Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present Bill 66, An Act to Amend the Property Assessment and Taxation Act.
The purpose of Bill 66 is to address issues that can be resolved through administrative and operational amendments without changing the overall intent of the Act. Bill 66 clarifies and modernizes certain definitions. It also gives the director of assessment greater authority in respect of first assessment orders, corrections to the rolls, and carrying out supplementary assessments. The bill updates provisions related to municipal boards of revision, the territorial boards of revision and the assessment appeal tribunal to extend terms of appointment, adjust decision-making timelines, allow for sole adjudication in certain circumstances and change the title of "secretary" to "registrar." The bill also gives municipal employees the ability to purchase property at public auction with the approval of the municipal council. In addition to these amendments, this bill makes several housekeeping amendments to gender-neutralize language and fix non-substantive grammatical errors in the Act.
During the Standing Committee on Government Operations review of the bill, the Department worked with committee staff and the Department of Justice on three additional amendments to the bill. The Department is appreciative of the time committee took in reviewing the bill and proposing amendments. This concludes my opening remarks. I look forward to hearing comments from Members and answering any questions the Members may have on the bill. Thank you.