
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:
“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.
For the depot operations, Council has decided to proceed with building a new facility. The existing building has constraints with work areas for office space, break areas, and equipment storage. Planning is underway for a new building that will provide a modernized facility to support essential services, offer expanded inventory space, and provide indoor storage space to protect equipment. The new depot will require a financial investment, and Council is committed to continually reviewing the project to ensure the costs are within budget.
“It is incumbent upon us to ensure we have the facilities, amenities, and features needed for Town operations so that we can provide services to our residents. Through sound financial management, Paradise is fortunate to be in a solid fiscal position whereby we can make investments today that will support Paradise for tomorrow,” said Mayor Martin.
The Town is making changes to its residential tax assistance program. Under the Towns and Local Service District Act, municipalities are not permitted to offer a tax discount based on age. As a result, it is offering a Low-income Tax Assistance Program based on household income levels and is open to all eligible residents, including seniors. The discount amount is increased to 25 percent.
“We understand the changes to the tax assistance program will not be a welcome change for some residents, especially seniors, however, Council has an obligation to follow provincial legislation. We also want to ensure we are helping those who may have financial difficulties in paying their residential tax bills. Therefore, we expanded our tax assistance support to be a more encompassing, needs-based program,” explained Mayor Martin.
The complete 2026 Budget package is available at paradise.ca/Budget
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