BULLETIN HEADLINE INCOMPLETE MISLEADING

 

Example of Poor and Misleading Reporting

A recent News Bulletin report by Robert Barron is a telling example of how local reporting can leave Nanaimo taxpayers with an incomplete — and misleading — picture at exactly the wrong time of year.

The 6.4% increase Barron reports applies only to the City of Nanaimo portion of the property tax bill. It is not the total increase homeowners can expect to see on their 2026 property tax notice.

That distinction matters enormously.

In addition to the City’s increase, taxpayers will also face increases from every other taxing authority on their bill: the NRGH hospital levy is up 21%, School District 68 is up 5.2%, the RDN is up 5.7%, and the library levy is rising as well.

And even that is not the full picture. Water, sewer, and garbage user fees — taxes by another name — are also going up again this year.

Don’t Let the Headline Fool You

These two paragraphs from Barron’s report illustrate the problem:

“If passed, the increase would see $196 added to the tax bill of an average single-family home in the city valued at $797,225 in 2026. That means the total tax bill for the average single-family home in Nanaimo would be $3,287, up from $3,091 in 2025 when an average home was valued at $790,349.”

That $196 is the City of Nanaimo increase only. It is not the full increase a homeowner will see on their property tax notice. Any reader who takes that headline at face value may be in for an unpleasant surprise when the actual bill arrives.

On top of the City’s portion, water and garbage user fees are each rising 5%, and sewer fees are up 4%. These are compulsory charges. Whether they appear as taxes or user fees, the money comes out of the same pocket.

Another Example of Incomplete Reporting

The article also notes:

“Staff reported that the most significant budget drivers in 2026 are a $5.5-million increase to city wages and benefits, which includes funding six new positions, and a $3.9-million increase to the RCMP contract, which includes funding four new positions.”

What is missing from that summary? No mention of the 4% wage increase for City staff — including employees already earning well over $100,000 a year. No mention of the 5% raise for IAFF firefighters.

And while the Maffeo Sutton bathroom project is listed among this year’s expenditures, readers are never told plainly what is actually being built: a three-million-dollar public washroom. That is exactly the kind of detail taxpayers deserve to see front and centre.

Nanaimo residents do not need reporting that makes tax increases sound smaller than they are. They need a complete picture — City taxes, regional taxes, school taxes, hospital taxes, library levies, and user fees — all of it, clearly laid out.

Anything less leaves taxpayers misinformed at precisely the moment they need the facts most.