Iqaluit council approves operating budget with no tax hike

A 2026 city operating budget with no property tax increases was unanimously approved by Iqaluit council at its meeting Tuesday.

The city is projected to run a $2.3 million surplus, after accounting for expected revenues of $75.6 million and expenses of $73.3 million.

The city’s revenue projection is down compared to 2025, when it was projected to take in $80 million and pay out $77 million in expenses.

The difference between this year and last could be partly attributed to the end of the universal food-voucher program, which provided $2.8 million in funding last year, city finance director Peter Tumilty told the finance committee on Nov. 12.

The universal food voucher program, funded by the federal government’s Inuit Child First Initiative, provided $500 a month to feed Inuit children under 18 and gave families an additional $250 for children under age four for items like diapers and formula. The program was funded by Indigenous Services Canada and ended March 31 this year.

The city’s $83.4 million 2026 capital budget — its other spending plan, which outlines how the city plans to purchase equipment and pay for infrastructure projects — was approved by council in October.