St. John’s councillors voted to approve the city’s 2026 budget yesterday, but not all of them were on board.

Ward 4 Councillor Tom Davis took issue with the “easy narrative” that the mill rate hasn’t gone up, while cumulative taxes have — through increased spending and higher assessed property values.

The city is also budgeting increased revenue from overdue taxes, something Davis says should be a warning sign of the deepening affordability crisis.

“We’re not just worried that people might fall behind, we’re actually planning for it. We’re increasing taxes while budgeting for more residents to be unable to pay them,” he said. “And this additional increase in value — which could be for some homeowners up to 30 per cent, the average is eight per cent — results in someone unable to afford their apartment. That’s really happening and what we’re doing (with this budget) may increase the chances of that happening.”

Mayor Danny Breen acknowledged the budget will be harder on some than others, but defended its overall fairness.

“I do appreciate that there will be some increased costs for people whose assessments have rose,” he said. “But I think on the balance we are putting ourselves in a good financial position heading into 2026.”

A link to the budget document can be found on our website here.