October 2022

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MPAC at AMO

For the first time since 2019, MPPs, municipalities and related organizations gathered in person to attend this year’s AMO Conference in Ottawa. MPAC was honoured to participate as an exhibitor and as a speaker, sharing the latest organizational updates and operational highlights at the conference. The session touched on the work we are doing to help municipalities explain the difference between Property Assessment and Taxation, and how we continue to support property owners in understanding their assessments.

The conference provided an opportunity for us to meet with Ministers, their staff and MPP’s to discuss MPAC’s work and how we can provide support to them in their Ministries and with their constituents.

“At the conference we engaged with MPP’s and their staff in a relaxed setting which allowed for frank discussions,” commented James Harvey, Manager of Government Relations. “I want to thank the AMO staff in organizing the conference. From the seamless registration to the knowledge-based content selected, AMO was able to provide a fulfilling experience and excellent relationship building.”

MPAC hosted a session and was joined by Chris Broughton, Director – Property Tax Policy Branch, from the Provincial Local Finance Division in the Ministry of Finance, who provided an update from the Ministry of Finance. A 30-minute Q&A period then followed the presentation.

At MPAC’s booth and during the presentation, MPAC was proud to showcase new messages that aim at helping property owners better understand the assessment and taxation process. Many MPPs and their staff stopped by MPAC’s booth where we shared our data capabilities and the work we are doing to assist our provincial partners.

New Resource: Property Taxation & Assessment 101 Video

The property taxation and assessment system involves critical roles from both MPAC and municipalities when it comes to determining property tax amounts. To help provide clarity for property owners on how these taxes are calculated, including the link between property assessment, municipal service costs and required property taxes, watch MPAC’s helpful and informative new video.

NOTE: This video is an updated version of an existing product MPAC has published and shared regarding property tax calculation. If you have included the original video on any of your materials, please be sure to update your content to reflect the most recent version. The previous video can be found here.

Upcoming MPAC Webinars: Caucus & Staff Briefings

MPAC will once again be hosting MPAC 101 webinars for MPP’s and their staff in the upcoming months. These webinars will be broken into two separate sessions. The first will be for MPP’s to join our leadership team to learn about MPAC, what we do, how we work with the provincial government and how we can assist them. The second webinar will be for MPP’s Queen’s Park and Constituency Staff. It will focus on how we can assist with answering constituents concerns regarding assessment.

Stay tuned for invitation and registration.

MPAC at Queen's Park

Recently, Nicole McNeill, MPAC President and CAO, along with Al Spacek, MPAC’s Board Chair, Jamie Bishop, Vice-President of Corporate and Government Relations and James Harvey, Manager of Government Relations attended multiple meetings at Queen’s Park. The day started with MPAC meeting with the two new Parliamentary Assistants (PAs) to MPP Rick Byers, the Minister of Finance, and MPP Stephen Crawford. During this meeting MPAC provided the PAs an update on our relationship with the Ministry of Finance. Next was a meeting with Minister Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources where we talked about our role in both the Managed Forest and Conservation Land Tax Incentive Programs. Following this meeting, MPAC representatives made their way over to 777 Bay St. to meet with Minister Michael Parsa, Associate Minister of Housing to discuss how MPAC’s data can assist with the affordable housing crisis. The last meeting of the day was back at the Ministry of Finance to meet with Minister Bethlenfalvy who was joined by his Parliamentary Assistant, MPP Rick Byers. MPAC was able to discuss how we are ready for the next Assessment Update and how we look forward to continuing with the great working relationship with his Ministry.

MPAC at the 2022 International Plowing Match

After a three-year pause, MPAC returned to this year’s International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) in Kemptville, Ontario as an exhibitor. More than 50 MPPs and Ministers attended the five-day celebration of agriculture and rural living—the largest event of its kind in North America. 

The IPM was an important opportunity for our Government Relations team to listen to issues and concerns, answer questions, and share how MPAC can support them. In all, more than 67,000 visitors from across the province, and beyond, attended the expo. The MPAC team looks forward to returning next year.

Property Assessment and Taxes Toolkit

As part of MPAC’s public education program, we have created a digital toolkit to help property owners learn more about Ontario’s property assessment and taxation system. The toolkit contains information to help you and your staff answer common questions from your constituents about property assessments, along with content that can be shared to help educate property owners.  

In this new toolkit, you will find a new video on How Property Taxes are calculated, information on MPAC’s Myth vs Fact education campaign, key messages about the relationship between property assessment and property taxes, frequently asked questions, sharable content for your website, newsletters and social media channels, and print materials that outline MPAC’s role in the property assessment and taxation process.  

This online library of resources is available to all Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP’s) and their staff on mpac.ca. 

One Point of Contact for MPPs and Their Staff 

Looking for assistance in responding to a constituent’s concerns regarding their assessment? Perhaps your office would like some information to add to your website or newsletter? Please reach out to our Manager of Government Relations, James Harvey at [email protected] or at 647-484-1555.