Budget
The budget is our key planning document to support decision-making on City infrastructure and services in order to meet the needs of our community today and tomorrow.
2025 Budget Engagement
The City is inviting residents and property owners to share their budget priorities and learn more about how their taxes are used.
Share your budget priorities
Share what services and programs are important to you by adjusting funding and service levels in our Budget Simulator. Just like the City’s, your budget will need to be balanced in order to be submitted!
Share your priorities online at oshawa.ca/MyBudget, or on paper at Service Oshawa (located at City Hall, 50 Centre St. S.) during regular business hours.
An online and paper version of the Simulator will also be available at the Shape Oshawa event on Wednesday, May 1 at the Oshawa Centre. Visit staff in front of Old Navy between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.!
Balanced budgets can be submitted until Friday, June 7. All responses will be anonymous and only used to summarize overall feedback received from the public. Feedback will be shared with members of Council and considered in the development of the 2025 Mayor’s Budget.
What do your tax dollars buy?
Residents and property owners can better understand their City residential property taxes by generating an estimated Taxpayer Receipt.
Interested? Visit the 2023 Taxpayer Receipt and enter your property value (as determined by MPAC) to receive a receipt of how much City programs, services and external agency support cost you.
Renters can request their property value from their landlord or enter Oshawa’s average assessed property value ($356,000) to get an idea of a how much City services may have cost them.
Keep in mind:
- The 2023 Taxpayer Receipt is based on the 2023 City Budget and tax rates. Check back in May for an updated version.
- The Taxpayer Receipt only generates the City’s portion of an Oshawa tax bill and does not include taxes collected on behalf of the Regional Municipality of Durham and the Province of Ontario for local school boards. For every dollar collected in 2023, approximately 44 cents were allocated to the Region and 15 cents to local school boards – the City kept only 41 cents.
Budget Process
The 2025 City Budget will be delivered to Council and made available online for public review on Friday, November 1. Members of the public are welcome to watch the meeting online via webstream or in person in Council Chambers beginning at 9:30 a.m.
A Special Council Meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m., Friday, November 8 to hear public delegations on the 2025 City Budget. To submit correspondence or an in-person delegation request regarding a matter that appears on a published agenda, your request must be submitted to Legislative Services by 4 p.m. on the business day prior to the meeting. Requests to delegate electronically must be submitted by noon on the business day prior to the meeting.
2024 Budget
The 2024 City Budget requires a 3.89% increase to the overall City tax levy. This represents an increase to the City of Oshawa portion of the residential tax bill of approximately $82.25 (or $6.85 per month) on a property assessed at $356,000 (Oshawa's average house assessment value as published by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation).
As a lower tier government, the City of Oshawa collects property taxes on behalf of the Regional Municipality of Durham and the Province of Ontario for local school boards.
For every dollar collected in 2023, the City kept only 41 cents, while approximately 44 cents were allocated to the Region of Durham and 15 cents were sent the Province for local school boards.
Operating & Capital Budgets
The City's budget is aligned with the goals of the Oshawa Strategic Plan, Financial Strategy and Council's guiding principles of sustainability and financial stewardship. It is made up of an operating and capital budget that:
- balances competing priorities and challenges
- provides affordable services and programs that meet our community needs
- invests in our city by maintaining and building infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, trails and parks
- saves for the future by increasing our reserve balances to ensure the financial health of the City
The operating budget plans for the cost of delivering services such as snow removal, road maintenance and fire services and maintaining current infrastructure.
The capital budget plans for the costs of constructing and renewing buildings, roads and parks and investing in key strategic priorities for the city's future.
City Budgets
Budget and Accounting Definitions |
Glossary |
2024 Budget |
The 2024 operating and capital budgets, approved by Council on December 1, 2023, resulted in a 3.89% increase on Oshawa's portion of a resident or property owner's tax bill. Approved BudgetExternal Agencies |
2023 Budget |
The 2023 operating and capital budgets, approved by Council on January 19, 2023, resulted in a 4.98% increase on Oshawa's portion of a resident or property owner's tax bill. 2023 Capital Budget2023 Operating Budget
External Agencies |
2022 Budget |
The 2022 operating and capital budgets, approved by Council on December 6, 2021, resulted in a 1.85% increase on Oshawa's portion of a resident or property owner's tax bill. 2022 Capital Budget2022 Operating Budget
2022 Business Plans
External Agencies: |
Visit the Region of Durham website for more information on their budget.