Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Saugeen Shores' budget, taxes and council decisions. A town on Lake Huron in Bruce County, made up of Port Elgin, Southampton and Saugeen, with a mayor, a deputy mayor, a vice deputy mayor and six ward councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Saugeen Shores in one tapWhere it goes
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.
+86%running the town office, 2019 to 2024
Saugeen Shores spent $2.7M on running the town office in 2019 and $5.0M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 7 of 76 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$225,892,712tangible capital assets at December 31, 2024, the amount the auditors say they could not fully check for completeness
A "qualified" opinion means the auditors said the statements are fair except for specific problems they could not check or that break the accounting rules. MNP LLP gave one for 2023 and again for 2024. They could not confirm that the Town has recorded all of its capital assets (roads, buildings, pipes) or that it holds title to them. The Town has also not yet put a legal obligation to retire assets, such as closing a landfill, into its books, as a new accounting standard requires.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
November 28, 2025date of the auditors' report on both the 2023 and the 2024 statements
The auditors' reports on both the 2023 and the 2024 statements, as posted, are dated November 28, 2025. The 2023 report says the 2022 statements were audited by another auditor, with an opinion dated April 8, 2024. The statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 were therefore signed nearly two years after the year ended. We did not find 2025 statements on the Town's budget and finance page on October 5, 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$26,938,448long-term debt at December 31, 2024, up from $14,506,750 a year earlier
Long-term debt (money the Town has borrowed and must repay) rose from $14,506,750 at the end of 2023 to $26,938,448 at the end of 2024, mostly from one new 30-year loan of $14,166,666. The Town's own plans show much more borrowing to come for the Aquatic and Wellness Centre, roads, water and buildings.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$6,456,197net financial assets at December 31, 2024, down from $26,538,877 a year earlier
Net financial assets (what the Town has in cash and investments minus what it owes) dropped from $26,538,877 to $6,456,197 in 2024, a fall of about three-quarters (worked out by us). Reserves, the money council sets aside for specific purposes, fell from $42,710,011 to $35,095,228. The Town's own plans say its non-obligatory reserves (the ones council can choose how to use) will fall to under $5 million before they rebuild.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$49,945,950estimated budget for the centre in the Town's 2024 statements, up from $48,947,790 in the 2023 statements
The Town's statements put the cost of the Aquatic and Wellness Centre (now called the Pryde Aquatic and Wellness Centre) at $48,947,790 at the end of 2023 and at $49,945,950 at the end of 2024. The December 2024 budget report spoke of $42 million of debt for it; a year later the 2026 report listed a further $28.3 million.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$16,368,776development charges held at December 31, 2024 and not yet counted as income
The 2024 budget expected $4,000,000 of development charges (fees on new buildings that pay for growth) as income. The statements recognized $395,013. The Town explains this in its deferred revenue schedule: development charges are counted as income only when spent, and the unspent balance at the end of 2024 was $16,368,776.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
+11%town property tax, 2023 to 2024
In 2024, Saugeen Shores collected $2.5M more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 11% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 13 of 76 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 3.3%.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources
$39,436,164spent on capital assets in 2024, against a budget of $68,192,489
The 2024 budget planned $68,192,489 of capital spending, and the Town spent $39,436,164. It also planned to borrow $38,000,773 and borrowed $14,166,666. Work in progress (assets still being built) was $42,141,853 at year end. This looks like projects running behind their plan, which the Town's statements partly explain.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$1,525,354Future Infrastructure Special Levy for 2026, up from $988,291 in 2025
Besides the general tax levy, the Town charges a Future Infrastructure Special Levy to save for replacing roads, pipes and buildings. It rose from $988,291 in 2025 to $1,525,354 in 2026. The Town says it will keep growing "to the required funding level by 2032". The Town has published what this means for an average home.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2024 tax year · Saugeen Shores, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Saugeen Shores'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 Saugeen Shores.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Saugeen Shores council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Saugeen Shores'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.
Council meetings are open to the public, and councillors answer to you. How to reach Saugeen Shores' council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.