City exploring options to aid clubs facing crippling tax hikes
Westboro curling club, lawn bowling club saw huge increase in property assessments
The City of Ottawa is weighing its options after skyrocketing property taxes have jeopardized the future of two non-profit clubs in Westboro.
"I have been working with the city for a couple of weeks now, trying to see whether there is some way that we can provide some relief to [the clubs]," said Coun. Jeff Leiper, whose ward includes Westboro. "Not necessarily a subsidy or an exemption from the tax, but there are some other mechanisms that we're exploring."
CBC News reported Tuesday that the Granite Curling Club of West Ottawa is raising its membership fees in response to a 2016 property assessment that saw the value of the Scott Street club jump from about $800,000 to almost $2.5 million.
Now the nearby Highland Park Lawn Bowling Club says it's also concerned for its future after seeing an even greater increase. The club's annual tax bill quadrupled from $3,000 in 2012 to more than $12,000 after its most recent assessment by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) in 2016.
"Our tax increase is a far greater burden for our club as we have fewer than 80 members and are therefore unable to distribute the increase amongst so few bowlers without our annual fees becoming prohibitively high," wrote club president Gary Partington, who's also a member of the Granite Curling Club, in an email to CBC News.
Partington added the club is investigating its options, but may ultimately be forced to sell its property at the corner of Byron and Golden avenues.
"The MPAC reassessments recently saw some of the biggest increases in the city in Westboro, Hintonburg, Wellington Village," Leiper confirmed.
"The LRT plays a role in that, the proximity to downtown, the turnover in the housing stock — it's all playing a role in that. And absolutely, residents, businesses, institutions like the lawn bowling club and Granite club are facing a pinch."
'Active discussion' about possible solutions
Leiper has heard from both clubs, and said he's sympathetic to their concerns.
"In the case of the Granite Curling Club, they attract hundreds of people to their events," he said. "Many of their members are able to walk there. I think recreational facilities are a key part of building sustainable communities for the long term."
We're hoping to find some kind of solution before it's too late.- Coun. Jeff Leiper
Leiper said discussions seeking a solution for the clubs are ongoing, but wouldn't go into detail about potential options.
He said for him, it's a balancing act between keeping these facilities in the community, and the need to bring in revenue to provide services for a growing population.
"In the long haul, if we determine that having recreation facilities in our core is important, we will have to find ways to offset that property tax impact," he said.
"We're hoping to find some kind of solution before it's too late."