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October 11, 2005 - Assessing Ontario's property assessors
Publication: National Post
Date: 2005.10.11
Byline: Heather Sokoloff and Dave Rogers
Source: National Post, with files from the Ottawa Citizen
ASSESSING ONTARIO'S PROPERTY ASSESSORS: OMBUDSMAN TO INVESTIGATE CHARGES SYSTEM IS UNJUST
Ontario's ombudsman is expected to launch an investigation this week into allegations the province's property assessment system is unjust.
The investigation would put Ontario's Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) into the spotlight as property owners across the province receive new assessments that will be used to calculate 2006 taxes.
Andre Marin, the ombudsman, says he wants to examine the non-profit corporation's proprietary computer formula so homeowners can better understand what factors are taken into account in setting property values.
Bits of the formula have been released -- a panoramic view increases an assessment, for example -- with few accompanying details.
He also wants to know why the agency has been accused of ignoring past re-evaluations of assessment before new assessments are made.
"We are interested in the transparency of the system," Mr. Marin said. "People want to know where they stand. We have complaints from citizens who don't understand how MPAC has appraised their properties."
Mr. Marin has received dozens of complaints from the public, as well as a letter from Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli to Dalton McGuinty.
"When the Mayor of the second-largest city in Ontario publicly complains to the Premier, I would be remiss in my duty as ombudsman if I didn't take a closer look at the issue," Mr. Marin said.
A team of investigators from the ombudsman's office has been visiting the agency for months to obtain information about property assessment across Ontario . Mr. Marin has learned that even members of the Assessment Review board, the tribunal that handles assessment appeals, have complained that MPAC ignores their decisions.
The lead investigator on the case is Garreth Jones, a former Scotland Yard detective.
"It is very resource intensive, so before we decide to send in the cavalry we need to demonstrate a strong case that there is injustice," Mr. Marin told the Ottawa Citizen last week.
"The investigation might take as little as 30 days, but there is so much interest and it is a complex area."
MPAC was established by the government in 1998 to provide update assessments of all properties in Ontario so taxes could be levied according to market rates, called Current Value Assessment (CVA), the amount the property would sell for in an open market.
The assessments determine CVA and tax class for all properties in Ontario for municipal and educational taxation. The corporation has 34 offices across Ontario and assesses more than 4.4 million properties every two years.
Mr. Marin was appointed ombudsman in April, after serving as military ombudsman to the Canadian Forces, where he was considered to be an outspoken critic whose conclusions frequently rankled senior military leaders.
In his short tenure with the province, Mr. Marin has already blasted bureaucrats for creating a situation where parents had to give up custody of their children with severe disabilities to secure residential care; savaged the Ontario Ministry of Health for a quarter-century delay in updating its newborn screening program; and slammed the government for refusing to fund so-called orphan drugs, pricey medications used to combat rare diseases.
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