FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s Opposition chief says he’s anticipating the governing Liberals to launch their long-awaited overhaul to the system that units property taxes, which have jumped sharply in recent times due to a fast rise in dwelling values.
Glen Savoie, chief of the Progressive Conservatives, says he hopes the federal government makes use of the brand new session of the legislature, which resumes Tuesday, to do greater than window-dressing.
“What I hope to see is one thing that’s going to be helpful and helpful to municipalities,” Savoie mentioned in regards to the upcoming property tax modifications in an interview on Monday.
Property taxes skyrocketed throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic, because the province’s housing market immediately turned scorching, in line with a 2023 report by Housing Hub of New Brunswick. The report mentioned New Brunswick’s common dwelling costs grew 53 per cent between June 2020 and February 2023, pushed partly by tens of hundreds of recent residents from different provinces.
In response, the Liberals froze tax assessments in 2025 to present the federal government time to assessment the tax construction. Premier Susan Holt has mentioned she needs a good and steady system for property taxes, and has given her occasion till the 2027 tax yr to give you a brand new construction.
The Liberals refused to touch upon their upcoming laws, saying they’ll problem information releases for main payments on the morning they’re to be launched within the legislative meeting.
Members are scheduled to sit down for eight days over the following two weeks, then take a one-week break earlier than returning for an additional three weeks.
Practically a dozen members will kick off the motion Tuesday morning by persevering with an effort to replace the province’s Clear Water Act. Executives with oil large J.D. Irving Ltd., a municipal advocacy group and an environmental lawyer will seem earlier than the local weather change and environmental stewardship committee.
David Coon, chief of the two-member Inexperienced Social gathering caucus, says his occasion can be pushing to strengthen clear water legal guidelines.
“The safety of our lakes and rivers from air pollution must be improved, and as does the method for conserving wetlands,” Coon mentioned. He added that protected ingesting water measures additionally must be bolstered.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Could 5, 2026.
Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press