Proposed legislation seeks to amend Municipal Assessment Act and Municipal Board Act
The Manitoba government has tabled legislation that aims to improve access to assessment information and simplify the appeals process, Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced.
Bill 33 proposed changes to the Municipal Assessment Act to authorize municipalities to post assessment roll information online and allow assessment notices and other documents to be sent electronically.
“Enabling all municipalities to make a portion of their assessment rolls available to the public online supports enhanced accessibility and transparency,” Clarke said. “Property owners can access the information at a time and place convenient for them.”
Clarke added that resorting to electronic assessment notices will improve client service, reduce carbon footprint, and save printing costs in the longer term.
In addition, the bill introduced amendments to the Municipal Board Act to support the successful implementation of planning appeals under the recently amended Planning Act and City of Winnipeg Charter Act.
In particular, the bill will change how the municipal board handles planning appeals by giving the parties a maximum of 60 days to reach a mutual agreement without conducting a hearing. It also authorizes the board to dismiss an appeal by adjudicative order without a hearing based on any of the following grounds:
- If the appeal was not filed within the applicable time limit;
- If fees are not paid;
- If, in the opinion of the board, the subject matter of the appeal is frivolous, vexatious, an abuse of process, or commenced in bad faith;
- If the appeal deals with matters that are outside the board’s jurisdiction.
“Planning appeals are fundamental to open and fair planning systems and are necessary for upholding transparent and accountable decisions,” Clarke said. “These amendments will streamline processes, improve transparency, and ensure timely resolutions for planning appeals with the municipal board moving forward.”
