Canmore's vacancy tax gets appeal court's approval
CBC
Canmore’s vacancy tax has survived another legal challenge.
Alberta’s Court of Appeal dismissed an attempt by second homeowners to halt the tax brought in by the Town of Canmore.
In its 12-page ruling, the province’s highest court stated it found the appellants' arguments “unreasonable.”
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert called it a “good day” for the community.
Krausert said a median assessed single-family home in Canmore is $1.5 million — $800,000 for a condo — making them “out of reach to the average person.”
The estimated $10.3 million collected from the tax will go to affordable housing projects such as an ongoing 144-unit rental project.
“It’s the essence of our community,” Krausert said. “If people can’t live here that provide the services, those services disappear. The town becomes something different than it was so we need to preserve that for everyone.”
Ralph Young, a member of Fair Future Canmore, said the group representing second homeowners was “disappointed” with the decision. While they said they’ll continue to oppose the vacancy tax, they respect the court’s decision.
He said they “remain hopeful” the provincial government will change the law to “ensure fairness and equity in property taxes, which Canmore’s vacancy tax sidesteps.”
The vacancy tax is the first of its kind in Alberta, but common in Ontario and British Columbia.
It's been highly controversial in Canmore with both the municipality and second homeowners lobbying the Alberta government.
It's been equally divisive for Canmore’s elected officials, who are trying to decide whether to continue with the tax or wait for the provincial government to provide more clarity on potential changes on the way.
Krausert said he understands where second homeowners are coming from but felt any divisiveness was “overstated by those impacted.”
He said the community is in a “dire circumstance,” and Canmore “needs to do things differently than other mountain destinations if we want to avoid ... the gutting of their communities.”
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