Contemporary style and low-maintenance living really comes together! Soft Nuvella performance fabric cleans up beautifully. Your choice of three colours! Available in 3 Durable colour fabrics: grey, blue or white $599 Sofa $549 FREE LOCAL DELIVERY (on orders over $1,000.00) Loveseat Duffy's Vacuum Centre Spring Time Means Vacuum Tune-up Time! Servicing Most Vacuum's Including Central Vacs 41 River Rd. E, Kitchener 519-741-9488 www. waterlooreaderschoice.ca 2017 Nominations site NOW OPEN! Official voting for the 2017 Winners commences June 1, 2017. ® Chronicle.WATERLOO $1.00 CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA BoB VrBanac Photo Up for grabs Waterloo collegiate Institute's ana Sebbane, pictured right, battles for a loss ball against cam- eron heights Golden Gael ainsley Kraut in the WcSSaa senior girls soccer finals last thursday at rIM Park. Sebbane would go on to scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 final. For more, see page 24. Startup Reebee partners with loyalty program Air Miles Page 16 BUSINESS K-W Symphony's Edwin Outwater plans to surprise until the end Page 19 SPORTS A taxing situation Big box stores appealing their property taxes could cost local municipalities millions By Samantha Beattie Chronicle Staff Big box stores appealing their property taxes could cost the City of Waterloo millions of dollars in the coming years. For 2017, Waterloo has more than $1 million put aside in the event big box stores win appeals -- some dating back almost a decade -- at the Municipal Property Assess- ment Corporation (MPAC). "We've got an annual budget for these items and it has been increasing in value the last couple of years, mainly because some very old appeals have started to resolve," said Paul Hettinga, City of Waterloo revenue and account- ing finance director. MPAC is responsible for assessing properties for Ontar- io municipalities. Commercial and residential property owners can file appeals at MPAC if they believe their prop- erty was not fairly valued. While residential property val- ues are "black and white," with homes being sold every day, commercial property assessment is "extremely com- plex," said Hettinga. "Big box stores are exercising a right all taxpayers have, to have MPAC review their assessed value." But it's a trend that's gaining momentum, said Region of Waterloo Coun. Tom Galloway. "Big box corporations can hire accountants and law- yers to make their case, and they've had some success," he said, adding it ends up hurting taxpayers. "The prac- tice has been happening more often and there's no way of recovering that money other than putting it on the tax levy." Craig Dyer, the region's chief financial officer, said the Region's 2017 Budget includes $4 million for tax write-offs. Continued on page 12 THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017