Tax story for later use

2026 Property Tax & Utility Rate Increases - North Shore2026 Property Tax Increases
        
                Municipality
                Proposed Increase
                Notes
            

        
                District of North Vancouver 
                3.5%
                2% for operating costs, 1.5% for infrastructure replacement
            

                City of North Vancouver 
                2.9%
                0.9% operating, 1% capital/infrastructure, 1% for North Shore Neighbourhood House
            

                District of West Vancouver 
                TBA (possible 3%)
                 Oct 21, 2025 Finance committee minutes suggest 3%  
            

    2026 Utility Rate IncreasesDistrict of North Vancouver
        
                Dwelling Type
                2026 Total
                Increase from 2025
                % Change
            

        
                Single-Family Home
                $2,553
                +$178
                7.4%
            

                Rowhouse/Duplex
                $1,869
                +$135
                7.8%
            

                Multi-Unit
                $1,862
                +$135
                7.8%
            

    Single-Family Breakdown: Sewer $1,255 (+$129, 11.5%), Water $932 (+$31.50, 3.5%), Garbage/Organics/Environmental $366 (~3.3%)
City of North Vancouver
        
                Dwelling Type
                2026 Total
                Increase from 2025
                % Change
            

        
                Single-Unit
                $2,236
                +$200
                10%
            

                Duplex
                $1,997
                +$182
                10%
            

                Multi-Unit
                $1,109
                +$115
                12%
            

    District of West Vancouver
        
                Dwelling Type
                2026 Total
                Increase from 2025
                % Change
            

        
                Single-Family Home
                $3,265
                +$253
                8.4%
            

                Multi-Unit
                $927
                +$97
                11.7%
            

    Single-Family Breakdown: Water $893 (+$39, 4.5%), Sewer & Drainage $2,015 (+$214, 11.9%), Garbage & Recycling $272 ($0, 0%), Public Realm Collection Fee $85
Multi-Unit Breakdown: Water $294 (+$13, 4.6%), Sewer & Drainage $548 (+$84, 18.1%), Garbage & Recycling included in sewer, Public Realm Collection Fee $85

2026 municipal tax outlook

With inflation projected at around 2% in 2026, our three municipalities aim to keep property tax increases close to that level. Here are some points about next year’s outlook before the details…

New revenues offset property taxes

The City of North Vancouver reduced its 2026 property tax increase by 1.8% due thanks to new revenue from public pay parking. Increasing revenues from user-pay taxes allows municipalities to improve service levels, add new projects, or reduce property taxes. In 2026, the City is opting to reduce taxes. Another reason why pay parking is good policy. Another of the good things about pay parking.

Utilities fees are going up - even with reserves

The primary driver of utility increases across all three municipalities is rising Metro Vancouver costs, particularly related to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project. Aggregated utility fees are expected to more than double from $40M (2025) to $86M (2030) in the District of North Vancouver. All three municipalities are using reserves to offset overruns in wastewater treatment plant costs. Details in that article, but in general household tax increases per year range from $88 to $300 across the Shore.

For you supernerds 🦸🏾, I made a table of tax increases from 2016 to 2026. I set out to show that munis tend to reduce taxes for election years, but COVID pulled a number on that theory…