Today, Peterborough County Council directed staff to work with the lower tier municipalities to consider the development of an Assessment Review Program. This pre-investigative screening tool has the ability to highlight properties that may require investigation by the appropriate authorities to ensure Ontario Building Code compliance, accurate assessment, equitable taxation, and complete civic addressing for 9-1-1 response.

This analysis will compare imagery-derived building footprints against property assessment to determine where buildings have been identified on lands that MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) has identified as “vacant land with no buildings”. The building footprints to be used were auto-generated through a machine-learning process based on 2013 aerial ortho-photography.

Early analysis suggests that there are hundreds of “vacant properties” with structures throughout the County. Every local municipality is affected at some level, some to a greater extent than others.

Identified properties:

• may not have been accurately assessed;
• may be missing building permits; and
• in some cases are missing 9-1-1 civic addresses. 

The program is important as it has the potential to create:

• more accurate property assessment;
• more equitable municipal taxation;
• ensure structural safety and insurability for current and future landowners; and
• improve the ability for emergency responders to answer calls for service.

“County Council is supportive of the Assessment Review Program as a matter of fairness and safety for the people of Peterborough County,” J. Murray Jones, Peterborough County Warden.

Local municipalities will have an opportunity to determine if, and how, they wish to participate in the Program starting in September.  An Advisory group made up of County and municipal staff will meet to discuss matters related to the Assessment Review Program at that time.  The County is committed to communicating openly on this project with all involved.

For further information, please contact:

Sheridan Graham,

Director, Corporate Projects & Services

T: 705-743-0380 ext. 2500

E: sgraham@ptbocounty.ca