The Municipal Councils and Regional District Boards on Vancouver Island each received my 2026 audit for their own area. This page is my record of what I sent them about BC Assessment, and what came back.
Did your mayor, council or regional director say whether you paid a fair share?
Almost no one did. On September 11, 2026, I sent my 2026 Vancouver Island audit to all 7 regional district boards on Vancouver Island, and to every mayor and council and every electoral area director inside them, 79 in all, in office before the October 17, 2026 local elections. Each one received the results for its own area and the same question, yes or no.1
17 replied, approximately 22%. Only 1 gave a plain answer, the Director for Nanoose Bay: "YES!" No one else gave a plain yes or no. The rest pointed to BC Assessment, the Province, my MLA or the appeal process, or asked BC Assessment to answer the findings. The few who looked at the numbers were concerned.1
This is the last of the 4 offices a homeowner can complain to. The Premier's office sent John Duggan's letter to the Ministry of Finance, the Minister was briefed that "the process is working," and the MLAs did not answer. Local government was the closest office to home, and it sent me back up the road.
Local governments matter here because they set the tax rates that turn BC Assessment's values into your tax bill, and they pay back the refunds when an appeal wins. When a home is assessed too high and the next too low, the tax rate your council sets lands on both.
7
regional district boards on Vancouver Island sent the audit
79
mayors, councils and electoral area directors asked the same question
17
replied, approximately 22%. Only 1 gave a plain answer, the Director for Nanoose Bay: "YES!"
73
tax jurisdictions covered by the audit2
What they said
Most pointed somewhere else. The few who looked were concerned.
Here is what came back, quoted by title. Officials are not named.
What the regional directors said
"Very impressive and yes concerning... What is disturbing is the lack of response as to why these variation are occurring."
A Director, Capital Regional District, September 11, 20263
"I would be interested in receiving BC Assessment's response to your methodology and findings."
A Director, Cowichan Valley Regional District, September 17, 20263
"YES!"
The Director for Nanoose Bay, Regional District of Nanaimo, September 12, 20263
"In my experience the local governments are not well informed."
A Director, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, October 20, 20263
"I would address that question to the BC Assessment Authority. They are the sole authority in the Province of BC."
A Director, Comox Valley Regional District, September 13, 20263
Strathcona Regional District: no director answered.
"I certainly support the concept of assessment and therefore taxation being commensurate to the value of the property, and am equally in support of the province following its own rules in assessing same."
A Director, Regional District of Mount Waddington, September 11, 20263
What the mayors and councils said
"does 'everyone' pay their 'fair share'? I suspect not but is the system generally fair, yes."
The Mayor of Nanaimo, September 14, 20263
"The municipality doesn't control assessments at all."
A Councillor in Parksville, September 11, 20263
"this is really something that falls under the jurisdiction of the Province via the BC Assessment Authority... Have you brought this issue up with our MLA?"
A Councillor in Esquimalt, September 11, 20263
"I would be interested in having BC Assessment respond to the study and explain its methodology"
A Councillor in Colwood, September 11, 20263
"the answer is 'it depends'"
The Mayor of Metchosin, September 13, 20263
A few officials questioned my method, for example that a sale price is not always the assessed value. Several asked for the same thing I did: that BC Assessment answer the findings. By the October 17, 2026 local elections, BC Assessment had not answered them, and no one had shown a single number in my audit to be wrong.3
What the homeowners said
Local officials pointed somewhere else. Here is what that felt like to a homeowner.
Andy Ross was a Youbou waterfront homeowner. His property tax was set by the Cowichan Valley Regional District on the value BC Assessment gave it. In this clip, he describes what it was like every time he tried to prove that value wrong.
Across 4 appeals on his home and his lot, from 2023 to 2025, his assessments came down $815,500.4
"...it's always a wall you run into... So you're constantly fighting."
Andy Ross, Youbou
Reduced $815,500 over 4 appeals, saving approximately $4,078 in property tax.
Appeal Nos. 2023-04-00106, 2023-04-00107, 2024-04-00073, 2024-04-00074, 2025-04-00064
What the news reported
In 2023, the paper told Youbou homeowners what the regional district was planning.
Cowichan Valley Citizen, February 17, 2023
Waterfront property owners in Youbou appeal assessments
"Never did they think the property taxes of today would eat up their pensions, leaving them below the poverty line."
Jason Anson, quoted in the Cowichan Valley Citizen, February 17, 2023, on the Youbou homeowners appealing their assessments.5
The same story reported that the Cowichan Valley Regional District was projecting a tax rate increase as high as 12% for 2023, and that higher values would cost some owners the $1,000 provincial home owner grant. When a value is too high and the rate rises too, the homeowner pays on both. Every story about these appeals, and everywhere it ran, is on News Features.
The only yes
The Director for Nanoose Bay answered "YES!" None of the 109 homes sold there was assessed at what the buyer paid.
"Is [your community] satisfied that everyone paid a fair share of the 2026 property tax, yes or no?"
My question to every regional district board, mayor, council and electoral area director on Vancouver Island, September 11, 2026.1
What the audit showed for Nanoose Bay
109
homes sold in Nanoose Bay in 2025
0
assessed at what the buyer paid
69.6% to 131.0%
the range of BC Assessment's values against the sale price
A home assessed at 69.6% of its sale price and a home assessed at 131.0% pay the same tax rate. In my view, that is how obvious the problem is, and how little anyone takes ownership of it.1
Where homeowners get sent
Local governments sent me to the Province. The Province did not answer.
Councils and directors told me assessments are BC Assessment's job, or the Province's, or my MLA's. I had already gone to all of them. Every Vancouver Island MLA received the same audit for their own riding on September 14, 2026, and none answered yes or no.
Where it was sent: back to BC Assessment, the Province, my MLA or the appeal process. Every road on The Record ended in the same place.
What this means for you: your local government sets your tax rate on the values BC Assessment gives it, and it does not check those values. You can see what the MLAs did on my Legislative Assembly page, and all 4 offices a homeowner can complain to on The Record.
From the inside
The BC Assessment whistleblower said local government was a pressure on BC Assessment too
"There is another pressure for BC Assessment and that is the local government." ... "That is called Risk to Roll. When the municipalities are setting their budgets they take that into consideration."
The BC Assessment whistleblower, recorded call, May 2023 (FOI transcript).6
73
tax jurisdictions whose 2026 tax rates were set on the roll my audit tested2
0
of the 109 homes sold in Nanoose Bay assessed at what the buyer paid1
17 of 79
local officials replied to the audit, approximately 22%1
Risk to roll is the value BC Assessment expects it could lose on appeal. Your council builds its budget on the roll, so every value lowered on appeal moves the numbers your tax rate is set on. In my view, that is why councils have a stake in the roll being right the first time.
The Fair Share Files
What your council was asked, and what the roll showed
Every reply from a mayor, council or regional director, and the numbers for each regional district, 1 story at a time. You can read them all in The Fair Share Files.
September 11, 2026
8 storiesWhat they said
The only yes, the honest "I suspect not," and the replies that pointed somewhere else.
- "YES!" The only plain answer to a BC Assessment fair share question came from Nanoose Bay, where not 1 of 109 homes sold matched its 2026 value
- "I suspect not": Nanaimo's mayor on whether everyone pays a fair share, and what 954 home sales showed on BC Assessment's 2026 roll
- "The municipality doesn't control assessments at all." So who checks Parksville's BC Assessment roll before the tax rate is set?
- "Have you brought this issue up with our MLA?" Esquimalt asked. The MLA was asked the same BC Assessment question, and did not answer
- Colwood asked BC Assessment to explain its 2026 values against 191 home sales. By the election, it had not
- "It depends": Metchosin's mayor on whether residents paid a fair share, and the 37 home sales BC Assessment's roll was tested on
- $227,596 in property tax moved between Saanich neighbours on BC Assessment's 2026 roll. Saanich said values are BC Assessment's job
- 79 Vancouver Island mayors, councils and directors were asked if residents paid a fair share of the 2026 property tax. 17 replied, and 1 said yes
7 regional districts
7 storiesYour regional district
The 2026 roll across each regional district on Vancouver Island, and what its board said.
- Capital Regional District: 22 of 2,814 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Cowichan Valley Regional District: 9 of 992 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Regional District of Nanaimo: 15 of 1,811 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District: 6 of 364 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Comox Valley Regional District: 9 of 718 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Strathcona Regional District: 2 of 312 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
- Regional District of Mount Waddington: not 1 of 68 homes sold matched BC Assessment's 2026 value. What the board was asked, and what came back
Where this leads
Every office sent me back to BC Assessment. Here is where the record goes next.
The Premier, the Minister of Finance, the MLAs and local government were the 4 offices a homeowner can complain to. Every road led back to BC Assessment and the appeal system. These are the 3 offices that answer to the Legislature, not to the government.
The numbers
The Information and Privacy Commissioner
BC Assessment's answer to every complaint is its own number: 99% of owners accept their assessments as "fair and accurate." Its survey asking homeowners whether that is true is blacked out, and the file is at inquiry.7
The CommissionerThe roll
The Auditor General
Councils set tax rates on the roll and do not check it. In my view, Nanoose Bay shows why someone independent should: 109 sales, and none assessed at what the buyer paid.
The Auditor GeneralThe treatment
The Ombudsperson
Local officials told me to take it to BC Assessment, the Province or my MLA. There is no independent place to complain about how a homeowner is treated.
The OmbudspersonCommon questions
Local governments and BC Assessment
Does my municipality set my assessed value?
No. BC Assessment sets your assessed value. Your municipality or regional district sets the tax rate that is applied to it. A councillor in Parksville put it plainly: "The municipality doesn't control assessments at all."3
Who pays my refund if my appeal wins?
Your property tax is collected by your local government, so when an appeal lowers your value after you have paid, the refund or credit comes back through it. That is a reason local governments have a stake in whether the roll is right.
Can my council or regional district appeal assessments?
Your appeal is yours to file. If your own value looks wrong, file your appeal by the deadline and bring evidence. Your council cannot do that for you.
Is it worth contacting my mayor, council or regional director?
In my view, yes. They set your tax rate, and the few who looked at the numbers wanted BC Assessment to answer. Putting your concern in writing adds it to the record. But it is not a substitute for an appeal.
Who is really here to help
Your council sets the rate. Only you can check the value.
Your local government applies its tax rate to whatever value BC Assessment gives it. If that value is wrong, it is up to you to find the error and prove it with real sales. Every homeowner I personally helped who saw their appeal through won a reduction, and every result is on my BC Assessment Appeal Record. If you want me in your corner, here is how I can help with your appeal.
BC Assessment Check
A 1 hour one on one call where I go through the sold comparables in your neighbourhood with you and I tell you plainly whether you have an appeal.
Book a BC Assessment CheckProperty record cards
My free step by step guide to getting the record BC Assessment keeps on your home, including the internal notes most homeowners never knew existed.
Get Your Property Record CardDIY Appeal Guides
The same templates and steps behind my appeal record, so you can file and argue your own appeal with real evidence.
See the DIY Appeal GuidesA note on the record
These replies came from councils and boards in office before the October 17, 2026 local elections. The new councils inherit the same tax roll, and this is what it showed. Every office sent me back to BC Assessment, and BC Assessment's answer is its 99% "fair and accurate." The Information and Privacy Commissioner is the next stop on the record.
What a new government could do: Before setting tax rates, ask BC Assessment for a sales test of your own roll, and publish it.
Your council taxes the value it's given. Is yours right?
Start with your address and see how your BC Assessment compares to what homes like yours actually sold for.
Check My PropertySources
- My letters of September 11, 2026 to the 7 regional districts on Vancouver Island and the mayors, councils and electoral area directors inside them, and the replies received; the Director for Electoral Area E, Nanoose Bay, reply of September 12, 2026.
- My Vancouver Island Tax Roll Audit 2026: 7,079 arm's length single family sales in 2025 compared with their 2026 assessed values, across 7 regional districts and 73 tax jurisdictions.
- Replies from local government officials to my Vancouver Island Tax Roll Audit 2026, September and October 2026, quoted by title.
- Andy Ross, video "nothing you can do about it," https://youtu.be/zaBe7RaEB2w; Property Assessment Appeal Board, Appeal Nos. 2023-04-00106, 2023-04-00107, 2024-04-00073, 2024-04-00074 and 2025-04-00064, and the 2024 Property Assessment Review Panel.
- Cowichan Valley Citizen, Robert Barron, "Waterfront property owners in Youbou appeal assessments," February 17, 2023; a copy is held in BC Assessment FOI file 2025-10, pages 915 to 916. Read the article
- The BC Assessment whistleblower, recorded telephone call with me, May 2023; transcript sent to the Property Assessment Appeal Board on May 11, 2023, and released in Ministry of Finance FOI file FIN-2025-52395.
- BC Assessment, More than 99% of Property Owners Agree with their 2025 Assessments, news release, April 16, 2025; BC Assessment, FOI file 2025-34, response of March 25, 2026; Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, file INV-F-26-01006, moved to inquiry, October 2026.
My Record: January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2026
$22.6M+
cut from the values BC Assessment put on homeowners' properties
My 3 largest reductions for a homeowner: $2,063,000, $1,954,000 and $1,438,000
$110K+
in estimated property tax refunds and credits for homeowners
My 3 largest estimated refunds or credits for a homeowner: $10,315, $9,770 and $7,190
40
homeowners I helped appeal their BC Assessment
100% won a reduction. The average homeowner had approximately $566,000 taken off their value and an estimated $2,800 back in property tax.
63
appeals won, out of the 65 those homeowners took to a decision
97% won, at BC Assessment, the Review Panel and the Appeal Board
91%
of written Appeal Board decisions, made by an independent adjudicator, lowered the value
30 of the 33 that went that far
7,079
Vancouver Island home sales I checked against their BC Assessment
Less than 1% were assessed at what they sold for, and 40% were assessed above it
32
news stories about the appeals I helped with
Run more than 400 times in 68 news outlets across BC
23
freedom of information requests to BC Assessment for its records
$11,047.06 in fees BC Assessment estimated to release them. I paid $30 in total, after fee waiver requests on public interest and hardship grounds.
Are You Overassessed?
When BC Assessment gets your home's value wrong, I prove what it is actually worth using real sales of similar homes, so you don't pay more property tax than your fair share.
Jason Anson
I am not a lawyer or an appraiser, and nothing on this site should be considered legal or tax advice. When I help you, you are still the appellant and you file your own appeal. Every result depends on the evidence for that property, and the decision belongs to the Property Assessment Review Panel or the Property Assessment Appeal Board, not to me. My past results do not predict yours, and I cannot guarantee any outcome.
Helping homeowners with property assessment appeals is not a licensed activity in the province of British Columbia. It is not regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) or the Real Estate Services Act, and it is not considered a real estate service.
I am also a licensed real estate agent with eXp Realty. That work gives me my experience in valuation and market movement, which is the evidence of market value the Review Panel and the Appeal Board weigh. This site and my appeal work are completely separate from eXp Realty. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or provided through my brokerage, and the views here are my own, not eXp Realty's.
What I write about BC Assessment, the Property Assessment Review Panel, the Property Assessment Appeal Board, the Minister and Ministry of Finance, and the other public offices on this site is my own opinion, and I consider it fair comment on a matter of public interest. My opinions are my honest views, marked as my view, and based on facts anyone can check: Appeal Board decisions, public records and records released under freedom of information. Quotes from documents and news stories are the words of the people quoted. If anything here is inaccurate, let me know and I will correct it.