Yes, and yes. Glad to see everyone back in the fight against the toxic damage done by market value property tax assessment in Canadian cities. Most of what I'd normally say is already in this article, but let me add two points... https://www.thestar.com/business/2020/06/25/it-wasnt-the-pandemic-that-killed-our-small-businesses-it-was-the-commercial-taxes.html?source=newsletter /1 #TOpoli

/2 First, MPAC's drone-like comments on this are total doublespeak. "We don't assess based on speculative value" really means "our formulae already build that speculation in, so whatever." Plus: many 'lands in transition' assessments (speculative value) from 2016 remain in force.

/3 The second question is why the F is MPAC even allowed to take these phone calls at all? Why are they allowed to decide & explain what govt policy is? These are issues of tax POLICY, not just practice, and questions should rightly go to the ministers responsible -

/4 - not to a long-hated, never-transparent corporation that the govt created to basically do some ridiculous math. One reason questions should go to elected officials is: we know from the fact that the 2020 assessment cycle was delayed that --- Queen's Park is listening - !

/5 And I hope they're listening, because one outcome that's virtually certain if nothing changes is a repeat of the disastrous 1997-1998 cycle in which billions of tax liability spilled from downtown Toronto towers onto dozens of city commercial strips that were already getting -

/6 - taxed as if every damn store on every avenue in the city is gonna be developed into a condo tower tomorrow morning, which we all know is ridiculous.

-30- for now, more on this soon

cc: @RodPhillips01 @fordnation @SteveClarkPC w/ credit & thx for delaying the reassessment.