Canada Property Tax publishes residential mill rates and estimated tax bills compiled from provincial open data and municipal tax-rate schedules. There is no single national mill-rate table; assessment and municipal taxation are provincial responsibilities. Named datasets: data sources. Interactive estimate: tax calculator.
Coverage
The atlas tracks 56 municipalities (56 direct, 0 regional or seed-labeled). Primary inputs include Ontario Financial Information Return Schedule 22, Nova Scotia open municipal tax-rate tables, and published bylaws or budget schedules for other provinces as they are verified.
What a mill rate measures
Tax per unit of taxable assessed value (commonly per $1,000 = one mill). Dollar bill = assessment × class rate (+ education and special levies). One mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Rates originally published as percentages or per-$100,000 figures are normalized to mills where the source allows.
Assessment systems differ
- British Columbia. BC Assessment revalues annually at market value.
- Ontario. MPAC uses a multi-year cycle with phase-in.
- Alberta. Annual market-value assessment under provincial standards.
- Nova Scotia. PVSC assessment with a residential capped assessment program.
A high mill rate on a lagging or capped assessment base can produce a lower dollar bill than a low mill rate on full market value. Cross-province rate rankings are rate rankings, not lifestyle or “tax friendliness” rankings, until assessment bases are aligned.
Municipal vs total bill
City pages emphasize the municipal residential rate under council control and note education or regional levies that raise the total bill. Local improvement charges are address-specific overlays outside the general mill rate. Class tax ratios (commercial, multi-residential, industrial, farmland) shift burden within a municipality without changing the headline residential rate.
Reading rules
Compare estimated bills on a similar property value; state municipal-only vs total bill. Watch class tax ratios when news quotes “the mill rate.” Cadence follows the annual budget / tax bylaw cycle; assessment year may lag taxation year. Primer: Understanding Property Tax Mill Rates in Canada.
Using a city page
Start with the residential mill rate and the sample bill, then separate the municipal rate from education or regional levies that may appear on your notice. Compare cities on a similar assessed value, use the calculator for a personal estimate, and confirm the current bylaw plus your assessment before budgeting or buying.