The Town of Sidney Council in British Columbia adopted a new five-year spending plan on March 16, 2026, which includes a 9.37 per cent property tax increase. This change is mainly driven by the rising cost of emergency services and the end of pandemic-related financial support.
The approved budget includes $32.8 million for daily town operations and $12.5 million for various building projects throughout the year. For the average homeowner, this tax increase will cost about $176 more per year, which works out to approximately $15 each month.
More than half of the tax hike is specifically dedicated to public safety, including improvements to the local fire department and RCMP services. According to records from the Town of Sidney, the cost of police dispatching alone accounts for a 2.6 per cent portion of the total increase.
Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith and the council approved the plan unanimously after working to lower the rate from an initial proposal of 12.4 per cent. To find these savings, town officials decided to delay several building projects that were not urgent and changed how the community puts money into its savings accounts.
Local leaders noted that the higher taxes are necessary because building costs have risen twice as fast as other prices, and provincial grants used during the pandemic are now gone. While the Victoria Residential Builders Association recently noted that Sidney only saw 30 new homes built in 2025, a developer named Highstreet has proposed a new housing project to begin construction in the community this year.
