Greater Sudbury city council approves 3.9 per cent tax increase for 2026
CBC
Greater Sudbury taxpayers will be paying 3.9 per cent more in property taxes in 2026.
City councillors approved the budget at a meeting on Wednesday.
The tax hike is about 2 per cent lower than the budget that staff initially tabled in November.
“There’s lots of needs though. There’s a lot of asks. People are asking a lot,” Sudbury mayor Paul Lefebvre said.
“So we really wanted to bring down the increase to the levy. I think clearly right now, the cost of living is on top of everybody’s mind. We certainly wanted to respond to that."
At the same time, Lefebvre said the focus was also on public safety.
“We invested in police and some of the other investments in our fire and paramedics, as well as bylaw,” he said. "Basically, that 3.9 per cent comprises of mainly almost 60 per cent of it is our investments in police."
The budget included a 0.5 per cent operating increase for delivery of municipal services, including an increase in funding for fire and paramedic staff, improvements to corporate security, the establishment of a dedicated mobile security enforcement team for city housing, as well as accessibility improvements at Kalmo Beach in Val Caron.
A 0.8 per cent increase to the capital funding budget will help pay for $140.1 million in road construction, $52.2 million for fire and paramedic services equipment and $22.9 million for transit projects.
Water and sewer bills are also set to go up 4.9 per cent.
“This budget reflects our commitment to making thoughtful, forward-looking decisions that deliver real value for our community,” Deb McIntosh, city councillor and chair of the Finance and Administration Committee said in a release.
“We know the cost of living is top of mind for residents, and we are confident that this final budget is the best possible balance of needs and aspirations.”
Other municipalities in the northeast are continuing to work on their 2026 budgets. City councillors in Sault Ste. Marie will finalize their budget in December. North Bay is expected to pass its budget in January and Timmins will finalize its budget in February.
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