HALDIMAND—Despite aging infrastructure, Haldimand scored highly compared to other regions in the recently completed 2025 Municipal Study.
The study looks at several indicators, including socio-economic factors, growth, tax rates, municipal reserves, cost of municipal services, and the average household income, among other considerations.
President of BMA Management Consulting Inc. Jim Bruzzese walked Council through the results in a presentation on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
The study looked at 128 municipalities across Ontario. It compared Haldimand against the total survey average as well as a peer group consisting of of Norfolk, Chatham-Kent, Brant, Greater Sudbury, Belleville, Kingston, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, and Brantford.
Haldimand ranked the lowest amongst its peer group in population density, at just 44 people per sq. km, compared to 48 in Norfolk, 523 in Niagara Falls, and 1,171 in Brantford.
“It tells us you require more infrastructure because you have a larger land area. That has an impact on capital budgets,” said Bruzzese.
Haldimand’s current population growth projection predicts a change from 54,687 residents in 2025 to 68,000 by 2041.
“That’s an extremely strong population growth, and population growth does drive the economic health of the municipality,” said Bruzzese, cautioning that an increasing population will lead to an increased demand for services as well.
Additionally, Bruzzese highlighted Haldimand’s 65+ population, which is larger than the provincial average and is the fastest growing segment.
“This aging population may put pressure on the County to provide services that reflect the changing needs of the municipality while still keeping taxes affordable,” he said.
While construction trends have increased since 2018, Bruzzese noted the County only sat fourth amongst its selected peers in terms of building activity.
Looking at taxes, Bruzzese noted the richness of Haldimand’s assessment base, which considers the County’s total assessment base and divides it by the population for an assessment value per capita. Haldimand’s is slightly higher than its peer group at $142,558, but below the survey average of $168,431.
The average household income in Haldimand is $116,875, once again above the peer group average of $109,568 but below the survey average of $127,959. Bruzzese said the Ontario-wide numbers are “skewed in a way” by larger household incomes in the GTA.
“It’s a positive indicator, but it can also lead to greater expectations for quality programs and create operating budget challenges into the future,” he added.
When reviewing the study’s financial indicators, Bruzzese characterized Haldimand’s overall financial position as strong, providing the flexibility to fund capital projects and the capacity to respond to emerging capital priorities.
“When you look at the graph ‘2024 Financial Position per Capita’, you’re at $2,276 dollars positive. The group average is less than half of that, $1,017, and the survey average is $1,013,” he said, noting the trend has been increasing since 2015.
Looking at Haldimand’s infrastructure, Bruzzese warned of a higher-than-average asset consumption ratio of 55%, compared to 48% and 44% for group and survey averages respectively. The ratio provides an indication of how much of an asset’s life expectancy has been consumed.
“That’s an indication you have a fairly old infrastructure that eventually needs to be replaced. It’s important to monitor this to ensure in terms of long-term planning you have funds in place to fund and ultimately replace these assets,” said Bruzzese.
That ratio for water infrastructure is also higher at 41% compared to 37% in the peer group and 35% in the survey.
Wastewater infrastructure fared better, at 37% compared to 46% in the peer group and 38% in the survey.
Bruzzese called for sustained incremental financial action paired with improved data and coordinated planning to maintain service levels and long-term infrastructure sustainability.
Haldimand really stood out in tax related reserves, ranked highest out of the entire 128 municipalities surveyed with a rate of 158% compared to 64% in the peer group and 70% in the survey. The County also ranked second to lowest on their Debt to Reserve ratio, with $1 in reserves for every 20 cents of debt.
One concerning trend revealed is Haldimand’s declining reserves for water infrastructure replacement projects, which has dropped from a rate of 115% in 2020 to just 41% in 2024.
Bruzzese said, “It’s incumbent to monitor this reserve to ensure you do have sufficient funds for the ultimate replacement of capital assets on a timely basis.”
The concern does not extend to wastewater reserves, where the County sits high above the provincial average at rate of 292%, compared to 126% in the peer group and 137% in the survey.
Bruzzese shared more good news that should make the average Haldimand resident smile: property taxes across the board in Haldimand were cheaper than both the group and survey average, at 3.4% compared to 3.7% and 4.2% respectively, and the same goes for water and wastewater costs of service, with Bruzzese marking those costs as among the lowest in the entire survey.
Overall, Bruzzese cautioned that aging infrastructure and demographic changes will both require careful planning and steady investment to manage, but “the County is well-positioned overall to manage these challenges.”
