Workers lay pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on farmland, in Abbotsford. (Photo via Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says it has been notified that BC Assessment will not move forward with proposed changes to how gathering and transmission pipelines are valued for the 2026 assessment year.
Local governments were first alerted in September to BC Assessment’s plan to revise pipeline valuation methods. In response, TNRD finance staff analyzed the proposal and briefed the TNRD Board on what it described as significant potential impacts on local taxpayers. The Board subsequently raised concerns with Premier David Eby, the Ministry of Finance, and BC Assessment, urging that the changes be postponed.
Under the proposed model, pipeline assessments were expected to drop by an estimated 23 to 30 per cent in 2026. TNRD officials said this would have shifted a substantial share of regional district property taxes from pipeline companies onto residential and commercial property owners.
BC Assessment has now confirmed that the valuation model will remain unchanged for the 2026 assessment roll. Instead, pipeline assessments within the TNRD are expected to increase by approximately seven per cent next year.
“The announcement that the regulated rates valuation model for pipelines will not change for the upcoming 2026 assessment roll is very good news for regional districts and municipalities that were facing the impacts of the proposed changes,” said TNRD Board Chair Barbara Roden. “It’s especially good news for residential and business property owners, who would have been required to absorb the tax shift.”
Roden said the TNRD could have faced a shortfall of about $1 million in pipeline tax revenue if the proposal had proceeded, potentially leading to higher taxes for residents and businesses.
She added that the TNRD was among the first local governments to identify the implications of the proposed changes and to advocate for reconsideration.
“We are grateful that our concerns were heard, and we thank BC Assessment and the Province of British Columbia for this decision,” Roden said. “We look forward to continued collaboration to ensure any future changes are implemented with fairness and transparency.”
