Date: Morning of Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Location: Province-wide for British Columbia, including all municipalities

• BC Assessment will issue regional news releases on Wednesday, January 2, 2019, with highlights of 2019 property assessment changes in local communities.
• All news releases, as well as statistics and general information about the 2019 Assessments, will be posted on bcassessment.ca on January 2 and can be accessed by selecting the “Property Information & Trends” tab at the top of the webpage.
• The website will also list the 2019 Top Valued Residential Properties for all of British Columbia as well as by regional breakdown.

Background:

• As B.C.’s trusted provider of property assessments and property information, BC Assessment collects, monitors and analyzes property data throughout the year.
• Over two million property owners will receive their 2019 property assessment notice by mail in early January.
• Updated on January 2, 2019, the public can use the free, newly-enhanced property assessment search tool at bcassessment.ca to compare their 2019 property assessment to others. The public can also search, check and compare 2019 property assessments for any property within the province.
• The mandate of BC Assessment, a provincial Crown corporation, is to establish and maintain uniform property assessments throughout British Columbia in accordance with the Assessment Act.
• The Act requires that BC Assessment produce annual assessments, listing property information and market values as of July 1 (i.e. 2019 assessments are based on market values as of July 1, 2018).
• BC Assessment’s assessment information provides the foundation for local and provincial taxing authorities to raise over $8 billion in property taxes each year. This revenue funds the many community services provided by local governments around the province, including the public school system.