Property taxes in Fort Frances will be going up a hefty 3.7 per cent this year as costs for services the town is legally mandated to provide have shot up 7.9 per cent compared to 2025.
The operating budget, approved at Monday’s Town Council meeting, rose to $25.3 million from $23.7 million last year as policing, public health, staffing costs and technology prices saw significant jumps.
“A very significant part of our total budget is non- or uncontrollable expense,” Mayor Andrew Hallikas told the Times. “We have four uncontrollable expenses – The Northwestern Health Unit assesses us a certain amount of money. The DSSAB assesses us, the Ontario Provincial Police assesses us, and then MPAC assesses us.”
“All of those are significantly higher than their 2025 assessment,” Hallikas said. “In fact, the police budget alone went up by 11-and-a-half per cent. It’s in the double digits. That’s pretty significant.”
Of the four annual expenses considered uncontrollable the Northwestern Health Unit rose four per cent to $474,000, the District of Rainy River Services Board was up 4.3 per cent to $2.4 million, the OPP assessment jumped 11.5 per cent to $3.3 million and MPAC Assessment Fees increased 2.7 per cent to $98,000.
“Forty-two per cent of our money raised by all forms of taxation is spent on uncontrollable expenses,” Hallikas said. “That’s leaving 58 per cent then to run the entire rest of the municipality. The increase in those four areas probably accounts for about three of the 3.7 per cent. So, really, the town, through all of the rest of the expenses, we’ve been pretty prudent with taxpayer money, causing a net increase with everything else, of about 0.7 per cent.”
Other necessary cost increases included staff salaries and benefits (up seven per cent to $9.6 million) and the inflation of software prices necessary to run the municipality (up 31.6 per cent to $396,000).
“The town isn’t being profligate with their taxpayer monies,” Hallikas said. “They’re being very prudent. But we can’t control certain areas of the budget, and if that goes up, we have no choice. We have to pay it.”
Another difference in this year’s budget is that this year will be the first year Strong Mayor Powers are in place. However, Hallikas has repeatedly said he has no intention of using those powers.
“I’m on the record as saying I’m opposed to the Strong Mayor Powers. So, we have to follow the law.”
Ontario’s strong mayor powers give the head of council expanded authority to advance provincial priorities—especially housing—by allowing mayors to propose the municipal budget, veto council amendments, veto bylaws that conflict with provincial goals, appoint or dismiss senior staff, and create or dissolve committees.
They originated in 2022–2023 through provincial legislation—the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act and the Better Municipal Governance Act—introduced by the Ontario government to accelerate housing construction and ensure municipal decisions aligned with provincial housing targets.
“What the strong mayor powers does is, is they put timelines on the budget, which is why the budget has to be passed by Feb. 9, and then after February 9th I’ve got 10 days if I want to veto something. But I am not going to. I’m on the record of saying that. I’ve told my council, and I’ve told our treasurer that I’m not vetoing. But we still have to wait that period out. That’s the law. Ten days after Feb. 9, then that budget will become finalized.”
