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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Your city, in plain words

How Oshawa uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Oshawa's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city in Durham Region, east of Toronto, with an 11-member council: a mayor, five regional and city councillors, and five city councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Property tax raised in 2025$453Mall property in Oshawa41% City46% Region of Durham14% SchoolsSee where your tax bill goes →
City spending, 2025$221MAbout $3,104 per household, up 11.4% from 2024.See the money →
Property tax change+8.3%Oshawa's own property tax came to $185M in 2025, against $171M in 2024.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday city.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$59.9M · 27%
Parks, arena and library$58.4M · 26%
Running the city office$49.8M · 23%
Roads and snow$33.6M · 15%
Show all 8 servicesShow fewer
Water, sewers and garbage$11.8M · 5%
Planning and business$4.8M · 2%
Social services$2.4M · 1%
Health$692K · 0%

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

A fair comparisonHow does Oshawa compare?Among 8 similar Ontario cities, Oshawa's day-to-day spending per household is on the low side.Oshawa is here · 1 of 8, lowest to highestCompare Oshawa →

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 11 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Why was $1,050,000 taken out of the 2026 infrastructure reserve contribution when the city's own strategy warned that reserve could go $99 million into deficit?

$1,050,000cut from the 2026 contribution to the Infrastructure Reserve (the Financial Strategy projects a $99 million reserve deficit by 2028 if all forecast projects are approved)

A reserve is money a city sets aside for later, here for roads, buildings and other things it must repair or replace. When council amended the 2026 budget on November 28, 2025, one change cut the yearly top-up of the Infrastructure Reserve by $1,050,000. The mayor approved it in writing on December 1, 2025. The city's 2025 to 2029 Financial Strategy says this same reserve is projected to be $99 million in deficit in 2028 if all projects in the forecast were approved, and the 2026 budget book says the city has a yearly gap between what its assets need and what it spends.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Oshawa collected $4,550,385 from developers in 2025 and used $20,228,025. How long can the development charge fund keep shrinking?

$83,863,004development charge balance at December 31, 2025, down from $98,097,813 a year earlier

Development charges are fees paid by builders to cover the cost of roads, sewers and parks that growth needs. The city holds them as "deferred revenue" until a project is built. The development charge balance fell from $98,097,813 to $83,863,004 in one year, because the city used far more than it collected. The 2026 capital budget plans to pay for 41.1% of its projects ($18.3 million) from development charges.

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

Worth askingRising costs

Why did protection to persons and property cost $61,515,890 in 2025, up from $51,812,565, and what is the new $2,058,100 line in the 2026 Fire Suppression budget?

$61,515,8902025 expenses for protection to persons and property, against $51,812,565 in 2024

Protection covers fire, by-law enforcement, building inspection and security. The audited statements show its expenses rose about 19% in one year, with the "other expenses" part more than doubling. The 2025 budget had already planned $60,703,400. For 2026, the Fire Suppression program adds a new "Contributions and Financial Charges" line of $2,058,100, and the budget book's explanation of the change does not mention it.

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

Show 7 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did Oshawa's property tax go up 8% in 2025?

+8%city property tax, 2024 to 2025

In 2025, Oshawa collected $14.2M more in its own property tax than in 2024. That is a 8% jump, while prices went up about 2.1%. Only 1 of 7 similar places raised theirs by more.

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

Good to knowHow decisions are made

Why did the mayor shorten the time to review amendments to the 2026 budget from 10 days to 3 days?

10 to 3 daysreview period for amendments to the 2026 budget, shortened by mayoral decision on December 1, 2025

Oshawa's mayor has strong-mayor powers, which means the mayor proposes the budget. Council can amend it, and the mayor can veto those amendments within a set time. The city's published timetable gave the mayor 10 days. On December 1, 2025 the mayor decided to shorten that to 3 days, and approved the amendments the same day. The decision does not say why.

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

Good to knowOpenness

Where can residents find the Integrity Commissioner's reports for this term of council?

Jan 31, 2024end of the only Integrity Commissioner annual report listed for the 2022 to 2026 term

The Integrity Commissioner investigates complaints that a council member broke the Code of Conduct. Oshawa's page lists one annual report, covering November 2022 to January 31, 2024, and shows "N/A" under individual reports for the whole term (November 15, 2022 to November 14, 2026). We did not find an annual report after January 31, 2024.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 1 source

Where your tax bill goes

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

Tax bill split: Oshawa 41%, Region of Durham 46%, Schools 14%
$453Mraised in 2025
  • Oshawa41%
  • Region of Durham46%
  • Schools14%

  • 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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