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Toronto Star: Tax to be vote issue: Group;
Assessment fight to figure in byelections

Antonella Artuso, Queen's Park Bureau Chief

January 13, 2007

The smouldering property-tax-assessment issue could flare up in three approaching provincial byelections.

Bob Topp, a spokesman for the Coalition After Property Tax Reform (CAPTR) -- which represents 700 ratepayer groups with more than a million members across Ontario -- said they intend to take their fight for a 5% cap on annual assessment increases directly to the candidates.

Topp said the decision by the Dalton McGuinty government to freeze assessments until 2008 doesn't mean the issue has gone away.

"I think people are aware that that's a political move and doesn't solve anything," Topp said. "It's just postponing the problem."

Topp said his group helped shine a light on the property-tax issue during last year's Parkdale-High Park byelection.

Parkdale had been walloped with an 18% average increase in the last round of assessments, Topp said.

In comparison, Toronto's wealthy Rosedale community saw an average increase of about 5%.

CAPTR distributed flyers and participated in all-candidates meetings in Parkdale-High Park, and plans to do the same in the next three byelections.

Polling showed property taxes ranked third among voters' most pressing concerns in Parkdale-High Park, he said.

NDP candidate Cheri DiNovo, who went on to take the riding from the Liberals, spoke out strongly on the issue, he said.

"I think it put the Liberals on notice," Topp said. "I think before the byelection it was expected to be a pretty safe riding."

Byelections are to be held Feb. 8 in Burlington, Markham and York South-Weston.

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