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Jason Weselowski has had a string of bad luck, including a cancer diagnosis that put him in hospital in 2018 while the City of Vancouver was informing its citizens about their obligation to pay a vacancy tax on unoccupied homes.

“Apparently while in the hospital the city mailed out a declaration form,” he said. “I was not able to receive nor send in this form due to my hospitalization.”

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When Weselowski tried to sell his condo late last year, his notary Dan Park found that the city added an $8,000 vacancy tax charge to his property tax.

With assurances from city staff that Weselowski’s empty homes declaration could be filed retroactively, Park held back funds from the sale and eventually paid the tax to clear the property’s tax account for the buyer.

“When I tried to help Jason do the declaration, for some reason (city staff) weren’t able to do it over the phone,” he said.

Before he could do the required paperwork in person, Weselowski was hospitalized a second time for his colon cancer and missed the city’s window to appeal the charge.