A New Municipal Funding Model for BC
Across British Columbia, residents are facing repeated double-digit property tax increases at the municipal level.

Year after year.
Not affordable.
Not sustainable.

For many families, seniors, and small business owners, property tax is now rising faster than wages, faster than inflation, and faster than the cost of living itself.

Even municipal leaders across Canada are acknowledging the problem. Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block recently stated that cities need to move beyond a funding system built in the “horse and buggy era” and move toward a new model that reflects modern reality.

We agree.

 
The problem
Municipalities are being asked to manage growing responsibilities like housing pressures, infrastructure expansion, public safety and social challenges using a funding model that relies almost entirely on property tax.

The Province of British Columbia does contribute to municipalities.
But most of that funding is short term and project based. It does not cover permanent, growing costs.

When those funds end, cities fall back on one tool:
Property tax.

That is not a sustainable model.

 
What we are calling for
We are asking the Premier of British Columbia, and all mayors and municipal councils, to work together on a long-term, structural funding solution that includes:

• Reducing over-reliance on property taxes
• Modernizing municipal revenue tools
• Creating stable, long-term funding sources tied to population and growth
• Aligning funding with the responsibilities municipalities are being forced to carry
• Ensuring residents are not facing endless double-digit hikes just to maintain basic services
• This is not about cutting essential services.
• It is about building a fair and realistic system to pay for them.

Why this matters
British Columbia is growing.
Municipal costs are growing.
But residents cannot keep absorbing 8%, 10%, 12% and even higher increases every year.

A funding model that worked for smaller towns decades ago no longer works for fast-growing modern communities.

This needs leadership.
At the provincial level.
In cooperation with municipalities.
And with input from the public.

 
If you live in British Columbia
If you live anywhere in this province and are concerned about rising property taxes, please sign and share.

This affects everyone.
Not just one city.

It is time for a new deal for municipal funding in British Columbia.