Telus sees B.C. property assessment appeals thwarted by typo in email address
![Anger over new Telus credit card fee Anger over new Telus credit card fee](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/9/21/anger-over-new-telus-credit-card-fee-1-6078898-1663811549949.jpg)
An unfortunate spelling error has halted Telus' appeals of the assessed values of 18 properties before they could even begin.
The telecommunications giant was denied leave to appeal the valuations in a decision issued by B.C.'s Property Assessment Appeal Board last week.
The company argued it should be allowed to appeal the assessments despite failing to file a timely notice of appeal to the Property Assessment Review Panel as required by the provincial Assessment Act.
Telus told the appeal board the delay was the result of circumstances outside of its control, but the board disagreed with that characterization.
According to the decision, a "new employee" began working on the appeal process in January of this year.
"The appellant followed its ordinary procedure in the preparation of the 2023 complaints," the decision reads. "The new employee prepared the draft notices of complaint for review by a senior member of the team. The notices contained the correct email address for delivery."
Unfortunately for Telus, when the notices were eventually sent, they were not sent to the correct email address.
While the email address for complaints in Areas 8, 9 and 10 of the province is greater.vancouver@bcassessment.ca, the notices were erroneously sent to greater.vancouver@bcassessement.ca.
According to the decision, the error occurred when the new employee copied the email address from "a prior spreadsheet" before sending.
"The new employee did not receive any return email that would have indicated it had not been delivered," the decision reads, noting that the company discovered the error in May, after the deadline for submitting appeal notices for 2023.
In support of its argument that the situation was outside its control, Telus cited a case it said was similar, in which leave to appeal was granted.
"In that appeal, the appellant attempted to file their complaint online," the decision explains. "They followed online prompts, filled out the form, were prompted to print the form, and then assumed the online form was complete."
The appeal board found Telus' case to be materially different, however.
"In that case, the appellant was navigating an online form that the appellant did not control and could have not determined the error on their review of the completed notice of complaint," the decision reads.
"In these appeals, the error was, with some scrutiny, identifiable by the appellant on documents controlled by the appellant. Had the appellant’s employees reviewed the delivery address, the error in the email address would have been identified in a timely manner and could have been corrected. In other words, these were circumstances that, with reasonable effort, could have been avoided and therefore were not circumstances beyond the owner’s control."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6952207.1720136375!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Britain's Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives
Britain's Labour Party headed for a landslide victory in a parliamentary election on Thursday, an exit poll suggested, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.
'Ford's dry summer begins': LCBO workers set to strike Friday after talks fall apart
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
Saskatchewan has the lowest hourly minimum wage. How does it stack up to the rest of Canada?
Hourly minimum wages increased in several Canadian provinces this spring with more on the horizon, which economists say will likely impact workers and businesses differently.
Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
In the first few weeks of summer, the real estate sector is experiencing an upturn marked by more housing inventory, a Canadian realtor says
Canada to host the 70th annual NATO session in Montreal
Canada will host the 70th annual session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly from Nov. 22 to 25 in Montreal, Que.
No Frills grocery stores drop 'multi-buy' offer
As receipts tick ever higher for Canadians at the grocery store and shoppers continue to search for savings, one Canadian grocer has ended a perceived deal.
CSIS director David Vigneault stepping down after seven years on the job
David Vigneault says he is stepping down from his job at the head of Canada’s spy agency. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who spent seven years at the helm, is leaving the public service altogether.
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
After leaving a trail of destruction across the eastern Caribbean and at least nine people dead, Hurricane Beryl weakened as it chugged over open water toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, going from the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic to Category 2 by the afternoon.
Son asks court to sell B.C. home he co-owns with his mother, despite her objections
A B.C. judge has ordered the sale of a Surrey home despite the objections of the woman who lives there, who owns it jointly with her son.