Town of Paradise Budget 2026 – Listening to Our Community

The Town of Paradise 2026 Budget was presented during a special Public Council Meeting on January 29, 2026. The $52 million balanced budget maintains the residential and commercial mil rates, at 7.4 and 11.5 respectively, and there are no changes to the water and sewer rates. There is a significant increase in Budget 2026 over previous years and that is due in large part to insurance proceeds of approximately $4 million.

“Budget 2026 is based on listening to our community. As a Council, we took what we heard at the doors while we were campaigning during the municipal election, what we gathered through Budget Talks, and what is shared in our day-to-day conversations with residents and businesses, and we used that information to guide our budget decisions. The result is a practical and forward-looking budget that outlines investments across all key areas of our Town to provide the services and programs our 24,000 residents need,” said Mayor Patrick Martin.

Budget 2026 outlines investments in all areas of Town operations, including:

• design work for permanent traffic calming measures in key areas, new snow clearing equipment, and ongoing Street Rehabilitation and Concrete Repair programs;
• completing water and sewer projects according to the Water and Sewer Priority List, starting a multi-year upgrade project on the Woodstock Lift Station, and doing the Phase 1 design work for the Wastewater Treatment Plant;
• implementing a new permitting system;
• creating a Low-income Recreation Access Program;
• planting trees in Paradise Park, developing a trail master plan, updating park signage, completing Phase 4 of the bleacher replacement plan, and adding a pump track to the Elizabeth Park neighbourhood; and 
• expanding the Municipal Awards Program and creating a Sports Hall of Fame. 

“Budget 2026 maintains the programs and services our residents depend on, it makes targeted investments in areas where residents have asked us to focus, and it does so with no increase to the mil rates,” said Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street, Council Lead for Administration and Corporate Services. 

As part of the budget, the Town outlined its plans for the Town Hall and Depot damaged in a fire last February. The interior of the Town Hall will be remodeled, and the cost will be covered by the insurance proceeds. The work involves modernizing workspaces, updating building features to current standards, improving the accessibility features, and updating the Council Chambers. The renovations will start in the coming weeks, and they are expected to be completed before the end of the year.

“Based on all the information before us, Council feels the sensible and responsible decision is to remodel the interior of the Town Hall. This gives us the opportunity to update the building in a fiscally responsible manner so that we can meet our current and future needs and create a Town Hall that can serve Paradise for decades to come,” said Mayor Martin.