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Free Press
“spreading the word” January 20, 2003
Step in and fix MPAC, 139 municipalities tell Ecker
Janet Ecker is getting a lot of mail.
Since October, the Ontario Finance Minister has received resolutions passed by 139 Ontario municipalities. They’re calling on her to step in and fix the province’s property assessment system – a system many say has been devastated by downsizing and restructuring at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).
The municipalities’ motion asks Ecker “to intervene to repair the damage done to Ontario property assessment and to bring forward a plan to restore local assessment expertise and good working relationships between assessment staff and municipalities at the local level.”
MPAC is funded by municipalities but its 15-member Board of Directors is appointed by the Minister of Finance. In mid-1998, MPAC boasted 2,164 front-line, i.e., non-management, employees. Today, that number is just 1,324.
Municipalities passing resolutions include major cities like Hamilton, Kitchener, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Waterloo, and Windsor, as well as dozens of smaller towns and rural municipalities.
The campaign for a better MPAC got its latest boost from the township of Armour, east of Parry Sound. Armour faxed every Ontario municipality and called on them all to pass a resolution and send it to Ecker. Some municipalities are forwarding the resolution to others in their area, their local MPPs, or the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
In the last four months, the following municipalities have passed resolutions in support of quality property assessment:
1. Township of Johnson
2. Township Of Laird
3. Township Of Prince
4. City of Elliot Lake
5. Town of Bruce Mines
6. Township of Dubreuilville
7. Township of Plummer Additional
8. Village of Hilton Beach
9. Township of Hornepayne
10. Township of Michipicoten
11. City of Kawartha Lakes
12. City of Welland
13. Town of Pelham
14. City of Thorold
15. City of Thunder Bay
16. City of Sault Ste. Marie
17. Municipality of Whitestone
18. Township of Bonfield
19. Township of Ryerson
20. Township of Joly
21. Township of Front of Yonge
22. Town of New Liskeard
23. Township of Southgate
24. Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
25. Township of Coleman
26. Township of Armour
27. Township of Chisholm
28. Township of Dorion
29. Municipality of Moonbeam
30. County of Peterborough
31. Township of Black River – Matheson
32. Township of Macdonald, Meredith & Aberdeen Add’l
33. City of Hamilton
34. Township of St. Joseph
35. Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
36. City of Windsor
37. Town of Tecumseh
38. County of Haliburton
39. Municipality of Callander
40. Township of Algonquin Highlands
41. Township of McDougall
42. Township of Opasatika
43. City of Kitchener
44. City of Waterloo
45. Municipality of Oliver-Paipoonge
46. Town of Essex
47. Town of Thessalon
48. Town of Lakeshore
49. Township of Jocelyn
50. Town of Amherstburg
51. Municipality of Neebing
52. Township Of Ear Falls
53. Municipality of Machin
54. Municipality of Red Lake
55. Township of Alberton
56. Municipality of Mattawan
57. City of Kenora
58. Township of Harley
59. Township of Kerns
60. Township of Casey
61. Township of La Vallee
62. Township of Hudson
63. Township of Manitouwadge
64. Municipality of North Middlesex
65. Township of Perry
66. Village of Sundridge
67. Municipality of Central Elgin
68. Township of Strong
69. Town of Minto
70. Township of Brock
71. Township of Lanark Highlands
72. Town of Petawawa
73. Township of Wainfleet
74. Town of North Perth
75. County of Oxford
76. Township of Tehkummah
77. Township of Dawn-Euphemia
78. Township of McNab/Braeside
79. United Townships of Head, Clara and Maria
80. Township of East Zorra-Tavistock
81. Township of Faraday
82. Town of Prescott
83. Municipality of Assiginack
84. Township of Madawaska Valley
85. Township of Killaloe-Hagarty-Richards
86. Township of Severn
87. Township of South Glengarry
88. Township of North Algona Wilberforce
89. Township of Scugog
90. City of Woodstock
91. Municipality of Clarington
92. Municipality of Huron East
93. Township of Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan
94. Municipality of Arran-Elderslie
95. Township of North Glengarry
96. Town of East Gwillimbury
97. Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
98. Municipality of Highlands East
99. Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands
100. Town of Gore Bay
101. City of Cornwall
102. Township of Cockburn Island
103. Town of Innisfil
104. City of St. Thomas
105. Town of Cochrane
106. Township of Essa
107. County of Elgin
108. Town of Iroquois Falls
109. Township of North Dundas
110. Municipality of Thames Centre
111. Township of Shedden
112. Township of Athens
113. Town of Mississipi Mills
114. Town of Blind River
115. Township of Dawson
116. Township of Lake of the Woods
117. Township of South Dundas
118. Township of Alfred & Plantagenet
119. Township of South Algonquin
120. Township of Georgian Bluffs
121. Township of Atikokan
122. Township of Central Manitoulin
123. Municipality of Dysart et al.
124. Town of Rainy River
125. Town of Arnprior
126. Township of Brudenell, Lyndoch and Raglan
127. Municipality of Port Hope
128. Township of Val Rita – Harty
129. Town of Fort Frances
130. Township of Asphodel – Norwood
131. Township of the North Shore
132. Municipality of Hastings Highlands
133. United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
134. Town of Kearney
135. County of Perth
136. County of Bruce
137. Town of South Bruce Peninsula
138. City of Dryden
139. Township of Hilton
Free Press is published by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union www.opseu.org
Previous Issues:
December 17, 2002 Over 50 municipalities voice concerns over MPAC restructuring
November 8, 2002 Municipal officials critical of MPAC changes