Be wary of municipal taxes that are egregious. The several years of turmoil around efforts to fund the 1994 Commonwealth Games is enlightening given talk of hosting again in 2026. Efforts were made to raise money through hiking business taxes, hotel taxes, recreational fees, sponsors, and so on. But the biggest uproar was sparked by trying to assess a Commonwealth Games levy on municipal property taxes from 1990 to 1994. When the City of Victoria collected this levy in 1990 to be held in reserve for Games-related costs in 1994, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled the city contravened the Municipal Act. Eventually about 20,000 property owners got a credit on their 1991 tax bill to make up for the illegally collected levy. But ouch, the credit was only half the amount collected as only half the levy was ruled illegal, reported the Times Colonist on Apr. 12, 1991.
Bylaw 1061, 2021 – LUB Redesignation: Multiple Residential R2-A to Duplex Residential R-2 In February 2018 Council approved a bylaw to re-designate lots 1 & 2, Block 7 Plan 0613673 from Residential (R-1) to Multiple Residential (R-2A). At the time the best use of these properties was deemed to be a higher density residential (R2-A), rather than the single family residential (R-1) that was in place at the time. In September 2018, development permits for a modular home with a detached garage were received for each lot 1 & 2. Through the development permit process the properties were incorrectly identified as being located in the R-2 Residential District instead of the R-2A District. As a result of the misidentification, both development permit applications were approved by the Municipal Planning Commission for uses that are listed in the R-2 District, but which are prohibited in the R-2A District in which the properties are located. The developments have been built and