The Youbou Appeal Group is the waterfront homeowners in Youbou, on Cowichan Lake, who appealed their BC Assessments together in 2023, and kept appealing until the values were right.
Who is the Youbou Appeal Group, and what did it win?
Neighbours who decided they had been overassessed for the third year in a row. By 2023, Youbou waterfront values had climbed year after year, and the homeowners believed BC Assessment had gone too far. They held a town hall meeting at the local church, and I led their appeals. The Youbou Appeal Group is the name BC Assessment gave them.1
The Review Panel heard just 1 of the group's 23 complaints before confirming all 23. By the time the appeals reached the Property Assessment Appeal Board, the group had grown to 28. BC Assessment agreed to lower 3 of them by mutual agreement, and the other 25 went to a full written decision, where the Board lowered 22 (88%). In the end, 25 of the 28 were lowered (89%), and across the 2023 to 2025 roll years, the group's reductions passed $15 million.2
How it happened
From rising values to the Appeal Board, 2021 to 2025
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2021 to 2023
3 years of rising values
In January 2021, the Cowichan Valley Citizen reported the average Youbou waterfront assessment up 19% in 1 year. In January 2022, the Lake Cowichan Gazette reported the average Youbou waterfront home up 65%, from $930,000 to $1,556,000, and in January 2023 the Gazette reported Youbou waterfront up 28% more.1
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January 2023
The homeowners organize
The homeowners called a town hall meeting at the local church. I led their appeals, and some homeowners won early, at the Review Panel or by email to BC Assessment before a hearing.3
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February 27, 2023
The Review Panel confirms all 23
The panel set aside 11.5 hours over 3 days for the group's 23 complaints. After listening for only 1.5 hours, it confirmed all 23. The panel chair said the panel was being overwhelmed with information and would default to confirming the values.4 In my view, if a Review Panel cannot handle the information, it is not doing the job it is there for. Each owner then had to pay $30 to take their appeal to the Appeal Board.
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2023
BC Assessment brings King's Counsel
The group was prepared to settle for approximately 10% off, but BC Assessment would not even discuss it. Instead, in my view, it stonewalled the homeowners. It would not discuss the merits, brought in King's Counsel and took the appeals to written submissions and full adjudication, only to lose in the end. Across the 25 written decisions, the Board set values an average of 20% below the 2023 roll, double what the group would have accepted. None of it had to happen. All it would have taken was a conversation.5
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Early 2024
The Appeal Board decides
Of the 25 appeals that went to a written decision, the Board lowered 22 (88%). With the 3 that BC Assessment agreed to lower, 25 of the 28 Youbou appeals came down (89%). The Times Colonist put the results on its front page.2
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2024 and 2025
The appeals keep going
In the years that followed, some homeowners were overassessed again, appealed again and had their values rolled back again. Every result, by appellant number, is on my BC Assessment Appeal Record.
What the homeowners said
Neighbours who kept going. Here is what one of them said.
Andy Ross was one of the Youbou waterfront homeowners. In 2023, the Appeal Board confirmed the value on his home at $2,340,000. He kept going. Across 4 appeals on his home and his lot, from 2023 to 2025, his assessments came down $815,500.6
"They've always got a negative answer to whatever you're trying to prove. So you're constantly fighting."
Andy Ross, Youbou, on the Appeal Board confirming the value on his home in 2023
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
Two years later, the homeowners were still waiting. Here is what their spokesman told the paper.
Black Press Media, February 18, 2025
One year and counting: Long assessment appeals frustrate Island homeowners
"Homeowners in Youbou have been waiting far too long for resolution."
Jeff Anderson, spokesman for the Youbou Flood Zone Group, quoted by Black Press Media, February 18, 2025.7
Jeff was part of the Youbou Appeal Group from the start. In 2023, his appeal settled and his assessment came down from $1,892,000 to $1,518,000. In 2024 it came back at $1,357,000, and the Appeal Board set it at $1,010,000. Across both years, his assessments came down $721,000.8
Every story about these appeals, and everywhere it ran, is on News Features.
What the Ministry of Finance said
The Review Panel confirmed all 23 after 1.5 hours. The Ministry that runs it said approximately 10 of its appointees used to work for BC Assessment.
"Approximately 10 appointees previously worked for BCA."
The Ministry of Finance, which runs the Property Assessment Review Panel, in an email to me, May 28, 2025. A former BC Assessment employee is not considered for appointment until 2 years after leaving.9
The same appeals, at the Review Panel and the Appeal Board
23
complaints confirmed by the Review Panel after hearing 1, February 27, 2023
1.5 hours
of the 11.5 hours set aside over 3 days before the panel confirmed them all
88%
lowered by the Appeal Board in a written decision, 22 of 25
89%
of the 28 Youbou appeals lowered in all, 25 of 28
The Review Panel is the first place an appeal is heard, and the Assessment Act gives it the power to change a value. For the Youbou Appeal Group, it was the only level where the homeowners lost every single complaint. The panel chair said it was "overwhelming the panel with information."4
The first homeowner I presented asked for $2,500,000. The panel confirmed $3,759,000. A year later, the Appeal Board set the value at exactly $2,500,000, on the same evidence the panel already had in front of it.2
I do not know who sat on the Youbou panel. In my view, homeowners walking into a Review Panel hearing deserve to know that the Ministry appoints former BC Assessment staff to hear their complaints, and that a panel can push a hard case on to the Appeal Board instead of deciding it. The hearing recording is on The Recordings.
What BC Assessment said
BC Assessment's own staff said grouping the Youbou appeals made sense. 11 days later, the Review Panel confirmed all 23.
"From the list of properties (based on the address) many of these are likely similar in nature, and grouping makes sense when comparing to sales for the area."
BC Assessment's Policy Analyst, Government Relations, in an internal email about my request for more hearing time for the 23 Youbou appeals, February 16, 2023. Released to me under freedom of information.10
"Grouping makes sense"? Here is what the group did
The same email noted that I had asked the Ministry for more time to present, and asked whether a bit of time could be added. In my view, BC Assessment saw the same thing the homeowners did: similar waterfront homes, the same sales, one set of evidence. The Review Panel still gave the group 1.5 hours.
What the BC Assessment whistleblower said
The whistleblower said BC Assessment was valuing waterfront with the same numbers as everything else. Youbou's sales showed it.
"In regards to your VIREB Evidence, that is what BC Assessment needs to be held accountable for. I would think that they are using one combined to value both waterfront and non-waterfront properties."
The BC Assessment whistleblower, recorded telephone call, May 2023, on the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board evidence I had built for the Youbou appeals. The transcript was sent to the Appeal Board on May 11, 2023, and later released by the Ministry of Finance under freedom of information.11
"One combined" number? Here is what the Youbou waterfront sales show
28%
rise in the average Youbou waterfront assessment in 2023, by BC Assessment's own figures1
$2,155,000
BC Assessment's average Youbou waterfront value for 20231
$2,050,000
the highest confirmed Youbou waterfront sale that year12
20%
below the 2023 roll, on average, where the Appeal Board set the 25 values it decided5
I had tracked every waterfront sale on Cowichan Lake for more than a decade. When BC Assessment reported the average Youbou waterfront home at $2,155,000, the highest confirmed sale that year was $2,050,000. BC Assessment's own average sat above every Youbou lakefront sale that year.12
The whistleblower told me why that could happen: market movement measured across a whole area, waterfront and non waterfront together, then applied to everyone. The sales cannot show how BC Assessment's software set any one value. They show the result, and in my view the result matches what he described. More of what he said, checked against the record, is on The BC Assessment Whistleblower Files.
Common questions
About the Youbou Appeal Group
How many Youbou homeowners had to appeal more than once?
14 of the 25 Youbou homeowners on my appeal record appealed more than 1 roll year (56%). Most filed a holding appeal for 2024 while the Appeal Board was still deciding 2023.
Can neighbours appeal their BC Assessments together?
Each homeowner files their own appeal, but neighbours can share sales evidence and work together. BC Assessment's own staff wrote that grouping the Youbou appeals made sense when comparing to sales for the area. In my view, that is a sign it works.
What evidence did the Youbou homeowners use?
Real sales of similar waterfront homes, Vancouver Island Real Estate Board market data, inspections and the details on each home's property record card. The same evidence the Review Panel confirmed against was what the Appeal Board used to lower 25 of the 28 appeals (89%).2
Is the Youbou Appeal Group still active?
Homeowners from the group have appealed again in later years when their values went up again. Their results are on the appeal record, and the full story is on The Story.
Who is really here to help
What worked in Youbou can work on your street
The Youbou homeowners had no experience with appeals. They had real sales, a record of every step and each other. Every homeowner I personally helped who saw their appeal through won a reduction. 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 CheckDIY Appeal Kits
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 KitsThe Appeal Board
How to take your appeal to the independent tribunal that decided 33 of my appeals and reduced the assessment in 30 (91%).
Prepare for the Appeal BoardA note on the record
The Youbou Appeal Group's fight ran from 2023 to 2026, under the previous government. The new government inherits the same roll, and this is what the group found in it.
What a new government could do: When neighbours appeal together with the same sales, offer a real conversation on the merits early, and give the group a hearing long enough to weigh the evidence.
25 of 28 Youbou appeals were lowered. Is your home overassessed?
Start with your address and see how your BC Assessment compares to what homes like yours actually sold for.
Check My PropertySources
- Cowichan Valley Citizen, Robert Barron, January 29, 2021, "Property values jump significantly for Lake Cowichan area"; Lake Cowichan Gazette, Robert Barron, January 14, 2022, "Property values in Lake Cowichan rise dramatically"; Lake Cowichan Gazette, Robert Barron, January 27, 2023, "Waterfront property in Youbou up 28%: BC Assessment".
- My BC Assessment Appeal Record: Property Assessment Appeal Board decisions on the Youbou appeals, files 2023-04-00105 to 2023-04-00133; Times Colonist, February 10, 2024.
- Property Assessment Review Panel decision notices and BC Assessment correspondence with each appellant, 2023.
- Property Assessment Review Panel, group hearing for the Youbou waterfront complaints, February 27, 2023, recording, the panel chair on "overwhelming the panel with information".
- Property Assessment Appeal Board files for the 2023 Youbou appeals, including BC Assessment's written submissions, 2023.
- Andy Ross, video interview "nothing you can do about it," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=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.
- Black Press Media, "One year and counting: Long assessment appeals frustrate Island homeowners," February 18, 2025, as republished by the Oak Bay News; a copy is held in BC Assessment FOI file 2025-10, page 174. Read the article
- Property Assessment Appeal Board, Appeal No. 2023-04-00122, settled after the Appeal Management Conference; Appeal No. 2024-04-00072, decision June 30, 2025. Listed as A-17 on my BC Assessment Appeal Record.
- Ministry of Finance, email to me, May 28, 2025, on Property Assessment Review Panel appointees who previously worked for BC Assessment.
- BC Assessment, FOI file 2025-10, page 610 (Bates 0673): email from BC Assessment's Policy Analyst, Government Relations, "Agent, Jason Anson (Youbou) and appointment time request," February 16, 2023.
- 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.
- Lake Cowichan Gazette, Robert Barron, January 27, 2023, "Waterfront property in Youbou up 28%: BC Assessment"; Vancouver Island Real Estate Board MLS sales records for Youbou waterfront, 2022 and 2023.
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.