‘Disgusting’: Plan to slash B.C. pipelines’ taxable value could hit local revenues

VICTORIA — British Columbia Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said she would look into a plan by BC Assessment that would cut the taxable value of pipelines and other projects in a move that has angered some local officials who fear a funding shortfall.

Director David Laird of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District in southwestern B.C. says it was “disgusting” that the assessment agency hadn’t previously told British Columbians about the strategy that would slash the taxable value of pipelines by $300 million, or more than a quarter, in that district alone.

Bailey said in a statement that she would be looking at the proposal in November.

“I know communities are worried about these proposed changes,” she said in a statement on Friday, adding that the proposal comes after 10 years of evaluation.

“Any risk of a big tax burden shifting to residents and small businesses is concerning, and that’s why I want to hear more about what this means for areas like the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the people who live there.”

According to the plan that was the subject of a briefing by BC Assessment official Chris Whyte for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board last week, land that carries pipelines or other assets would come under a new valuation method next year that reconsiders depreciation and other factors.

Whyte, BC Assessment’s manager of specialized costs, told the Oct. 23 meeting that the changes would have an impact on municipal budgets, but could not give exact figures.

He said BC Assessment had worked on the policy with an industry group that includes Enbridge, TC Energy, and Trans Mountain, representing about 90 per cent of the pipelines in B.C. by value.

Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden, who also chairs the regional district, said in an interview Friday that the loss of revenue could be around $340,000 for the district.

While Whyte’s presentation focused on properties carrying pipelines, he said BC Assessment also “plans on reviewing the regulator rates for rail, telephone, cable, and potentially electrical transmission and distribution.”

Laird told Whyte the proposal “completely changes” municipal budgets, and would have a “huge impact” on residential owners who could be forced to make up the difference.

“I don’t understand the rush. I don’t understand not consulting with the people that you’re impacting. It’s disgusting that you ignore the people that live in in B.C. and you’re just telling us,” he said

Roden told the meeting the proposals “are going to impact ordinary people” all over the province.

She said “it is not a good look” for companies operating pipelines to shift costs “onto the backs of ordinary people, many of whom have seen their lives and considerably disrupted by the pipelines going through their communities and their areas.”

Roden said on Friday the tax loss would affect areas differently, “because it’s based on where the pipelines are.”

“So areas that are heavy in pipelines are going to take a fairly substantial hit from this, and we are starting to get feedback from other regional districts and municipalities.”

Roden said the proposal had lots of local governments “frantically crunching” numbers. “We have already started our budget planning, and wondering, ‘alright, where are we going to find this money?'”

Roden said the proposal “smacks of another form of downloading” because it will be up to the municipalities, not the province, to make up the shortfall.

“They do not pay these taxes to Victoria,” Roden said. “They pay those taxes to local governments…either we find the money from somewhere else, or we raise taxes, or we cut services, or we do some combination.”

Prince George Coun. Cori Ramsay, who is president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, said the organization was gathering information about the plans.

“We have reached out to BC Assessment for a briefing, and we will explore this issue further,” she said.

Roden said her municipality hoped to meet Bailey next month. “We realize that the consultation ship on this one has probably sailed,” she said. “But what we would like to do is to put a pause on it.”

Whyte had told the district meeting that BC Assessment would share feedback with the Ministry of Finance, while ruling out any additional consultations.

He said the plan dated back to 2016, with implementation paused in 2020 due to the pandemic and then again in 2024 because of the provincial election.

He said approval would be sought from the attorney general and then Bailey in November.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press