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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Northeastern Manitoulin & The Isl'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.

The money · 2025

How Northeastern Manitoulin & The Isl's money works

A town is a bit like a household. Money comes in (mostly taxes and grants), and money goes out to pay for services like roads, fire trucks and the arena. Here is what that looked like in 2025, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2025 and not this year? A budget is a plan. These figures are what actually happened, checked by an auditor and reported to Ontario.

Money in: $12.1M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Northeastern Manitoulin & The Isl revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$6.2M51%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.7M14%
  • Grants for specific projects$603K5%
  • Fees people pay$2.7M23%
  • Other$496K4%
  • Everything else$376K3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$6,211,58351.2%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,714,90014.1%
Grants for specific projects$602,9045.0%
Fees people pay$2,739,88322.6%
Other$495,8964.1%
Everything else$376,2713.1%
Total$12,141,437100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Money from Ontario (no strings)
A yearly grant from the Province that the town can spend on anything. Small rural towns get more.
Grants for specific projects
Money from Ontario or Canada that must be spent on a certain thing, often a road or building.
Fees people pay
Water and sewer bills, dump fees, arena rentals, permits and similar charges.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $8.9M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $2.0M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Northeastern Manitoulin & The Isl spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.5M17%
  • Police, fire and safety$1.1M12%
  • Roads and snow$2.0M22%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$597K7%
  • Health$1.0M11%
  • Social services$585K7%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.9M22%
  • Planning and business$204K2%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,528,02217.1%
Police, fire and safety$1,106,31512.4%
Roads and snow$1,983,06522.2%
Water, sewers and garbage$597,4046.7%
Health$1,002,78011.2%
Social services$584,5096.5%
Parks, arena and library$1,921,22221.5%
Planning and business$203,7692.3%
Total$8,927,086100%

Roads and snow

$2.0M

Fixing and paving roads, bridges and culverts, ploughing snow, and street lights.

+16% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$1.5M+18%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Snow ploughing$173K+13%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Gravel roads$155K+9%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  4. Airport$100K+65%

    A local airport or airstrip.

  5. Bridges and culverts$49,128+64%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Paved roads$37,911

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  7. Street lights$8,003

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$1,460,072+18.0%
Snow ploughing$172,523+13.3%
Gravel roads$155,386+9.3%
Airport$100,042+64.5%
Bridges and culverts$49,128+64.0%
Paved roads$37,911–
Street lights$8,003–

Parks, arena and library

$1.9M

Parks, the arena, the pool, sports fields, programs and the library.

+43% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$749K+11%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Golf, marina, ski hill$682K+80%

    Town-owned golf course, marina or ski hill.

  3. Library$261K+138%

    The public library.

  4. Museums$116K+45%

    Local museums.

  5. Parks$70,843+9%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  6. Programs$42,331+36%

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$749,275+10.9%
Golf, marina, ski hill$681,711+80.0%
Library$260,775+137.7%
Museums$116,287+44.7%
Parks$70,843+8.9%
Programs$42,331+36.3%

Running the town office

$1.5M

Council, managers, the clerk, accounting, computers, insurance and the town hall itself. Every town needs some of this, but it does not fix a road or put out a fire.

+31% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Council$1.5M+991%

    Pay and expenses for the mayor and councillors, and council meetings.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Council$1,528,022+990.6%

Police, fire and safety

$1.1M

Paying for police, the fire department, building inspectors and by-law officers.

+7% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$728K−4%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. By-law and animal control$188K+271%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  3. Fire department$180K+44%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  4. Building permits$8,443−91%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  5. Emergency planning$1,879

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$728,008−3.9%
By-law and animal control$188,315+271.4%
Fire department$179,670+44.0%
Building permits$8,443−90.9%
Emergency planning$1,879–

Health

$1.0M

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+26% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$804K+19%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$146K+53%

    Health inspections and programs.

  3. Cemeteries$53,451+106%

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$803,793+19.1%
Public health$145,536+52.9%
Cemeteries$53,451+105.9%

Water, sewers and garbage

$597K

Clean tap water, the sewer system, garbage pickup, the dump and recycling.

−38% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water treatment$652K+94%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  2. Sewer pipes$190K+36%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  3. Recycling$70,772−1%

    Recycling and composting.

  4. Sewage treatment$58,857−10%

    Cleaning sewage before it goes back into nature (Tweed uses lagoons).

  5. Garbage pickup$47,050−13%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

  6. Water pipes$16,873−71%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water treatment$651,665+94.4%
Sewer pipes$189,885+36.4%
Recycling$70,772−0.6%
Sewage treatment$58,857−10.2%
Garbage pickup$47,050−13.0%
Water pipes$16,873−71.3%

Social services

$585K

Help for people and families who need it, and child care.

−66% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$442K+426%

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$143K−91%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$441,867+425.8%
Seniors$142,642−90.9%

Planning and business

$204K

Deciding what can be built where, and trying to bring businesses and visitors to town.

+56% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$197K+56%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Planning and zoning$7,195

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$196,574+56.1%
Planning and zoning$7,195–

What the money bought

The same 2025 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$3.1M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$3.1M

    Gravel, salt, fuel, electricity, heating, office supplies and repairs.

  3. Outside companies$1.8M

    Work the town pays other companies to do, like policing, paving or consultants.

  4. Money given to others$1.5M

    Grants and payments to other groups, like the conservation authority.

  5. Interest on loans$23,879

    The extra money paid to lenders for money the town borrowed.

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$3,139,589
Supplies and utilities$3,051,961
Outside companies$1,760,894
Money given to others$1,533,838
Interest on loans$23,879

Staff

People on the town's payroll at the end of each year, as reported to the Province.

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20192120
20202220
20212220
20222220
20232220
20242220
20252320

How things have changed since 2019

Money in compared with day-to-day spending, each year. When the orange line is above the blue one, the town spent more than it took in and made up the difference from savings or loans. Grants for big projects arrive in some years and not others, which makes "money in" jump around.

Money in and day-to-day spending by year
$12.1M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$11.3M$9.1M
2020$14.8M$8.7M
2021$11.5M$9.6M
2022$11M$8.6M
2023$11.7M$9.2M
2024$12.4M$9.6M
2025$12.1M$8.9M

Town property tax

Up 31% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$6.2M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$4.8M
2020$5.0M
2021$5.2M
2022$5.3M
2023$5.6M
2024$6.1M
2025$6.2M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$3.5M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$5.1M
2020$3.7M
2021$3.3M
2022$4.5M
2023$3.8M
2024$4.4M
2025$3.5M

What the town owes

Long-term loans plus short-term (temporary) loans at year end.

Debt by year
$579K
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$980K$0
2020$962K$0
2021$1.3M$0
2022$1.1M$0
2023$902K$0
2024$740K$0
2025$579K$0

Building new things

Spending on new or rebuilt roads, pipes, buildings and equipment, compared with how fast existing ones wear out.

Capital spending and wear by year
$2.9M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.2M$1.6M
2020$7.3M$1.8M
2021$2.0M$2.0M
2022$1.4M$2.0M
2023$3.0M$2.2M
2024$2.1M$2.3M
2025$2.9M$2.0M

Source: Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), Schedules 10, 40, 51, 60, 70, 74 and 80 (archived copy). Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved 2026-10-01. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.