of the 125,000 sq.ft. Sports Dome & 7500 sq.ft. Ancillary Building" as a 2026 objective. On the capital project list, under "Unbudgeted Projects - RECREATION", it shows "Sports Dome 17,000,000". The draft capital total for Parks, Recreation and Culture does not include it, and the final capital budget of $40,898,987 does not list it either. The Municipality's news release calls it a "proposed" dome and mentions only "ongoing preparatory work". The slides do not say how the $17,000,000 would be paid for.

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

Worth askingHow decisions are made

Why did Council make a decision in a closed meeting in October 2024 that an independent investigator found broke the open-meeting rule?

Section 239of the Municipal Act, found contravened by Council in the investigator's report of February 26, 2025

A closed meeting is a council meeting that the public cannot attend, allowed only for listed reasons. On October 22, 2024, Council met in closed session for over 7 hours on five items, one of which was an Integrity Commissioner's report about a member of council. After a request from a member of the public, the Municipality's closed meeting investigator found that Council "contravened section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001", because it made a decision on the report's recommendations in private, by what the Mayor called a "general consensus". The investigator also found that the report was then put on the consent agenda (a list of items passed together without discussion), which the Procedure By-law does not authorize, and that no formal reprimand had been issued. The report is dated February 26, 2025. The Municipality's 2026 budget slides list "Update procedural bylaw" among the Clerk's 2025 highlights.

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

Worth askingSpending level

What has the $225,000 a year for physician recruitment bought, and how will the Municipality know it is working?

$225,000for physician recruitment in the 2026 budget

The 2026 budget lists $225,000 for "Physician Recruitment", the largest single line in the "Within Departmental Budgets" part of the Municipality's community investments, which total $1,100,259. The draft slides say that in 2025 the Municipality "Awarded two incentives to new physicians to the community" and supported an application for a nurse practitioner-led clinic. The Municipality has also committed $90,000 a year for 10 years for a CT scanner at Kemptville District Hospital. The slides do not say how many doctors the incentives have brought, what each incentive was worth or what conditions come with it.

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

Good to know

Good to know

Background that helps make sense of the rest.

Good to knowMoney health

Why did North Grenville go from having net savings in 2022 to net debt in 2023, and how will it pay the $7,744,220 it now owes to close landfills and remove asbestos?

$(1,670,580)net debt at the end of 2023, from net financial assets of $3,933,768 a year earlier

"Net financial assets" is what a municipality has in cash and money owed to it, minus what it owes. At the end of 2022 North Grenville had net financial assets of $3,933,768. At the end of 2023 it had net debt of $(1,670,580). The statements explain a big part of the change. A new accounting rule began in 2023 and requires the Municipality to record the future cost of closing landfills and removing asbestos from its buildings as a debt. These "asset retirement obligations" came to $7,744,220 at the end of 2023, up from $3,379,347. The statements show the Municipality also spent $14,256,647 on capital assets in 2023, against a budget of $26,161,050.

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

Each question in full

Needs an answerFound automatically from financial reports

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 55% in 5 years?

+55%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024

North Grenville spent $2.9M on roads and snow in 2019 and $4.5M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 5 of 65 similar towns had faster growth here.

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 55% in 5 years?
+55%
Show as a table
YearRoads and snowPrices (inflation)
2019+0%+0%
2020+9%+1%
2021+45%+4%
2022+40%+11%
2023+51%+16%
2024+55%+18%

Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.

Why it matters

When one area grows much faster than prices, it is either doing more (which may be great) or paying more for the same thing. Residents deserve to know which.

It could be because…

  • The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
  • Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
  • Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
  • Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.

Questions you could ask

  1. What did the extra $1.6M a year pay for?
  2. Why did paved roads go from $2.3M to $3.3M?
  3. Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly budget?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Roads and snow: 2019 $2.9M, 2020 $3.2M, 2021 $4.2M, 2022 $4.1M, 2023 $4.4M, 2024 $4.5M.

    Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2024 · Schedule 40 · archived copy

  2. Biggest driver: Paved roads, from $2.3M to $3.3M.

    Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2024 · Schedule 40 · archived copy

  3. Typical growth among similar towns: 22%. North Grenville ranks 6th of 66.

    Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2024, 65 similar municipalities · Schedule 40 · archived copy

↑ All questions

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

How will North Grenville pay for the Bell Hall project, which the 2026 capital budget funds with $24,596,336 of borrowing?

$24,596,336of debt proceeds in the 2026 capital budget, about 60 per cent of $40,898,987 (worked out by us)

Capital means money spent on buildings, roads and equipment that last for years. The 2026 capital budget is $40,898,987. Of that, $29,075,600 is under Planning Services, and the budget list shows $28,881,100 of it as the Bell Hall renovation (turning the building at Kemptville Campus into 60 affordable housing units). The funding table shows $24,596,336 of "Debt Proceeds", which is money the Municipality would borrow. The Municipality's news release describes the project differently: a "five million dollar investment" from North Grenville that helps "leverage an additional seventeen million in external funding". In the draft budget, all the debt the Municipality owed at the start of 2026 added up to a remaining balance of $7,754,100. The documents we read do not say who would repay the new borrowing.

Why it matters

Borrowing has to be paid back with interest, and if the Municipality is the borrower, taxpayers are on the hook if the project's income falls short. Residents deserve a plain answer on whether rents or housing partners will repay the loan, or whether tax money will.

It could be because…

  • The borrowing may be a loan to the housing project that its own rents, or a housing partner or senior government, repay. The budget slides do not say.
  • The $5 million and $17 million in the news release may describe only part of the project, such as the money already agreed, while the budget line shows the full construction cost.
  • The budget may show borrowing for the whole project as a way to get approval in place, with the actual amount borrowed set later.
  • The slides call it a "Commitment of Equity Contribution", which suggests the Municipality's own share is a smaller amount that is set aside separately.

Questions you could ask

  1. Who is the borrower for the $24,596,336 shown as debt proceeds, and who repays it?
  2. How do the $5 million and $17 million in the news release fit with the $28,881,100 on the budget list?
  3. If the Municipality is the borrower, what would the yearly payments be, and are they in the long-range plan?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Final budget, 2026 Capital Budget: "Planning Services" 29,075,600; total "$40,898,987"; funding source "Debt Proceeds" 24,596,336.

    Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (final 2026 budget slides) · slide 7 (PDF page 7), 2026 Capital Budget

  2. Draft budget, Capital Budget, Planning: "Bell Hall Renovation 28,881,100"; "TOTAL PLANNING 29,075,600". The 2026 objectives list "Renovation of Bell Hall into 60 Affordable Units" and the 2025 highlights list "Commitment of Equity Contribution for Bell Hall".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 52 (PDF page 52), Appendix B, Planning Department; slides 15 and 16 for the highlights and objectives

  3. Draft budget, 2026 Municipal Debt: the totals row shows "Totals 530,470 454,810 985,280 7,754,100", where the last column is the remaining balance.

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 32 (PDF page 32), 2026 Municipal Debt table

  4. The Municipality's news release says: "The Bell Hall project at Kemptville Campus continues to advance, with North Grenville's five million dollar investment helping leverage an additional seventeen million in external funding to convert the building into sixty affordable residential units for seniors and residents."

    North Grenville Council Adopts Forward Looking 2026 Budget with a modest 1.9% Tax Rate Increase (news release, March 16, 2026) · Recreation and community facilities section, Bell Hall paragraph

↑ All questions

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

What was cut or paid for from savings to bring the proposed 2026 tax increase down from 3.15% to 1.9%?

1.9%final 2026 tax rate increase, down from 3.15% in the draft

The draft 2026 budget proposed a 3.15% tax rate increase, or $63.70 more a year on a home assessed at $300,000. The final budget, dated March 11, 2026, settled on 1.9%, or $38.45 more. Between the two, the plan to take money from reserves (savings set aside for later) in the operating budget rose from $1,097,889 to $1,297,889, and tax revenue fell from $20,646,124 to $20,521,124. The reserves used for the capital budget rose from $4,737,247 to $5,496,247 while $734,000 of projects were added. Meanwhile the draft slides show total municipal reserves falling from $23,400,185 (2022) to $20,479,061 (2024, unaudited). The Municipality says its reserves are "significantly above the threshold that the province uses to define a healthy, resilient municipality", but its documents do not say what was cut to get to 1.9%.

Why it matters

A lower tax rate this year is welcome, but savings can only be spent once. If reserves are paying for a lower tax rate, the gap can come back as a bigger increase later. Residents ought to be told how much of the 1.9% is paid for by savings.

It could be because…

  • Council may have found real savings in the draft, such as lower costs in the Administration line, which fell from a $314,153 increase in the draft to $64,153 in the final.
  • Reserves are meant to be used. A reserve that is spent on planned projects is doing its job.
  • The reserve totals in the draft slides are for the end of 2022, 2023 and 2024, while the budget decisions are for 2026, so the two are not directly comparable.
  • The Municipality says reserves are well above the provincial threshold, so using some of them may be a deliberate choice.

Questions you could ask

  1. Which items were removed or reduced between the draft and the final budget to reach 1.9%?
  2. How much of the 1.9% depends on one-time transfers from reserves?
  3. What is the reserve balance at the end of 2025, and what threshold does the Municipality say it is measuring against?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Draft budget: tax rate increase "3.15%", 2026 estimated taxes "$ 2,087.41" against "$ 2,023.71" in 2025, a yearly increase of "$ 63.70". Operating budget: "Transfer from Reserves (1,097,889)" and "Taxation (including Adjustments) (20,646,124)". Capital funding from "Reserves 4,737,247". Municipal reserves: the "Total Municipal Reserves" row prints "23,400,185 21,273,005 20,479,061" for 2022, 2023 and 2024 (Unaudited).

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 30 (tax impact), slide 33 (operating budget), slide 46 (capital funding), slide 31 (reserves)

  2. Final budget: tax rate increase "1.9%", 2026 estimated taxes "$ 2,062.16", yearly increase "$ 38.45". Operating budget: "Transfer from Reserves (1,297,889)" and "Taxation (including Adjustments) (20,521,124)". Capital funding from "Reserves 5,496,247". Additions from the second draft total "$734,000".

    Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (final 2026 budget slides) · slide 6 (operating budget), slide 7 (capital funding), slide 8 (additions), slide 10 (tax impact)

  3. The news release says Council approved the budget "lowering the proposed municipal tax rate increase to 1.9 percent (from 3.1 percent)" and that North Grenville "enters 2026 from a position of financial strength, with municipal reserves significantly above the threshold that the province uses to define a healthy, resilient municipality".

    North Grenville Council Adopts Forward Looking 2026 Budget with a modest 1.9% Tax Rate Increase (news release, March 16, 2026) · opening paragraph and the paragraph that begins "North Grenville enters 2026"

  4. Impact on Tax Bill: "Residential Ratepayer with an Example Assessment of $300,000", with the draft's 3.15% rate increase giving a yearly increase of "$ 63.70".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 30 (tax impact)

↑ All questions

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

Where would the $17,000,000 for the proposed Sports Dome come from, when the draft budget lists it as "unbudgeted"?

$17,000,000Sports Dome line under "Unbudgeted Projects" in the draft 2026 capital list

The draft 2026 budget lists "Installation of the 125,000 sq.ft. Sports Dome & 7500 sq.ft. Ancillary Building" as a 2026 objective. On the capital project list, under "Unbudgeted Projects - RECREATION", it shows "Sports Dome 17,000,000". The draft capital total for Parks, Recreation and Culture does not include it, and the final capital budget of $40,898,987 does not list it either. The Municipality's news release calls it a "proposed" dome and mentions only "ongoing preparatory work". The slides do not say how the $17,000,000 would be paid for.

Why it matters

A $17,000,000 building is large for a municipality whose whole operating budget is $34,611,857. Residents will want to know, before the election, whether the money would come from taxes, borrowing, donors or senior governments, and whether Council has already agreed to it.

It could be because…

  • "Unbudgeted" may only mean the project is not yet in the 2026 tax-supported budget, because it depends on outside money such as grants or donations that have not been confirmed.
  • Council may have already voted on the dome in a separate report that the slides do not mention.
  • Only the planning stage is meant for 2026. The draft capital list does include $150,000 for "Sports Dome Study/Design" and $32,000 for site surveys.
  • A later decision, after the October 2026 election, may settle the funding.

Questions you could ask

  1. Has Council voted to build the Sports Dome, and on what date?
  2. What would pay for the $17,000,000: grants, donations, borrowing or taxes?
  3. What would the dome cost to run each year, and who would operate 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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Draft budget, 2026 PR&C objectives: "Installation of the 125,000 sq.ft. Sports Dome & 7500 sq.ft. Ancillary Building". 2025 highlights: "Sports Dome Feasibility Study and Detailed Design Completed".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 10 (2026 objectives) and slide 9 (2025 highlights)

  2. Draft capital budget, "Unbudgeted Projects - RECREATION Amount": "Sports Dome 17,000,000". Facilities total "583,500" includes "Sports Dome Study/Design 150,000" and "Geotech, Site and Topo Survey (DOME) 32,000". Parks, Recreation and Culture capital total is "1,088,500".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 51 (unbudgeted recreation projects), slide 49 (parks and facilities), slide 46 (capital totals)

  3. Final budget, 2026 Capital Budget by department: "Parks, Recreation and Culture 1,593,500" and total "$40,898,987". The slide does not list a Sports Dome amount.

    Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (final 2026 budget slides) · slide 7 (PDF page 7), 2026 Capital Budget

  4. The news release lists "Ongoing preparatory work for the proposed North Grenville Indoor Sports Dome" among its recreation capital investments.

    North Grenville Council Adopts Forward Looking 2026 Budget with a modest 1.9% Tax Rate Increase (news release, March 16, 2026) · Recreation and community facilities section, bulleted list

  5. 2026 Operating Budget: "Total Expenses $34,611,857"; "Total Revenue (34,611,857)"; "Balanced Budget".

    Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (final 2026 budget slides) · slide 6 (PDF page 6), 2026 Operating Budget

↑ All questions

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

Why did Council make a decision in a closed meeting in October 2024 that an independent investigator found broke the open-meeting rule?

Section 239of the Municipal Act, found contravened by Council in the investigator's report of February 26, 2025

A closed meeting is a council meeting that the public cannot attend, allowed only for listed reasons. On October 22, 2024, Council met in closed session for over 7 hours on five items, one of which was an Integrity Commissioner's report about a member of council. After a request from a member of the public, the Municipality's closed meeting investigator found that Council "contravened section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001", because it made a decision on the report's recommendations in private, by what the Mayor called a "general consensus". The investigator also found that the report was then put on the consent agenda (a list of items passed together without discussion), which the Procedure By-law does not authorize, and that no formal reprimand had been issued. The report is dated February 26, 2025. The Municipality's 2026 budget slides list "Update procedural bylaw" among the Clerk's 2025 highlights.

Why it matters

Closed meetings are an exception to the rule that councils decide in public. The investigator stressed that the Municipality's own Code of Conduct says the Integrity Commissioner's report is to be dealt with in open session, by recorded vote. The investigator also noted the Mayor's view that the members were "relatively new" and had received "minimal" training.

It could be because…

  • The investigator wrote: "While it may not have been the intent of the members to do so, Council breached the open meeting rule". The mistake may have been about procedure, not an effort to hide anything.
  • The Mayor said there was no attempt to "bury" the report, and that the report was published with the open meeting agenda.
  • The Municipality has since listed an update of its Procedure By-law as a 2025 highlight, and has created an accountability page, which the investigator recommended.
  • A formal reprimand may have been given at a meeting after the report. We did not read later minutes.

Questions you could ask

  1. Did Council receive the open meeting training the investigator recommended, and when?
  2. When was the Procedure By-law updated, and does it now cover consent agendas?
  3. Was the formal public reprimand the investigator recommended ever issued?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. The investigator wrote: "we have found that the Municipality has contravened section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 and its Procedure of Council By-law (4-19) with respect to the Closed Meeting."

    Report on Closed Meeting Investigation 2024-01 (Aird & Berlis LLP, February 26, 2025) · Introduction, paragraph 4 (report page 1, PDF page 3)

  2. Paragraph 60: the Mayor "advised us that there was no formal vote but that the members of Council did discuss the IC Report; that they reached a \"general consensus\" through \"informal dialogue\"". Paragraph 62: "Council deliberated on the IC Report and it made a substantive decision in the absence of the public to accept the Integrity Commissioner's recommendation".

    Report on Closed Meeting Investigation 2024-01 (Aird & Berlis LLP, February 26, 2025) · Analysis, paragraphs 60 and 62 (report page 10, PDF page 12)

  3. Paragraph 96: the Procedure By-law "does make any reference to and thus does not authorize a \"Consent Agenda\"" (as printed). Paragraph 109: "While it may not have been the intent of the members to do so, Council breached the open meeting rule in section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001". Paragraph 87: the closed meeting was a single meeting "lasting over 7 hours".

    Report on Closed Meeting Investigation 2024-01 (Aird & Berlis LLP, February 26, 2025) · Findings, paragraphs 87, 96 and 109 (report pages 13, 15 and 17)

  4. Recommendations: training on the open meeting rule "within sixty (60) days"; update the Procedure By-law "at its earliest opportunity"; "Council shall issue a formal public reprimand" to a member "within thirty (30) days"; create an "Accountability" page on the website.

    Report on Closed Meeting Investigation 2024-01 (Aird & Berlis LLP, February 26, 2025) · Recommendations, paragraph 111 (report page 17, PDF page 19)

  5. 2025 Clerk highlights: "Update procedural bylaw". 2025 Clerk highlights also list "Administered 154 Council and Committee meetings".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 17 (PDF page 17), Office of the CAO, 2025 Clerk Highlights

↑ All questions

Worth askingFound by reading the town's documents

What has the $225,000 a year for physician recruitment bought, and how will the Municipality know it is working?

$225,000for physician recruitment in the 2026 budget

The 2026 budget lists $225,000 for "Physician Recruitment", the largest single line in the "Within Departmental Budgets" part of the Municipality's community investments, which total $1,100,259. The draft slides say that in 2025 the Municipality "Awarded two incentives to new physicians to the community" and supported an application for a nurse practitioner-led clinic. The Municipality has also committed $90,000 a year for 10 years for a CT scanner at Kemptville District Hospital. The slides do not say how many doctors the incentives have brought, what each incentive was worth or what conditions come with it.

Why it matters

Finding a family doctor is a real concern for many Ontario residents, and a council may reasonably pay to help. Taxpayers should still be able to see what the money buys, because incentive payments to doctors can be large and last for years.

It could be because…

  • The $225,000 may cover several yearly payments to doctors who are already recruited, rather than new offers.
  • Incentives may have conditions, such as a minimum number of years of practice, with money returned if the doctor leaves.
  • The Municipality may be competing with other towns for the same doctors, so the amount may be what is needed to be noticed.
  • Results may be reported to Council in a separate report that we did not find.

Questions you could ask

  1. How many physician incentives has the Municipality awarded, and how much was each worth?
  2. What conditions come with an incentive, and what happens if the doctor leaves early?
  3. Will Council receive a yearly report on what the recruitment money achieved?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Draft 2026 community investments, "Within Departmental Budgets": "Physician recruitment 225,000". The slide's "TOTAL" is 1,075,259 in the draft.

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 24 (PDF page 24), 2026 Community Investments

  2. Final 2026 community investments: "Physician Recruitment 225,000"; "TOTAL $1,100,259".

    Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (final 2026 budget slides) · slide 5 (PDF page 5), 2026 Community Investments

  3. Corporate Strategy 2025 highlights: "Awarded two incentives to new physicians to the community" and "Supported an application for a nurse practitioner-led clinic".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 11 (PDF page 11), Corporate Strategy, 2025 highlights

  4. Note 15, Commitments: "In 2024, the Municipality committed to the Kemptville District Hospital $900,000 for the acquisition of a CT scanner. The commitment is for $90,000 per year for 10 years, beginning in 2024."

    Municipality of North Grenville, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2023 (KPMG LLP, December 17, 2024) · Note 15, Commitments (PDF page 25, printed page 19)

↑ All questions

Good to knowFound by reading the town's documents

Why did North Grenville go from having net savings in 2022 to net debt in 2023, and how will it pay the $7,744,220 it now owes to close landfills and remove asbestos?

$(1,670,580)net debt at the end of 2023, from net financial assets of $3,933,768 a year earlier

"Net financial assets" is what a municipality has in cash and money owed to it, minus what it owes. At the end of 2022 North Grenville had net financial assets of $3,933,768. At the end of 2023 it had net debt of $(1,670,580). The statements explain a big part of the change. A new accounting rule began in 2023 and requires the Municipality to record the future cost of closing landfills and removing asbestos from its buildings as a debt. These "asset retirement obligations" came to $7,744,220 at the end of 2023, up from $3,379,347. The statements show the Municipality also spent $14,256,647 on capital assets in 2023, against a budget of $26,161,050.

Why it matters

The new rule did not create the cost. The landfills and buildings were always going to cost money to close or clean up. But the statements show this cost is "unfunded", which means no savings are set aside for it yet. Residents may want to know how and when the Municipality plans to pay.

It could be because…

  • The change is largely accounting: the statements say the new standard raised liabilities by $4,364,873 on January 1, 2023, without any new spending.
  • Many closure costs fall due over 25 years, so no large payment is needed soon.
  • The Municipality spent $14,256,647 on assets that will last for years, which raises assets but lowers cash.
  • The 2023 statements are the latest ones we could read. The 2024 statements are a scanned image, so the picture may have changed.

Questions you could ask

  1. Does the Municipality plan to set money aside for landfill closure and asbestos removal, and how much a year?
  2. What do the 2024 and 2025 statements show for net financial assets or net debt?
  3. When will the Burritts Rapids site be formally closed, and what will it cost?

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 North Grenville? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.

The evidence

  1. Statement of financial position: "Net financial assets (debt)" (1,670,580) in 2023 and 3,933,768 in 2022. "Asset retirement obligations (note 7)" 7,744,220 (2022: 3,379,347). "Cash" $ 31,969,636 (2022: $ 36,040,327).

    Municipality of North Grenville, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2023 (KPMG LLP, December 17, 2024) · Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, PDF page 7 (printed page 1)

  2. Statement of changes in net debt: "Acquisition of tangible capital assets" budget (26,161,050), actual (14,256,647). "Net financial assets (debt), end of year" $ (1,670,580).

    Municipality of North Grenville, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2023 (KPMG LLP, December 17, 2024) · Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Debt, PDF page 9 (printed page 3)

  3. Note 7: liabilities for asset retirement obligations, end of year: landfill closure $ 5,184,074, asbestos and other removal $ 2,560,146, total $ 7,744,220. Note 20: "Increase in liabilities $ 4,364,873" on adoption of the new standard. Note 10: "Unfunded asset retirement obligations (7,744,220)".

    Municipality of North Grenville, Consolidated Financial Statements, Year ended December 31, 2023 (KPMG LLP, December 17, 2024) · Note 7 (PDF page 21), Note 20 (PDF page 38), Note 10 (PDF page 24)

  4. Draft 2026 capital list, Waste Management Services: "Burritts Rapids Waste Disposal Site Closure Engineering 30,000".

    Proposed Municipal Operating & Capital Budgets (2026 draft budget slides) · slide 47 (PDF page 47), Appendix B, Waste Management Services

↑ All questions