The Urban Mayors’ Caucus says raising property taxes to deal with local issues is not a feasible option.

Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun says the reliance on property taxes is already far too high in this province.

“Canadians have some of the highest rates of property tax in the world. And yes, we could raise them. But that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Our reliance on property taxes is double the average of the (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development),” Braun says, referencing the intergovernmental group with 37 member countries.

And he says municipalities only get eight-to-10 per cent of every tax dollar.

“We are responsible though for 60 per cent of the public infrastructure. This system that we have is not sustainable. And if it doesn’t get fixed, we only can go to property taxes. Which in itself is a big issue.”

The Urban Mayors’ Caucus, which includes Kamloops mayor Ken Christian, has unveiled priorities ahead of this month’s provincial election, and is calling for a “reform” of how tax dollars are distributed.

Other priorities include renewed approaches to mental health and addictions, affordable housing and public transit.