Dear Editor,
Many property owners across Quebec may not realize the looming threat of a flawed provincial assessment process known as the comparative factor. This outdated method has already caused chaos and anxiety in Alleyn and Cawood, leading to property values skyrocketing by as much as 370 per cent—far beyond their true market worth.
As leading members of a small volunteer taskforce fighting this unjust process, we are very disappointed by the low engagement from other Quebec communities in signing our petition. We have not collected enough signatures to date. It seems people may not fully grasp the gravity of this issue — or they’re hesitant to stand up for a cause that could deeply impact their financial future as well as their community’s. We have put a lot of effort into fighting this since we received our property evaluations for 2025.
This isn’t just a local problem; any community in Quebec could be next. The provincial comparative factor fails to account for different property types, and is partly based on new developments, resulting in inflated assessments that could trigger significant financial burdens. It having been applied to our community, property owners are rightfully concerned that higher property assessments could lead to substantially higher property taxes.
Despite the municipal council of Alleyn and Cawood’s continuous support and firm commitment to reduce the mill rate to lessen the blow, the inflated evaluations will raise school taxes, welcome taxes, capital gains, and other fees tied to standardized property values. It could also affect future development, and essential municipal services could suffer as well with less money in the budget.
This problem is rooted in a flawed provincial process, and it could happen to any community in Quebec.
The situation in Alleyn and Cawood should serve as a warning to all Quebec property owners.
We urgently need your support — our petition closes on September 11. It is a crucial step in protecting all Quebec communities from this flawed provincial system. Time is running out, and Minister Laforest has yet to respond to our appeals.
Get informed and get involved folks! If you don’t care, Minister Laforest won’t care! We need your voice.
Please sign our petition before it’s too late. It can be found here: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-10859/index.html
Together, we can fight this unjust provincial process and safeguard our communities.
We are doing what we can along with our residents and municipality, but our small community cannot change this process alone.
Julie Vaux and Angela Giroux, very concerned homeowners and taskforce members, Alleyn and Cawood
