The Provincial Government is making amendments to the Assessment Act 2006 to make the assessment process work better for property owners. The Act establishes the system of real property assessment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
The changes to the Act are a result of a review of the legislation undertaken through the direction of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment’s mandate letter. The review was a collaborative effort of the department, the Municipal Assessment Agency, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, and the City of St. John’s. The changes to the Act include:
- Updating the cycle and timing of assessment processes
- Extending the period during which taxpayers can appeal their assessments
- Repealing the Special Purpose Property Regulations
The amendments can be viewed at assembly.nl.ca/HouseBusiness/Bills/ga48session3/bill1834.htm 
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These changes are one of several initiatives of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment to review and modernize its legislation. Other initiatives currently underway are the review of the Municipalities Act, 2010, and the Cities’ Acts and the review of the Environmental Protection Act as relates to the environmental assessment process.
Quotes
“Through these amendments to the Assessment Act, our government is demonstrating our willingness to listen to citizens and work together with stakeholder agencies to improve legislation and procedures that directly affect residents and businesses. I’d like to thank the Municipal Assessment Agency, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, and the City of St. John’s for their work on this initiative, as well as everyone who contributed to the consultation process.”
Honourable Graham Letto
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment
“The Municipal Assessment Agency welcomes the changes to the legislation. We look forward to working with our partners in improving the transparency and public understanding of the assessment process.”
Dean Ball
Chair, Board of Directors
Municipal Assessment Agency
“We are pleased with the changes announced today. These changes will benefit property owners and municipalities. We are particularly encouraged by the commitment that more frequent assessments will not result in higher costs for our members. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is always happy to contribute to new legislation that allows us to improve services for our residents and property owners.”
Tony Keats
President
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador
“On behalf of City Council I would like to thank the Provincial Government for responding to our concerns during the review of the Assessment Act. The extension of the appeal period will ensure property owners have greater access to the appeal process.”
Danny Breen
Mayor
City of St. John’s
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Learn more
An Act to Amend the Assessment Act, 2006
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Media contacts
Lynn Robinson
Municipal Affairs and Environment
709-729-5449, 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca
Sean Martin
Municipal Assessment Agency
709-724-1533
smartin@maa.ca
Gail Woodfine
Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador
709-753-6822
gwoodfine@municipalnl.ca
Kelly Maguire
City of St. John’s
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca
Backgrounder
Amendments to the Assessment Act, 2006
- Reducing the cycle of reassessment to one year for the Municipal Assessment Agency and two years for the City of St. John’s so that property owners will receive more timely assessments that are more representative of the current market value of their property.
- Requiring a mandatory assessment roll preparation date of August 31 (currently September 30), unless the minister approves an extended date to allow property owners to receive assessments sooner.
- Increasing property owners’ appeal period from 30 to 60 days to give homeowners more time to meet timelines for appeals.
- Repealing the Special Purpose Property Regulations to ensure owners of “special properties” such as manufacturing facilities, breweries, and airports receive a valuation on their properties based on market value.