April 2020
Welcome!
As part of our commitment to keeping our industry partners informed, we’ve launched this quarterly newsletter to share information with you and foster dialogue on current and emerging property assessment industry topics.
Assessment Update Postponement
The Hon. Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance, announced the Province’s decision to postpone the 2020 Assessment Update as part of the Ontario Government’s Economic and Fiscal Update on March 25, 2020. Property assessments for the 2021 tax year will be based on the same values in use for the 2020 tax year, unless there have been changes to a property.

Once the Ontario government provides direction on when the next Assessment Update will take place and what the future valuation date will be, we will share those details with you. We'll also work with you to start planning for how the changes will impact you and our work together for the next Assessment Update.
Assessment Information Request Program
Prior to the postponement of the 2020 Assessment Update, MPAC was preparing to launch its 2020 Property Income and Expense Return (PIER) campaign, in the upcoming month of May. MPAC collects income and expense information annually to ensure data accuracy and currency, and in support of our commitment to quality, traceable assessments. In response to the extraordinary circumstances connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 campaign is also being postponed to a later date. The revised dates will be shared with you, once finalized.
Request for Reconsideration Deadline Extended
The 2020 Request for Reconsideration (RfR) deadline has been extended to fall 16 days after the Province lifts its COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency. The RfR deadline for property owners who disagree with their property assessment is usually March 31 of the applicable tax year.
Assessment Review Board changes
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Assessment Review Board (ARB) announced on March 26 that it would suspend its Schedule of Events from March 16 - April 30, at which time the ARB will review to determine if the suspension should continue. This announcement was amended April 21 as a result of the Ontario Legislature extending the Declaration of Emergency for 28 days until May 12. This means that the original suspension until April 30 will be extended until further advised by the ARB. For more information, please visit the ARB's website .

Nearly all of MPAC’s appeal work continues during this time, with the exception of property inspections. We understand that there may be challenges obtaining information and are working closely with all our stakeholders as we move forward.
Large and Special Purpose Properties Engagement Sessions
Last fall, MPAC launched engagement sessions to discuss the assessment of large and special purpose properties. As a result of the March announcement postponing the 2020 Assessment Update, all scheduled engagement activities for this sector have been put on hold.

“We saw great participation from property owners, stakeholders and host municipalities during our first two stages of engagement,” said Malcolm Stadig, Director, Centralized Properties. “A critical part of building accurate and traceable assessments is collaboration and information-sharing with stakeholders.”

MPAC thanks everyone who participated in our large and special purpose engagement activities to date and looks forward to resuming these collaborative discussions in the future. Updates will be shared through this newsletter and mpac.ca.
New Industry Advisory Committee 
Earlier this year, MPAC held its first meeting with the new Industry Advisory Group (IAG). More than 50 industry representatives joined MPAC valuation experts in January. The focus of this group is to build on opportunities for collaboration with industry thought leaders. The mandate of the group was re-framed to reflect the diversity, issues and timely interests of the industry.

The IAG will hold its next meeting later this year. “We want to continue the conversations we started with industry,” said Greg Martino, Vice-President and Chief Valuation & Standards Officer. “Especially during these changing times, it is more important than ever that we stay connected.”
COVID-19 Updates and Resources
You can find all the latest information on how MPAC is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic at mpac.ca/COVID19resources . This page includes news, shareable content for property owners and links to webinars our staff are taking part in to help them cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, stay connected and continue to work hard to support you. If these resources can be helpful to you or your staff, we encourage you to share them.
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