Y E A R I N R E V I E W 2 0 1 2 B O M A B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A Taxation T
HE BOMA TAXATION COMMITTEE, in 2012, continued to advocate for fair tax policy on behalf of BOMA members and commercial taxpayers. Although the focus has been on the City of Vancouver, the results have had an impact on municipal taxation policy throughoutMetro and the province.
The most recent engagement with Vancouver City Council was at the end of February 2013 with regard to land averaging in the City of Vancouver. Land averaging is a flawed policy in that it results in higher tax rates and an artificial distribution of taxes between the various commercial tax-payers. In 2012 BOMA advanced to council many alternatives to land averaging to assist commercial taxpayers who were burdened with excessive taxation due to speculative redevelopment assessments. Although the proposals have not been adopted to date, a motion was passed last week to reconvene the Property Tax Review Commission as follows:
That Council reconvene the Property Tax Policy Review Commission as an advisory panel to work with staff on two key areas:
• Assess viable options to enhance property tax stability and predictability arising from significant year-over-year market value changes; and
Health & Safety
This Committee provides information pertaining to workplace safety to BOMA members with a focus on prevention.
The Committee monitors policy changes that are relevant to property owners and managers fromWorkSafeBC, BC Safety Authority, Public Health, Canadian Safety Association, Employers Forum, and Employers Advisors.
Committee John Petersen (Chair), SerVantage Services Corp.; RyanWilson (Co-Chair), ThyssenKrupp Elevator Canada (Ltd.);Wendy Barker, SerVantage Health Services Corp., Peter Bergholz, AMEC Earth& Environmental; Colin Murray; B.U.K. Realty Corporation; Paul LaBranche, BOMA BC
Emergency Response Task Group
Planning for major emergencies and keeping members informed are the goals of this committee. They help the industry prepare and respond to a variety of emergencies, and coordinate with local, regional, and provincial emergency response resources.
• Assess viable options for tax distribution; validate whether the current tax share 53%residential / 47%non-residential (after completing the recommended 5- year, $23.8 million tax shift program) continues to be an appropriate distribution; and recommend metrics for monitoring tax share over the long- term and its impact on residents and business climate.
Vancouver City Council further recommended on the appointment of the Commission Chairperson and two additional members, Terms of Reference, and project budget in April 2013. Progress has been achieved and BOMA will continue to advocate on behalf of our membership.
Paul Sullivan, Burgess Cawley Sullivan&Associates (Chair) Green Buildings Foundation T
HE GREEN BUILDINGS FOUNDATION (GBF) was established in 2006 by BOMA to help transform the existing buildings market towards greater energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The GBF serves as a portal for
information exchange, training, research and benchmarking of environmental building management practices. In 2012, the GBF had participated in the BOMA BC Organizational Review
initiative which entailed having an independent consultant complete a full assessment of all aspects of BOMA programs, operations and financials. Following discussions between GBF Trustees and BOMA Directors, a recommendation was approved to maintain in abeyance the intellectual property of the GBF for future use, and shifting much of the current GBF environmental activity directly to BOMA BC to reduce unnecessary overlap and streamline our energy and environmental programs.
Board Trustees Richard Anderson, HunterMcLeod Realty Corp. (Chair); Neil Eckman, GWL Realty Advisors Inc.; Andy Molloy,West Pender Property Group; Jeremy Trigg, VanCity Savings Credit Union; JonWellman, Bentall Kennedy (Canada) LP; Paul LaBranche, GBF Executive Director
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