If your property is 2 years in arrears for taxes, Provincial Legislation through The Municipal Act gives the City the authority to collect property tax arrears through the Tax Sale process.

Tax Sale Process

Courtesy notices were sent to property owners in mid-January for property tax arrears that have not been paid for 2022 or earlier. To prevent tax sale proceedings, which will incur additional fees, you must settle your outstanding property tax balance for 2022 and prior years by February 14, 2024. Failure to make payment by this deadline will result in your property being included in the Tax Sale process.

A penalty of 1.25% continues to be added to your tax arrears every last business day of each month. To find out how much you need to pay to be removed from the Tax Sale process please contact the Tax Clerk at (204) 785-4900 to request the balance owing.

After the payment deadline of February 14, 2024, the City will compile a tax arrears list for all the properties to be sold at auction through the Tax Sale process. This list will include the property tax roll number, the municipal address, and outstanding tax balance. The list is then handed over to TAXervice, our tax sale recovery specialists, who take further action. Once your property transitions to TAXervice, additional fees and disbursements will be added at each stage of the process. These fees can vary but may amount to approximately $1,500 (excluding monthly penalties). 

At the end of August a second Notice of Tax Sale Auction is sent out to property owners that have not paid their outstanding tax balance.

In September two Public Notices are published in the Selkirk Record with the date, time, and location of the auction, the tax arrears list of all the properties to be sold, and their assessed value.

In October the auction is held for any remaining properties that have not paid their outstanding tax balance.

TAXervice

TAXervice is a company specialized in the property tax recovery process hired by many municipalities in western Canada, including the City of Selkirk, to administer the Tax Sale process.

After the deadline date, a Tax Arrears list will be prepared which will include all remaining properties with outstanding taxes for the past 2 years. Your property will be included on this list which will be handed over to TAXervice for collection. The list will also be posted on the City of Selkirk Website, at the Civic Office located at 200 Eaton Avenue, the Selkirk Recreation Complex Bulletin Board located at 180 Easton Drive, and at the Canada Post Office Bulletin Board located at 356 Main Street in Selkirk.

Once your property is handed over to TAXervice, they will be sending you notices (by registered mail and/or hand delivered) at each stage of the tax sale process up until the auction. These notices will outline any additional costs incurred and how to remove your property from the tax sale process.

Tax Sale List

The Tax Sale list is accessible to the public, and the City maintains an updated version at the beginning of every month on our website, at the Civic Office Bulletin Board located at 200 Eaton Avenue, the Selkirk Recreation Complex Bulletin Board located at 180 Easton Drive, and at the Canada Post Office Bulletin Board located at 356 Main Street in Selkirk.

Properties in Tax Sale

Tax Sale FAQ

  • Why am I receiving a Tax Sale Notice? You have received a Tax Sale Notice because either the whole, or a portion, of the taxes have been unpaid for the past 2 years.
  • What authority does the City of Selkirk have to enter my property into the Tax Sale process? The Municipal Act Sections 363 to 381 (Part 11, Division 6) provide the authority and establish the process for tax sale of real property.
  • Is this the first time I am being notified that I have outstanding property taxes? No. The annual tax bill mailed this past June indicated that an outstanding balance existed on the property tax account for your property. This appeared on the tax bill as an arrears amount owing.
  • What are the payment options available to stop my property from going into Tax Sale? Full payment of the 2022 and Prior Property Tax balance owing on the attached notice must be received by the deadline date using one of the following options:
    • Online Banking: Login to your online banking website and make the payment to your account (use your 10-digit roll number as your account number without the decimal). Please note payments made online are not instant and can take up to 5 business days to process. Due to this delay, please ensure you allow sufficient time for the payment to reach the City of Selkirk before the deadline date.
    • By Mail: Cheques*, bank drafts and money orders are accepted. Please ensure sufficient time is allowed for the payment to reach the City of Selkirk before the deadline.
    • 24 Hour Drop-off: Drop an envelope containing your payment (cheque*, bank draft or money order), with your 10-digit roll number clearly identified, in the mailbox at the main entrance of our Civic Office – 200 Eaton Avenue. The mailbox is checked daily at 8:30 a.m.
    • In Person: Cash, cheque* and debit card (Interac) will be accepted at our Civic Office located at 200 Eaton Avenue during regular In Person hours from Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    • *Any returned cheques constitute non-payment and will be subject to a $50 service charge.
  • How can I make payment arrangements to stop my property from going into Tax Sale? The City of Selkirk offers the option of a Tax Sale Agreement to assist property owners whose property is subject to tax sale. This legal agreement would allow you to make monthly payments against the total balance owing. A tax sale agreement can be entered into at any point of the tax sale process prior to the tax sale auction date. If the tax sale agreement is entered into before your property is handed over to TAXervice for collection, you will not incur any tax sale fees and disbursements associated with this process.

Tax Sale Agreement

By signing a Tax Sale Agreement, you will be agreeing to the following:

  • $125 administration fee;
  • 10% down payment of your total collective arrears balances by certified funds, which include all tax arrears, utilities, and accounts receivable at the signing of the agreement;
  • all tax sale agreement payments will be received by pre-authorized monthly payments;
  • full payment of all future utility bills by the due date; and
  • full payment of your 2024 property tax bill by July 31, 2024.

This is a legally binding agreement so full compliance of this agreement must be adhered to in order to avoid defaulting your agreement which could put you back in tax sale. Defaulting on your Tax Sale Agreement will also prevent you from entering into any future agreements. All registered property owners must be in attendance the day of the agreement signing. All agreements have to be approved by the City in order to be considered valid. The agreement is open to be paid in full at anytime, however, any penalties and charges as part of the agreement will not be refunded or deducted upon early payment. 

If you are interested in this option, please contact the Tax Clerk at (204) 785-4900 to discuss the details for your particular property.

Removal from Tax Sale

To be removed from tax sale full payment must be received for 2022 or earlier tax arrears, plus the additional fees that were added during the tax sale process prior to the auction date. To find out how much you need to pay to be removed from tax sale, please contact Tax Clerk at (204) 785-4900. Please note Tax Sale Agreements are an option to be removed from the auction, this is a lengthy process and requires a lot of administration time so you do not want to wait until the last minute to request one. 

Once your property is redeemed from the tax sale process it is important to make regular payments to your property tax account to pay off the remaining balance owing. Payments can be made by any of the options listed on this page.

You may also wish to enroll in City of Selkirk’s monthly Pre-Authorized Payment Plan where a pre-determined amount is withdrawn from your bank account each month. This monthly payment is applied to your property tax account to reduce your tax stress of making one large annual payment.

Enroll in a Pre-Authorized Payment Plan

Pre-Authorized Payment Application Form

Please complete the Pre-Authorized Payment application form and either mail or drop in our 24 hour Drop Box at our Civic Office. If you require assistance in determining the monthly payment amount, please contact CitizenSupport. Once the application form is received and processed, payments will begin the following month. Payments for the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan are withdrawn from your bank account monthly on the 5th calendar day.

For more information please contact the Tax Clerk at (204) 785-4900.

Notice of Public Auction – Cancelled

The auction will be held at 2:00 pm on October 3, 2024 at the Banquet Hall in the Selkirk Recreation Complex located at 180 Easton Drive.

Notice of Public Auction

All properties have been redeemed, the 2024 Tax Sale Auction has been cancelled.

2024 Notice of Tax Sale Cancellation

Purchasing a Property at Auction

The purchaser of the property will be responsible for any unpaid city utilities and any property taxes not yet due.

The City may exercise its right to set a reserve bid in the amount of the arrears and costs.

If the purchaser intents to bid by proxy, a letter of authorization form must be presented prior to the start of the auction.

The City makes no representations or warranties whatsoever concerning the properties being sold.

The successful purchaser must, at the time of the auction, make payment in cash, certified cheque or bank draft to the City of Selkirk as follows:

  • Fees associated with the preparation for transfer of title documents (listed in the Public Notice). The purchaser will be responsible for registering the transfer of title documents with the Land Titles Office, including the registration costs; AND
  • The full purchase price if it is $10,000 or less; OR
  • If the purchase price is greater than $10,000, the purchaser must provide a non-refundable deposit in the amount of $10,000 and the balance of the purchase price must be paid within 20 days of the sale; 

The risk for the property lies with the purchaser immediately following the auction.

The purchaser is responsible for obtaining vacant possession.

If the property is non-residential, the purchaser must pay GST to the City or, if a GST registrant, provide a GST Declaration.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact the Tax Clerk at (204) 785-4900 and have your roll number and/or civic address available.