THUNDER BAY – Northwood’s city councillor is warning her constituents not to engage with a new property assessment website after her own experience led to higher taxes.
Coun. Shelby Ch’ng purchased her home for $275,000, $4,000 under value according to The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
Ch’ng accessed the About My Property website last week after MPAC representatives urged the city to promote the new tool during a deputation to council on Mar. 21.
As a result of engaging with the website and the appeal Ch'ng made to her value, MPAC adjusted the value of her home to $283,000.
Ch'ng said the increase was a result of air conditioning that was included in the real estate listing.
“They’re saying it’s worth $7,000 more than I paid for my house. It’s a small amount but it’s the process,” she said.
“They looked me in the eye and told me to tell my constituents to do this, then I do it and they increase my assessment for no good reason. I haven’t even painted or put nails in the walls yet.”
When she started asking around, she found out she wasn’t the only one who had that experience.
“I haven’t heard of anybody’s (property value) going down,” Ch'ng said.
“You should be making more money on your house but when MPAC is assessing your house for more than you just bought it for, I’m very skeptical. And the areas of town that have gone up the most are the poorest areas of town.”
The website staff at MPAC was not available to comment.
