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No more property taxes.. wouldn’t that be nice? Saskatoon’s mayor, Cynthia Block, recently pointed out something a lot of us have been feeling: property taxes feel like they were designed in the era of horse-drawn carriages. With the city facing an 8.23% increase, she’s calling for a serious rethink of how cities are funded in Canada.
A big chunk of the hike is going to policing, which reflects real concerns about safety, but she’s drawing a firm line against cutting recreation programs or adding new fees to deal with homelessness. I like that stance—investing in community services usually pays off in the long run.
At the end of the day, the squeeze on property taxpayers shows the current system isn’t sustainable. Cities need more predictable, fair revenue tools, and that’s going to take provinces and the federal government stepping up with a better deal. It won’t be painless, but keeping cities livable is worth the conversation.
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