Iqaluit tops up money for non-profit property tax relief
City to make $500,000 available for organizations, up from $300,000 in recent years
The City of Iqaluit will make $500,000 available to local non-profits seeking relief or exemptions on their property taxes, up from the $300,000 the city already makes available. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
More demand for tax relief prompted Iqaluit city council to increase the money available for non-profit organizations seeking a reduction on their city property taxes for 2026.
Councillors approved an amendment to the city’s property tax exemption bylaw during Tuesday’s meeting, which increases the money available for tax relief to $500,000 from $300,000.
That bylaw, as well as one a previous council passed in 2022, outlines what non-profit societies, charities and religious organizations must do to get some relief from their annual tax bill.
Finance director Peter Tumilty said at an Oct. 28 city council meeting three organizations were requesting $88,271 in relief from 2025 taxes out of the $300,000 available. Those organizations were the Iqaluit Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Iqaluit Pentecostal Church and the Islamic Society of Nunavut.
“Historically we haven’t hit that [$300,000] level,” Tumilty told councillors Tuesday.
However more requests came in in 2025 — in addition to the $88,271 requested from the first three organizations, he said.
“This year we will exceed the $300,000 level, based on the applications that we currently have in the queue,” Tumilty said, stating that there’s “a few more” applications expected.
City staff were not able to answer how much the additional requests for relief amounted to or how close they came to the $300,000 available in 2025.
Other than the first three applications for $88271 in relief, none of the newer ones have been approved nor their amounts made public, city spokesperson Geoffrey Byrne wrote in an email.
Iqaluit property assessments and taxes went up in 2025, said Coun. Kyle Sheppard, who chairs the city’s finance committee.
That includes properties belonging to non-profits that provide shelter services, he said.
“By increasing our [exemption] limit here, it allows us to continue to support those organizations that are doing critical work in our community,” Sheppard said.
After the meeting, Sheppard noted that the $500,000 the city makes available for non-profit property tax exemptions is factored into the estimated revenues of the 2026 operational budget.
So it won’t not have an impact on the city’s 2026 operating budget council approved last month, which forecasts a $2.3 million budget surplus, he said.
How about tax relief for us homeowners? The city has always hit homeowners for any increase needed, our property tax in the last 10-15 years has gone up so much with less services.
Any funds needed by the city and tax increases are usually with homeowners.
Where is our tax relief?