To help address the property tax challenges created by rapid intensification in Toronto, Chris and his team at MPAC worked with the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) and the City of Toronto to advocate for more equitable tax policy for small businesses.
In designated growth areas, commercial properties were seeing assessment increases that far outpaced city-wide averages. As those rising assessments were passed on to tenants, many main street businesses faced unsustainable tax burdens. In response, Chris led efforts to analyze the issue and build support for a new solution.
The result was the creation of Ontario’s Small Business Property Tax Subclass—a new policy tool announced by the Province that municipalities could adopt to mitigate tax pressures on small business tenants. Chris and his team helped author the implementation guide, working alongside municipal partners to ensure the subclass could be deployed effectively across Ontario.