Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Rainy River's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town on the Rainy River in northwestern Ontario, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
+114%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024
Rainy River spent $334K on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $716K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 2 of 43 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$491Kin savings at the end of 2024
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Rainy River had $491K saved at the end of 2024, down from $500K in 2019. That is 16% of one year's spending. Only 3 of 43 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$226Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2024
At the end of 2024, $226K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 23% of everything billed. Only 3 of 43 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $131K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$3,429,802owed to suppliers at the end of 2024, against $220,667 in cash
At the end of 2024 the Town's cash was $220,667, down from $488,279, and its investments were $42,098, down from $563,443. It owed $3,429,802 in accounts payable, up from $584,058. It was also owed $3,074,745 in accounts receivable, up from $305,472. Net debt (what it owes less its financial assets) rose to $1,327,960 from $912,089. The Town spent $3,321,137 on assets under construction during the year. It has a bank credit facility of up to $300,000. The statements do not say what the receivable is, but government grants for building projects rose to $3,861,718 in 2024 from $1,374,944, including $1,200,154 federal and $1,000,028 provincial from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The 2024 surplus was $2,013,636 against a budgeted deficit of $959,514.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$593,314sewer fund deficit at the end of 2024, up from $421,726
The Town's accumulated surplus is split by fund. At the end of 2024 the water fund stood at a deficit of $316,848 (2023: $299,954) and the sewer fund at a deficit of $593,314 (2023: $421,726). The sewer deficit grew by $171,588 in a year (worked out by us). The general operating fund stood at a surplus of $457,131. Water and sewer deficits mean the fees collected over the years have not covered the costs charged to those funds. The 2026 budget has the general fund charging the water fund $30,000 and the sewer fund $30,000 in administration fees.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$386,473reserve funds with no investments set aside behind them, unchanged from 2023
The working capital reserve fell from $587,808 at the end of 2023 to $62,808 at the end of 2024, a drop of $525,000 (worked out by us). The statements list reserve funds of $427,693, led by $334,363 from the sale of the Town's hydro company. They also say that only $41,220 of investments are set aside for those reserve funds, so "there were $386,473 (2023 - $386,473) in unfunded reserve funds". That means most of the money the reserves say are saved has been spent or lent to other uses, and is not sitting in a separate account. The statements do not say how the working capital reserve was used.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$777,483spent on recreation and cultural services in 2024, against a budget of $184,963
The 2024 statement of operations shows recreation and cultural services spending of $777,483 against a budget of $184,963, a difference of $592,520 (worked out by us). It was $513,452 in 2023. Total spending was $4,079,030 against a budget of $3,775,622, because other areas, such as environmental services ($887,392 against $1,156,517), came in under their budgets. The statements do not explain the recreation figure. Donations of $138,360 (2023: $40,906) and a provincial grant of $244,668 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation were received in 2024.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$63,847.27interest on loans in the 2026 budget, against $29,507 of scheduled interest on existing debt
The 2026 budget has $63,847.27 in General Administration on a line called "Interest on loans". The 2024 statements say the Town's long-term debt costs $31,862 in interest, and their repayment schedule shows interest of $29,507 for 2026. The budgeted amount is more than twice that. The statements show only two loans, with $637,048 owing at the end of 2024. We did not find a new loan in the documents we read.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
+13%town property tax, 2023 to 2024
In 2024, Rainy River collected $114K more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 13% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 5 of 43 similar towns raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 8% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only −0.1%.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources
$112,774.73surplus from 2025 counted in the 2026 budget, labelled "not confirmed"
The approved 2026 budget balances at $4,066,514.33 on both sides. To get there it counts a credit of $112,774.73 on a line the budget itself labels "estimate 2025 surplus - not confirmed". We did not find 2025 audited statements to compare with.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
The 2024 statements say the Town found soil contamination on municipal property and hired an engineer, who dug out soil judged to be contaminated but could not fully assess the rest because of buildings and natural features. The statements say the extent of the remaining contamination, if any, "is undeterminable at this time", so no cost has been recorded. The property is still in use. The notes do not name the site or give any amount.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
The Integrity Commissioner's report signed August 5, 2026, which concerned a complaint about a public meeting held on March 2, 2026 and dismissed it, says "no official municipal audio or video recording of the March 2, 2026 meeting existed". Among its governance suggestions to Council it lists "considering the benefits of official audio or video recordings of Council meetings". We did not find a meeting video channel on the pages we read. The Commissioner states that these observations are "solely" recommendations.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2024 tax year · Rainy River, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Rainy River's share pays for.
Ontario still uses property values from January 1, 2016 for tax, so your assessed value is probably well below what your home would sell for today.
It is on your property assessment notice from MPAC, and on your tax bill. We filled in the typical value in Rainy River.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Rainy River council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Rainy River's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
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