By Laura Keil
The Robson Valley is seeing big increases in property assessments this year, but the dramatic gains are in line with increases across the province during a year when property values in British Columbia increased by as much as 58 per cent (Port Clements).
In the Robson Valley, Valemount’s rural areas saw the biggest increase, with the average price of residential properties increasing by 27 per cent. In the Village of Valemount, single family homes increased an average of 14.4 per cent, and manufactured homes saw increases between 5 and 15 per cent.
McBride saw more modest increases of 8.7 per cent for single family residential. Business properties went up 12.4 per cent and light industrial 19.4 per cent. Manufactured homes in McBride saw smaller changes between -5 and +5 per cent.
Dome Creek residential properties increased by 13 per cent.
Blue River does not have community-level stats, but rural properties north of Kamloops rose 30.2 per cent (single family dwellings), 12.8 per cent (business) and 21.4 per cent (light industry).
Suburban cities east of Vancouver saw rapid gains. Some notable towns and cities that increased this year were Hope (45 per cent), Chilliwack (40 per cent), Langley (39 per cent) and Abbotsford (38 per cent).
Property assessments only lead to higher taxation if, for example, the value of a home increases more than other similar homes, or if the mill rate (tax rate) for that property class increases relative to other property classes.
If you think a mistake has been made on your assessment you can contest the assessment by Jan 31st 2022.
Quick Facts:
The average increase in Northern BC for residential properties overall for the 2021 market (2022 roll) ranged from 5-40 per cent.
The average increase in Northern BC for single family residential homes for the 2021 market (2022 roll) was between 5-35 per cent.
The average property increase in Northern BC for manufactured homes for the 2021 market (2022 roll) varied between 0-25 per cent.
The average increase in BC as a whole for residential properties overall for the 2021 market (2022 roll) was 15-35 per cent.
The average increase in BC as a whole for single family residential homes for the 2021 market (2022 roll) was between 10-40 per cent.
The average increase in BC as a whole for manufactured homes for the 2021 market (2022 roll) was between 10-40 per cent.
