Whereas in December 2025, the Province directed BC Assessment to postpone implementation of significant changes to the valuation methodology for Gathering and Transmission Pipelines, which would have resulted in substantial shifts in the tax burden from pipeline operators to residential and business property classes, creating financial impacts for local governments; And whereas local governments rely on stable, predictable assessment practices for longterm financial planning, and any future changes to regulated rate property valuation methodologies particularly within the Utilities Tax Class, will have provincewide implications for local government taxation, budgeting, and equity among property classes: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to direct BC Assessment to undertake a robust and fulsome engagement process with local governments and regional districts, through UBCM, prior to advancing any future changes to the valuation methodology for Gathering and Transmission Pipelines or other major regulated utility properties, including sufficient notice, clear disclosure of financial impacts, and opportunities for local government input before decisions are finalized.
