The Cost of Living in Your Own Community

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A Special Investigation into Taxes, User Fees and Municipal Affordability especially in rural Ontario.

For decades, municipal governments were funded primarily through property taxes, with user fees reserved for specialized services or optional activities. Today, many residents feel that balance has shifted. Property taxes continue to rise, yet so do parking fees, permits, licences and a growing list of charges attached to everyday activities.

County First is launching a six-part investigative series to examine whether Ontario municipalities have quietly created a new “user fee economy,” where taxpayers increasingly pay multiple times for services and public assets they already help fund through their taxes.

This series is not an argument against responsible regulation or reasonable user fees. Many permits protect public safety, the environment and shared community assets. Instead, we will ask a different question: Have municipalities gone too far, and are taxpayers receiving good value for the growing number of fees they are asked to pay?

The Series

Part 1 – The $25 Burn Permit 
Why do some municipalities using the same software provide burn permits free of charge while others charge $25? What does the permit actually cost to administer, and should public safety programs be funded through user fees at all? Read more.

Part 2 – The $56 Boat Launch 
Have public boat launches become another revenue source for municipalities? When residents already pay property taxes to maintain public infrastructure, is charging additional parking or launch fees the right approach? Read more.

Part 3 – Permit Hell
Why can a straightforward property project require multiple permits, overlapping approvals and repeated applications? Can Ontario modernize its approval system without compromising environmental protection or public safety?

Part 4 – The User Fee Economy
How much do Ontario municipalities collect through permits, licences and user fees each year, and how has that changed over time? Are municipalities becoming increasingly dependent on fee revenue?

Part 5 – Who Decides What You Pay?
How are municipal fees established? Who recommends them? What evidence is presented to council, and how transparent is the decision-making process?

Part 6 – The Benchmarking Trap
Municipalities often compare themselves with neighbouring communities when setting salaries, fees and charges. Does benchmarking create an unintended cycle where costs gradually rise across Ontario because everyone is measuring themselves against one another?