TAXATION WEDNESDAY: UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE 61% OF OUR PROPERTY TAXES GOES Post 5
September 30th, 2026
WHERE DOES THE 61% GO?
In Post 3, we learned that 61% of the average Wasaga Beach property-tax bill stays with the Town.
For the average 2026 household, that's: $2,493.94
But what does the Town do with its share?
LET'S BREAK DOWN THE 61¢ OF YOUR TAX DOLLAR THAT STAYS WITH THE TOWN.
The Town's 2026 tax-supported budget is $40,684,870.
According to the Town's published 2026 Budget Snapshot:
Town function | Share |
Public Works | 20.2¢ |
Police Services — OPP | 14.9¢ |
Fire Services | 14.4¢ |
Corporate Services | 10.8¢ |
Recreation & Facilities | 8.6¢ |
Office of the CAO | 8.0¢ |
Parks | 5.7¢ |
Legislative & Development Services | 5.7¢ |
Library | 4.6¢ |
Strategic Initiatives | 4.3¢ |
Transit | 1.5¢ |
Mayor & Council | 1.3¢ |
Source: Town of Wasaga Beach, 2026 Budget Snapshot.
Now we can start asking some bigger questions.
What are we getting for those 61 cents?
What does each service cost?
What are our priorities?
What are our long-term commitments?
And perhaps most importantly:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE WANT TO ADD SOMETHING NEW?
Because the Town doesn't have an unlimited supply of money.
Every new project, program or facility has a price — not just to build or purchase, but potentially to operate, maintain and replace.
🏖️ AND THAT BRINGS US TO DESTINATION WASAGA
Destination Wasaga is a long-term plan to reimagine the waterfront, downtown, public spaces, transportation connections, attractions and visitor experiences. The video was lovely to watch. I'm sure the 200+ page report is full of important information, well researched and laid out for public viewing.
The Town describes it as a plan intended to bring public and private investment together to strengthen Wasaga Beach as a four-season destination.
Ontario has committed $38 million toward Destination Wasaga-related investments, including:
$25 million — Nancy Island Nearly $11 million — Beach Drive $2 million — Destination Wasaga Master Plan
That's a substantial provincial investment.
But here's the question:
WHAT WILL DESTINATION WASAGA COST WASAGA BEACH?
⚠️ HERE'S WHAT WE DON'T KNOW YET
The Town's September 24, 2026 Destination Wasaga backgrounder describes an implementation roadmap and future capital builds.
But it does not provide one final municipal price tag for implementing Destination Wasaga.
So we don't yet have one number that answers:
BEFORE WE ASK RESIDENTS TO INVEST...
I believe residents deserve to see the complete financial picture.
Not just the vision.
Not just the renderings.
Not just the proposed projects.
The numbers.
The funding sources.
The Town's share.
The long-term operating costs.
And the measurable return on that investment.
Because “How much will it cost?” is not a hostile question.
It's a responsible question.
If Destination Wasaga is going to become the transformational investment the Town envisions, then we should be able to measure whether we're getting the results we were promised.
The vision is becoming clearer.
The financial picture needs to become clearer too.
Thanks for listening! 💗
Next on Taxation: Needs vs. Wants — how do we decide what comes first when the money isn't unlimited?
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