Future Cities Institute, founded by CAIVAN
Compare property taxes across Ontario

400+ municipalities.One clear picture.

Municipal property tax data is public, but it lives in spreadsheets few people ever open. The Ontario Property Tax Monitor turns the province's Financial Information Return into clear, filterable charts, so the answer that used to take an afternoon of digging now takes a few clicks.

How it works
400+ municipalities 13 years of data <5 min to an answer
Free to use · no login · updated annually from the FIR database
Toronto, expenses per household, 2017–2023.
Source: Financial Information Return (FIR), Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
Why it exists

Complex, messy datasets.
Clear, visual insights.

The Ontario Property Tax Monitor turns complex municipal tax datasets into clear, visual insights. Designed for planners, municipal staff, and policy leaders building evidence-backed housing initiatives, the tool translates dense provincial spreadsheets into clear, visual answers in just a few clicks.
No technical background required.

  • Updated annually through the FIR database
  • Filter by municipality or property type
  • Clear, visual charts
How it works

Three steps to an answer

The Monitor's municipality filter open, showing a searchable multi-select list of Ontario municipalities

Select your filters

Choose your filters from Municipality to Property Type (residential, multi-residential, or commercial) to tailor the data to your needs.

Hold CTRL to compare several municipalities at once.

Explore interactive insights

View clear, easy-to-read charts that instantly show property tax trends and breakdowns.

Shown: expenses per household, Toronto and Waterloo, 2011–2023.

A Monitor chart comparing expenses per household by year for Toronto and Waterloo, 2011 to 2023, with a data table beneath
A planner pointing at a glowing 3D model of a city

Put data into action

Use these insights to support planning, policy development, housing strategies, and other informed decisions.

The tool

Launch the Monitor

Launches directly on your screen. Explore the data, pull the insights you need and close it when you’re done.

Ontario Property Tax Monitor

Compiled FIR data Interactive Power BI report Free · no login
Data: the Financial Information Return (FIR), an annual financial dataset reported by every Ontario municipality to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the primary purpose of the Ontario Property Tax Monitor?
To make municipal property tax data easy to access and understand by transforming complex datasets into clear, interactive visual insights.
Who is the Ontario Property Tax Monitor for?
It's designed for municipal staff and planners, with a broader public release planned post-beta.
How often is the data updated?
The tool uses FIR (Financial Information Return) data and is updated based on the FIR database release schedule, usually once a year.
What features does the tool offer?
  • Interactive visual charts
  • Filter by municipality
  • Filter by property type (residential, multi-residential, commercial, etc.)
  • Downloadable reports where enabled
Do I need any special skills to use it?
No. The tool is designed to be quick and intuitive, allowing users to find what they need in under 5 minutes.
Are there any current limitations I should know about?
Yes, the current data is only available up to 2023, as the 2024 FIR dataset is not yet complete.

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