VANCOUVER—Would it soften the blow of your higher property tax bill to know you would pay more if you lived in a different Canadian city?

Whichever city you live in, chances are your property taxes are set to rise in 2020. But only in some places are the rates rising by historic amounts.

In Toronto, where Mayor John Tory has committed throughout his five-year tenure not to raise property taxes above inflation, an eight per cent increase is coming over the course of five years. Vancouver, where the city lists the value of a median single family home at $1.75 million, is facing a seven per cent property tax hike in 2020 — the biggest single year increase in more than a decade.

More modest hikes at or near national inflation are coming to Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and St. John’s.

So where would you get the lowest property tax bill for a home with your home’s assessed value? And what do you get for that money?

The Star has created this property tax estimate calculator to let you compare. It’s based on the average property tax rates set in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St. John’s in 2019. Where the rates differed by neighbourhood and level of utilities used, this calculator assumes your home is in an average urban area of the city, with full utility services.

The 2020 numbers presented are based on budget proposals for each city — but the final rates could increase by more or less depending on changes to provincial rates and finalized municipal budget decisions.

When it comes to property taxes, not all per cent increases are created equal. A 1.5 per cent hike in Toronto, where property tax rates are modest but home values are huge, is likely to cost average homeowners more than the standard 2.6 per cent hike will cost Edmonton homeowners.

And more goes into your property tax bill than the rate set by your municipality. To get to the final “amount due,” you have to pile on school taxes set by provinces, regional levies and utility fees.

Here’s a brief rundown of what you’re getting for your property tax money in each of these major Canadian cities, and how they plan to spend your property tax increase next year.

Vancouver

Vancouver property taxes include a general levy (about half the total bill), which goes to city operating expenses, a provincial school tax, a TransLink tax for regional and local transit, as well as small fees for the B.C. Assessment Authority, Greater Vancouver Regional District, and Municipal Finance Authority. Vancouver city council presented a draft 2020 budget with a proposed 8.2 per cent property tax increase, which would apply to the half of the property tax bill dedicated to city services. The council this week approved a slightly lower increase of seven per cent, which is aimed at supporting a $4.1 million affordable housing effort, and $8.2 million to public safety, including 25 additional police officers and 30 additional firefighters.

Calgary

Calgary’s property taxes are broken into two portions: The municipal rate and the provincial rate. In 2019, the rates were two-thirds municipal, one-third provincial. For the 2020 budget, Calgary has committed to using city funds to “freeze” municipal tax, but it remains to be seen how much of a freeze it will actually be. In November, the city said municipal taxes were still likely to increase by 0.7 per cent to make up for a cut to provincial funding of Calgary police. The 2020 budget also includes cuts of 138 municipal jobs, and additional funding to Calgary transit to address overcrowding.

Edmonton

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Edmonton has a municipal tax rate that funds the city’s operating budget, and an education levy set by the province of Alberta. It has a planned annual increase of 2.6 per cent to its municipal tax rate, which has multi-year capital and operating budgets spanning 2019-2020. Like Calgary, Edmonton’s budget is impacted by provincial cuts in funding to municipalities.

Regina

Regina uses a mill rate to calculate its residential property taxes — essentially, the base dollar amount homeowners pay in property tax per $1,000 of value on their home. There is a separate levy for Regina’s municipal operating budget for city services like transit and parks, a levy for the library and a provincial school levy set by the province. In 2020, the mill rate for the municipal amount will increase by 3.25 per cent. Of that, 0.5 per cent will go to additional recreation infrastructure, 0.45 per cent is dedicated to the city’s Mosaic Stadium, and the rest is for civic and police operations.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg also uses a mill rate to calculate its residential property taxes — essentially the base dollar amount homeowners pay in property tax per $1,000 of value on their home. As part of the city’s multi-year budget process, it decided to take on a yearly 2.33 per cent property tax increase dedicated to street renewal and transit infrastructure.

Toronto

Since he was elected in 2014, Mayor John Tory has committed to keeping property tax increases limited to the rate of inflation — a hard line that has earned him both praise from fiscal conservatives and disdain from council members who want to see investments in transit and Toronto’s crumbling social housing. Tory announced this month that he had a change of heart, and introduced a plan to increase property taxes by eight per cent over the next five years. The plan passed with overwhelming support this week, and the funds will go to the city building fund, which supports transit and housing projects. A provincial school tax accounts for about a quarter of Toronto’s property taxes. The tax rate for multi-unit residential dwellings, condos, is larger than the single family home rate, except for condos built after 2017, which have the same rate.

Ottawa

Ottawa’s property taxes are broken down into a general fund for city operating expenses, and a number of levies dedicated to police, conservation authority, transit and fire services. The amount homeowners pay depends on their level of service. For example, what they pay would depend on if they live in a zone fully served by transit, and whether they get curbside garbage pickup. This month, Ottawa improved a 2020 budget that allows for a three per cent property tax increase. The city plans to spend $22.5 million more than it did in 2019 to fix roads, sidewalks and city facilities. The police budget will also increase by three per cent.

Montreal

Montreal separates its general property tax from special levies for water services, roads and transit. There are also special levies in Montreal’s various boroughs that impact homeowners’ final tax bill. The city decided last month that it would raise property taxes (including water) across the city by 1.8 per cent in 2020. The city’s biggest expenses are public security (17.4 per cent of the operating budget), debt servicing (16.4 per cent) and public transit (10.8 per cent).

Halifax

Halifax has a general property tax that pays for policing, garbage, recreation, libraries and other city operating expenses. The amount levied is slightly lower in the suburbs and in rural areas of the municipality than in urban areas (urban dwellers would pay about $33 more for every $100,000 of home value). On top of that is a small levy for protecting fire hydrants and a dedicated transit tax. All city homeowners pay the regional transportation rate, while those who live within one kilometre of a transit stop pay an extra “local transportation” levy on top. Halifax has not revealed its property tax changes for 2020.

St. John’s

St John’s uses a mill rate to calculate its residential property taxes — essentially, the base dollar amount homeowners pay in property tax per $1,000 of value on their home. The mill rate varies depending on the homeowners’ water and sewer service levels. There is also a $605 fee per year per unit for water service. Senior citizens receiving GIS get a 25 per cent discount on their property taxes. St. John’s is the only city on this list that has decided not to increase property taxes in 2020.

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