The following statement pertains to the BC Ombudsperson's report, A Bid for Fairness, released December 8, 2021.
The City of Penticton fully recognizes the seriousness of the situation and the impact the loss of the ‘Ms. Wilson’s’ home through the tax sale process had on her. This is a most unfortunate situation but as noted in appendix C to the report, City staff were unaware that ‘Ms. Wilson’ was a vulnerable person in need of support or assistance until after the conclusion of the tax sale process.
We were disappointed that the Ombudsperson chose not to include our complete and detailed response to the recommendations in the report, particularly information that does not support the Ombudsperson’s conclusions. Our legal counsel is reaching out to the Ombudsperson office to better understand why a significant part of the City’s response was excluded.
We disagree with the report’s findings as they relate to the City of Penticton, but we endorse the position of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in their response. We look forward to working with the Ministry and other stakeholders as they engage in consultation about the development of best practice guidelines and amendments to the tax sale legislation.
Donny van Dyk
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Penticton