Savage looks at alternatives to property tax at big city mayors meeting

Members of the Big City Mayors' Caucus are in Halifax to kick off the annual meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The federation gives a national voice to municipalities across Canada, from big cities to small, rural municipalities. The caucus is part of it and includes Canada's 22 biggest cities.

Mike Savage, Halifax's mayor, said relying mainly on property taxes means cities can miss out on the benefits of economic growth from the high-tech sector.

Growth doesn't always mean new buildings

Savage said expansion within the knowledge and innovation industry doesn't always mean the construction of new buildings.

"In fact, our commercial assessments are flat," said Savage. "You've got 40 or 50 high-tech employees in the space where there used to be three or four offices, or they work from home."

In some parts of the country, the answer may be a portion of the sales tax. That's what is being negotiated in Quebec. But Alberta doesn't have a sales tax.

'No single answer yet'

Don Iveson is the chair of the caucus, and he's also Edmonton's mayor. He said there has to be some flexibility.

About 1,900 delegates from across Canada are in Halifax for the national municipal conference, which runs until Sunday. It's meeting at the Halifax Convention Centre under the theme of Tools for Tomorrow's Canada.