Taxes

Assessed value of the cottage as it is used to calculate yearly property taxes:

• 2008: $361,000
  
• 2006: $229,000
• 2005: $194,000
• 2004: $194,000
• 2003: $187,000
• 2002: $116,000

The increase to $361,000 in 2008 will be phased in over a four year period as follows:

2011; $328,000
2010: $295,000
2009: $262,000

The large increase in the assessed value of our cottage in 2003, and the continuing increases, appear to have been caused partly by the move to current value assessment, but primarily by the rapidly rising value of waterfront properties which is occuring all across Ontario. See this recent article from the Apsley Voice, and other stories including an October 2005 story in the Globe, which report that in many municipalities in Ontario, assessments for waterfront properties rose by up to 100% between 1999 and 2003. Many stories report that owning a cottage anywhere in Ontario is becoming beyond the means of middle-income families.

Our taxes increased from $1,515.28 in 2002 to $2,283.45 in 2003, an increase of $768.17, which was a jump of more than 50% in one year.

The assessed value of $194,000 remained the same for 2004 and 2005 because the assessment was done for a two year period. The Province appears to be moving to annual assessments. The assessed value for one year is determined in the previous year, i.e. the 2006 assessed value is based on the assessed value as of January 1, 2005. Property Assessment Notices come out towards the end of October. The North Kawartha Council has recommended to the Ontario Government that the "freeze" put on in 2005 be extended to 2006 and 2007 and 2008 if necessary, and that during that time the Provincial government undertake a thorough review of current value assessment in order to implement a more equitable, stable and transparent assessment system. and that assessments be done every three or five years, rather than annually.

The good news is that according to our Property Assessment Notice for the 2006 tax year, the increase for our cottage assessment for 2006 was 18%, whereas the average increase in North Kawartha was 34%, and this includes both waterfront and non-waterfront properties.

Property Assessments are done by MPAC. It is possible to go to that site and click on "About My Property" and log in with the user name home0092655 and password Monk05 and view some details of the property and the most recent assessment. It is also supposed to be possible to search the assessments of nearby properties, presumably for the purpose of deciding whether our assessment appears to be fair.

Note: In March 2006 the Ombudsman released a report which said that MPAC had a "superiority complex" and "attitudinal and bureaucratic malaise", was incompetent, used "pernicious practices", engaged in "cutthroat manoeuvering around property owners" and concluded that "the system is badly broken." We may expect to see some changes to the system. In the meantime, the Provincial government has put a freeze on all assessments at their current levels until 2008. New property assessments will occur in the fall of 2008.

We pay taxes in one year based on the assessed value of the previous year, for example, the taxes we paid in 2006 were based on the assessed value for 2005 of $194,000.

Municipal tax rates are composed of three rates; Municipal (40%), County (35%) and Education (25%), percentages rounded off. Each has a different tax rate. In 2005 they were: Municipal .471666; County .416461; Education .296 = 1.184127%. Thus our taxes were $194,000 x 1.184127 = $2,297.20. While assessments are going up each year, tax rates are going down to keep the taxes more or less consistent. For example, previous Municipal tax rates were: 2005 - .471666; 2004 - .471666; 2003 - .478741; 2002 - .50965

I believe the cottage was bought in 1966 for $15.000.

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving's menu is:

Appetizers - David
Turkey - Paul and Judy
Potatoes - John and Gael
Other Veggie - Brooke and Dave
Salad - Cathy
Pumpkin Pie - Mother

Enjoy!

Christmas Dinner

MENU:

Bruschetta and A Variety of Cheeses - Mother and John and Gael
Roast Beef - Mother
Two Salads - Cathy
Sweet Potatoes - John and Gael
Green Beans - Paul and Judy
Portobello Mushrooms - David and Elizabeth
Apple Crisp with Ice Cream - Brooke and Dave

We will be assembling at 3:30 on December 25 to open presents. This year we are having a "Chinese Auction" form of gift giving. Everyone brings one wrapped gift, suggested limit of $25. Everyone draws a number to decide who picks first, second and so on. The first person picks a wrapped gift. The second person can choose either a wrapped gift, or the first person's unwrapped gift. Subsequent pickers have the choice of any unwrapped gift, or a wrapped gift. The last person has the choice of any gift, including the remaining wrapped gift. The only rule is that a gift can only be traded three times, and then it remains with the person who chose it for the third time.

Thankgiving

We met at the cottage on Saturday, October 6. The menu was:

Appetizers - cheeses and curry hummus
Salad
Turkey and Stuffing
Potatoes
Veggies including Peas Masala
Pie and other desserts

Present were John, Gael, Noah and Braedon, Josh and Sarah, Paul, Judy, Lindsay, Brydon, Mother, Cathy, and David.

Plumbing and Plumbers

In 2007 we had the laundry tub hooked up to the septic tank. The work was done by M. J. Cullen in Peterborough who, I understand, are plumbers mother uses in Peterborough as well. They appear to have done a good job. The cost was $527.86 with tax.

Septic Tank. We had this pumped out in August 2005, when Paul was there. The company was Buckhorn Sand & Gravel (705) 657-9311, whom we contacted on the advice of Mr. Colbourn. It cost $150 to pump the tank, and $150 to dig down to the tank, plus taxes. They recommend pumping every two to three years, but I think we are thinking more we will have it done every 5 years. They also do excavating, landscaping, shorelines, retaining walls, and anything else that involves hauling sand and gravel. As a general rule it is estimated that the life span of a septic system is 25 to 30 years, but unknown whether that would be different when it is only used in the summer. We had it pumped out again in 2009 after it appeared to have been overloaded by all the people present on Labour Day.

According to a February, 2010 story in the Globe and Mail about architect Dee Dee Taylor Hannah building a cottage on Stoney Lake, Drain Brothers (yes, their name really is Drain) are the go to people for septic tanks in our area. She called him the "local hero".

John bought a new pump in 2003 at a cost of $265.04 plus $20 for fittings and other stuff for a total of $285.04.

The plumber we used in 2003 to repair a line under the cottage, was Martin's Plumbing and Repairs in Lakefield, (705) 652-3444. They charged $50.00 an hour. I don't know if anyone had an impression of them or not. Later that year we used Peter Craig to install new kitchen taps for about $100.

Excellent Tree Cutting Adventure

Work on cutting down a dead tree at the cottage had been planned for some time. Emergency services in the vicinity had been alerted and advised of Paul's blood type. Everyone hoped that someone else remembered what tree had to be cut now that they had no leaves and all appeared equally dead.

Paul and Judy went up the night before to try to warm the cottage by morning. John, Gael, Gabe, Fran, and David arrived Saturday midday. John bought a chain saw, newly bought for the cottage, and David brought an extension ladder which he bought that morning in Peterborough, also for the cottage. Paul brought a willingness to climb said ladder and attach a rope to the tree, in the hope that it would aid in determining where it fell (it didn't). Gabe brought snowshoes. Gael, Judy and Fran brought food and wine and bonhomie.

The tree fell in a good place, to no one's credit but nature's. It missed everything valuable, including the water vent pipe, and only took out a few branches of the old cedar tree.

No neighbours were annoyed in the cutting down of this tree.



Paul and Gabe Study the Situation



Paul up a Tree



Success



Paul Surveys the Damage



John Gathers Firewood



The audience was smaller than expected.



The Cottage in Winter



Walk Around the Lake







The Lake in Winter

Tools and Equipment Bought

Extension Ladder:

David bought this at Home Depot in Peterborough in March, 2007, at a cost of $142.50.

Chain Saw:

John bought this in early 2007 for $108.20 plus chain saw oil took it to around $120.00, however, John and Gael generously rounded it off to $100.00. There is a manual for the chainsaw in the boathouse.