Ontario property assessments have been paused for years, and who knows when they'll resume
CBC
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) used to assess every single property in Ontario every four years, but the provincial government put that process on hold when COVID hit — and it's not clear when it will begin again.
The provincial non-profit corporation does the assessments and shares those values with municipalities so they can determine property and education taxes. The last provincewide assessment was carried out in 2016.
Here's a look at what this means for you and your property.
MPAC was all set to update every property's value in 2020, on schedule, but the pandemic hit and the Ontario government postponed the process.
Some provinces continued the updates through COVID, while others hit pause.
Ontario never restarted the work, however. Last year, ten groups — including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) — wrote to Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy calling on him to resume the process and set a new date.
"Across Canada, including here in Ontario, families are feeling the pinch of inflation. As homeowners' mortgages come up for renewal, many are experiencing significant increases in the cost of living," Bethlenfalvy wrote back.
"Now more than ever, families need and deserve predictability in their household budgets."
Bethlenfalvy announced a review of the taxation system and property assessment that will "focus on fairness, affordability and business competitiveness."
There is no date set for this.
A spokesperson for the finance ministry said in a statement that the province is "making good progress through this review and appreciate the constructive input that has been received."
The statement said the province plans "to seek input on the design of appropriate measures while also considering manageable timelines for introducing any changes."
The system must essentially pretend it's eight years ago, as the date still set out in legislation is Jan. 1, 2016.
At the AMO conference in Ottawa in August, MPAC put on a well-attended session.
