Greater Sudbury preliminary tax hike estimated at 5.7%

Greater Sudbury's proposed 2026-2027 budget includes a 5.7 per cent tax increase.

The early estimate for the 2026 property tax hike in Greater Sudbury is 5.7 per cent, with next year’s increase estimated at 5.9 per cent.

Members of the finance committee got their first detailed look at the city’s spending plans for the next two years at a meeting Tuesday evening.

“This proposed budget reflects our continued commitment to responsible financial planning and effective service delivery,” said city CAO Shari Lichterman said in a news release.

“We remain focused on fiscal sustainability, maintaining essential services and investing in the infrastructure and programs that support our residents every day.”

Greater Sudbury’s total budget for 2026 is $859 million, of which $402 million comes from property taxes -- or 47 per cent of the total.

The remainder comes from sources such as provincial grants (25 per cent), user fees (19 per cent) and investment earnings (about three per cent.)

Of the $402 million raised through property taxes, 26 per cent goes to the police budget, 19 per cent to build and maintain roads, 11 per cent to fire services, 11 per cent for housing and social services and six per cent for transit.

In the next two years, the city will spend $583 million on capital projects, including $135 million on the new downtown events centre, $140.1 million on roads, bridges and culverts and $22.9 million on transit.

Of the 5.7 per cent proposed tax increase, 2.7 per cent is from the city directly, while three per cent is to pay for police, the library, health unit and Conservation Sudbury.

If approved, the hike would mean a family with a home valued at $450,000 will pay $429 more in property taxes next year. If the 2027 hike of 5.9 per cent is approved, that same family would pay another $470.

According to the city budget document, local property taxes are higher than in Sault Ste. Marie, but lower than North Bay, Thunder Bay and Timmins.

The committee will get budget presentations from police and other outside boards Nov. 12 and Nov. 25, with actual budget deliberations scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 2, and again Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.

Read the full budget overview here.