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Mono councillor calls for new property assessments

September 24, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Efforts are underway to lobby the province to reinstate regular property assessments that have been stalled for a decade.

Councillor Melinda Davie said during council’s Sept. 22 meeting that property taxes that are based on 2016 assessments need to be updated. With the end of 2026 approaching, a letter about Ontario property tax assessments from a Vancouver-based tax professional is timely.

“I’m nervous because the assertion that your actual taxes wouldn‘t go up is a very large assumption,” Davie said.

Property assessments are carried out by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Such evaluations determine a property’s worth according to a number of factors. And that ultimately sets a homeowner’s property tax after the rate is established by the municipality during annual budgeting.

A property’s assessment multiplied by the tax rate sets the tax levy. Municipalities typically use cost of living inflation to guide the rate increases. Commercial and residential properties are assessed differently, as are properties in different real estate markets.

Paul Sullivan, principal and practice leader of advocacy and tax policy at Canada Ryan ULC, in his letter asked for Mono’s support in urging the province to reinstate regular property assessments, beginning with a province-wide reassessment in 2027.

He asked that letters be sent on behalf of council to Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy calling on them to “unfreeze Ontario” and restore regular property assessments.

The letter has been sent to a number of other Ontario municipal councils.

Mono council decided to look further into the tax company before hitching their wagon to the effort.

In the decade since the last assessments, property values and economic conditions have changed significantly, yet those changes are not being reflected in the distribution of the property tax burden, Sullivan states in his letter.

“For municipalities, this is fundamentally an issue of fairness, predictability, and sound fiscal planning,” Sullivan wrote. “Reassessment does not automatically mean higher property taxes. It simply ensures property values reflect today’s market so the tax burden can be shared more fairly.”

When assessments remain frozen, some businesses and property owners are left paying more than their fair share when assessments remain frozen as they have been for 10 years.

“The freeze also makes it harder for municipalities to plan for growth, infrastructure, housing, and development using a tax base that no longer reflects their communities’ reality,” he wrote.

Les Halucha, Mono’s treasurer, said the next property assessment is going to be a problem for the province because it has been put off for so many years.

“They originally put it off because of the pandemic, which made sense,” Halucha said. “And then they couldn’t get their act together.”

While assessments have remained frozen since 2016, the costs of living have marched right along, Davie said.

Coun. Ralph Manktelow said it’s a good idea to build momentum to lobby the government to kick-start property assessments.

“The longer we put this off, the harder it’s going to be to deal with it,” he said. “I think the government should get their act together and restore the regular property assessments.”

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