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Mono opts not to delve into OAS property tax tally

June 4, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Mono Mayor John Creelman hoped to take steps to give residents a look at how much money is not going into municipal coffers because the Orangeville Agricultural Society is exempt from property taxes in the town.

That was despite objections by some councillors.

Councillor Ralph Manktelow said he views the move as exacerbating a strained relationship between Mono council and the agricultural society.

“I think this is antagonistic and non-productive,” Coun. Elaine Capes said.

As it turned out during its May 26 meeting, council voted against the idea.

Creelman’s move stemmed from a March council meeting when the OAS asked that its annual fall fair at the events centre in Mono be exempted from the town’s new noise bylaw.

The new bylaw was adopted in February to replace the former rules that council had said were antiquated and unenforceable. The former legislation had been on the books without update since 2004.

The OAS’s position was that the restrictive parameters of the new bylaw may eliminate some events that community groups host at the OAS Events Centre. That would mean less money to those groups and a large cut to the facility’s annual revenue.

If the events centre can’t keep the lights on, then even the groups that put on events that don’t generate noise will also be in the hunt for a new venue.

Applicants for a noise exemption are required to pay a $500 fee, a sum that Jen Arnold, the OAS Events Centre’s general manager, said in March is a significant financial challenge. Creelman asked Arnold to provide OAS auditors’ reports to prove the fee is indeed a hurdle.

“I can provide that,” Arnold said.

“And how soon can we see that?” Creelman said. “Because, ultimately, we’ll make a decision based on your viability.”

Arnold said she could provide the documents the day following the March meeting. The OAS received its exemption and the application fee was also waived by council.

Fast forward to a subsequent council meeting weeks later and Creelman informed council that the OAS financial documents hadn’t been received. So the mayor reached out to the provincial Ministry of Agriculture for access to that information. That’s the provincial body that governs agricultural societies.

Creelman said he received the requested information within 72 hours.

And that led to Creelman’s suggestion during the May 26 meeting that the town’s treasurer compile figures that would be in the OAS’s tax bill if it wasn’t exempt from taxation.

“I’m aware that they are tax-exempt, but my motivation is to demonstrate to the ratepayers of Mono what we would be getting by way of taxes if that exemption did not exist,” Creelman said.

Deputy Mayor Fred Nix said he wasn’t aware until Creelman obtained the society’s financial statements that the OAS pays taxes to Orangeville for property it owns in that town.

Nix said he believes that property to be the curling club. He said he can’t understand why a curling arena property in Orangeville generates taxes but no property taxes are paid on an events centre in Mono that draws events throughout the year.

“It doesn’t, in my mind, make any sense,” Nix said and congratulated Creelman for taking the steps he has.

Les Halucha, the town’s treasurer, said staff will draw up a tax bill for information purposes. But he reminded council that the OAS is registered on the tax roll as being exempt.

“And we only bill properties that are not exempt on the tax roll,” Halucha said, and suggested Creelman amend his motion to allow a tax bill be drawn up for council’s information but not to be mailed to the OAS.

“They really have to legal requirement to pay it,” Halucha said.

“I think you’re probably correct in that,” Creelman said.

The mayor said a point needs to be made. That point is to demonstrate how much the OAS hasn’t been required to pay in taxes.

“The tax exemption is premised on them meeting the traditional objectives of an agricultural society,” Creelman said. “And those have changed over the years.”

Coun. Melinda Davie said the OAS’s mandate is to hold the annual fall fair. And they have for a lot of years.

“It’s not as big and successful and there’s a lot of discussion about how can we make it better and bigger and different,” Davie said. “Maybe we’re coming at a crossroads in the world where it’s just not possible to make it bigger. But I don’t know that they don’t really fulfill what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Davie basically asked what was the point in going through the exercise of Creelman’s motion.

“Because we’re not going to get the taxes… are we just adding fuel to the fire of people being unhappy with the (OAS)?” Davie said.

“My point is that the provincial legislation is sloppy,” Creelman said. “It doesn’t hold the (agricultural) societies’ feet to the fire to the extent of an expectation that they will live up to their objectives. If the fall fair is their sole objective, then I would suggest that they are missing an opportunity to do a whole bunch of activities in the course of the year.”

Creelman said the OAS was in “arrears” as far as the requirement to “file documentation” with the province until very recently.

“They committed to providing that information to us as a council,” Creelman said in reference to the March discussion with OAS representatives.

“They then walked that back and I had to ask the ministry to give us the information, which they did within 72 hours,” Creelman said, and pointed out that response was without the prodding of an access to information request.

“That didn’t quite clarify,” Davie said. “So you’re unhappy with the provincial (government)?”

“I am unhappy on many levels,” Creelman said. “The provincial legislation as written. The interpretation by the province that they (OAS) can be in good standing even when they don’t file the materials that are required to be filed on an annual basis. The fact that their (OAS) tax exemption doesn’t get put into jeopardy because they (OAS) do not fulfil the terms of the legislation.”

Creelman said he could take a pick as to which reason “is more vexatious.”

Coun. Elaine Capes suggested the OAS should model its fall fair more closely akin to the Royal Winter Fair and steer away from monster truck events. Her reference was to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

“Well, maybe this will act as a wakeup call for them (OAS),” Creelman said.

Davie said she feels as if she’s being “a school Marm.”

“There’s no consequences to the fact a bill has been created,” Creelman said. “The bill is not going to be sent. It’s going to be presented to council. The public will get to see how much money would otherwise be contributed to the town budget but it is not currently being contributed to the town budget.”

Creelman said that represents a “significant amount.”

“There is a certain amount of demonstrative intent here, but I want this to be a wakeup call, frankly, to the OAS,” the mayor said.

Nix wondered how the society can be exempt from property taxes but receive a bill and pay taxes on property in nearby Orangeville.

“There’s something that doesn’t add up there,” Nix said.

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