Wake Up Nanaimo Votes 2026
If You Think Your Taxes Have Climbed, It Is Not Your Imagination
As part of the Wake Up Nanaimo Votes 2026 series, let’s keep this simple.
If you feel like your property taxes have been climbing year after year, you are not imagining it.
From 2018 to 2026, the City of Nanaimo’s council-approved municipal property tax increases have compounded to roughly 62%.
That means if the City portion of your property tax bill was equivalent to $1,000 at the start of this period, the same City tax burden would be roughly $1,620 by 2026.
Important: this is only the City of Nanaimo municipal property tax increase.
It does not include:
- Regional District of Nanaimo taxes
- Nanaimo Regional Hospital District taxes
- School taxes
- Library taxes
- BC Assessment or other outside levies
- Water, sewer, garbage, recycling, or other user fee increases
So when people say, “My tax bill just keeps going up,” they are not being dramatic. They are looking at the bill that lands in the mailbox.
The Increases Stack
A tax increase one year does not disappear the next year.
It becomes the new starting point.
Then the next increase is added on top of that.
Then another.
Then another.
That is how a few percent here and a few percent there can turn into a major increase over time.
Nanaimo City-Approved Municipal Property Tax Increases
| Year | Approved City Tax Increase |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2.08% |
| 2019 | 5.0% |
| 2020 | 4.5% |
| 2021 | 3.0% |
| 2022 | 6.0% |
| 2023 | 7.2% |
| 2024 | 7.7% |
| 2025 | 7.8% |
| 2026 | 6.4% |
| Compounded Total | Approx. 62% |
Compounded together, those increases add up to roughly 62%.
This Is Why Elections Matter
Property taxes are not some mysterious force of nature.
They are the result of budgets.
Budgets are approved by councils.
Councils are chosen by voters.
And voters are the ones who decide whether City Hall gets a blank cheque or a serious course correction.
This is why Nanaimo Votes 2026 matters.
If you are concerned about taxes, spending, staffing levels, service priorities, debt, user fees, infrastructure, public safety, housing policy, or whether City Hall is focused on core services, then the time to pay attention is before the election — not after the tax bill arrives.
The Bottom Line
A roughly 62% compounded increase in the City portion of property taxes over this period is not small.
And again, that is before adding the other tax authorities and user fees that also affect the real cost of living in Nanaimo.
So yes, if it feels like your tax burden has climbed sharply over the last eight years, there is a reason.
It has.
Wake Up. Get Informed. Do Your Civic Duty.
Nanaimo Votes 2026.
Note: Figures refer to council-approved City of Nanaimo municipal property tax increases and are presented as a public education summary. They do not include outside taxing authorities or user fee increases.