OTTAWA, June 23, 2005 -- The Government of Canada today announced the creation of a new dispute advisory panel to review requests from municipalities and other local taxing authorities regarding disputes over the amount of payments in lieu of taxes they receive from the federal government.
The Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel will also provide advice to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services on the resolution of disputes involving payments in lieu of taxes (PILT). In addition, it will provide advice to heads of Crown corporations in instances where they provide municipalities or local taxing authorities with payments in lieu of taxes.
"This Panel will be an impartial advisory forum where municipalities and other Canadian taxing authorities can present their concerns regarding payments in lieu of taxes," said the Honourable Scott Brison, Minister of Public Works and Government Services. "Working in cooperation with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, we have created this Advisory Panel to ensure a more cooperative implementation of the PILT program and to support our commitment towards the community agenda."
Members were selected based on their professional background, experience, knowledge and understanding of the fields of real property valuation, Canadian property tax systems and provincial models of assessment and taxation. Appointed for a three-year term, they were nominated through a consultative process between the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
"As the Chairperson of the Advisory Panel, I am pleased to lead this group representing every province and territory in Canada," said Michel Doyon. "Their advice and high level of expertise in the field of property valuation, assessment and taxation will be instrumental in facilitating reviews and achieving solutions to the taxing authorities."
The Panel's authority will be limited to providing advice to the Minister, or the head of a Crown corporation, on issues respecting property value, property dimension or effective rate applicable to a property. The Panel will also be authorized to provide advice to the Minister, or the head of a Crown corporation, with respect to a claim by a municipality that a supplementary payment (in lieu of interest) should be made.
The members of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel are listed in the attached Backgrounder.
For more information on the PILT program, please visit PWGSC's Web site http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/pilt/text/index-e.html
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For further information please contact:
Office of Minister Brison
Renée David
Press Secretary
(819) 994-5421
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Mario Baril
Manager, Media Relations
(819) 956-5916
Backgrounder
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)
Through the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, every year the Government of Canada distributes more than $400 million to some 1,300 real property taxing authorities (RTAs), such as municipalities, provinces, school boards, local services boards and First Nations. These payments contribute toward the cost of local government in communities where the Federal Crown owns property. These payments, although discretionary, recognize the valuable direct and indirect services the Government of Canada receives from local governments.
There are more than 26,500 federal facilities across Canada, including military bases, correctional institutions, office buildings, national parks and harbours. Each of these facilities requires municipal services such as sewers, water, police protection, fire protection, waste disposal and roads for which the Government of Canada contributions help to pay.
PWGSC's Payments in Lieu of Taxes Management and Consulting Directorate determines a fair and equitable amount for these payments, taking into account the same issues, and employing the same assessment principles, as are used to value privately held properties in the various assessment and taxation jurisdictions in Canada.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel
Michel Doyon, Sainte-Foy, Québec (Chairperson)
Gordon Nagle, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Frederick Crooks, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Thomas O. Boyne, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Roberta Clarke, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Jim McDonald, Saint John, New Brunswick
Kevin Kiley, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Jean Picard, Magog, Quebec
Gilles Lareau, Laval, Quebec
Louise Savoie, Montréal, Quebec
Morris Kertzer, Ottawa, Ontario
Yvonne J. Hamlin, Toronto, Ontario
Victoria Stuart, Toronto, Ontario
Mark Newman, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Marjorie Dane-Newton, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Bruce Gallagher, Regina, Saskatchewan
Daniel Konkin, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
René Gagné, Edmonton, Alberta
Roger Beaupré, Calgary, Alberta
Alan Fenton, St. Albert, Alberta
Angus Mackay, Edmonton, Alberta
Ike Zacharopoulos, Calgary, Alberta
Diane M. Delves, Abbotsford, British Columbia
Tom Johnstone, Saturna, British Columbia
Brian Wallace, Victoria, British Columbia
Michael Grover, Vancouver, British Columbia
Michael Naish, Courtenay, British Columbia
David Cavazzi, Richmond, British Columbia
David Clark, Duncan, British Columbia
Geoffrey Burgess, Vancouver, British Columbia
James Yamada, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Aletta Anne King, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
John Soderberg, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Jim White, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Lauchlin MacDonald, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Glenda Zuker, Iqaluit, Nunavut
John E. Jacobsen, Iqaluit, Nunavut
