A $25,000 tax bill on a former convent school in Bruno, Sask., has divided the community and its town council.
St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission, which offers religious studies to 13 adult students, bought the 90-year-old property from the Ursuline sisters two years ago.
The 65-acre property straddles the town and Rural Municipality of Bayne.
Alex Banga, St. Therese’s business manager, said the previous owners were charged $1,600 a year in property tax, which St. Therese thought would remain unchanged.
The convent had not operated as a school for 24 years but continued to receive special status, he said.
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Under the Municipality Act, accredited schools employing accredited teachers following the provincial curriculum are eligible for tax exemptions if run by a non-profit group.
St. Therese is a registered non-profit organization but is not accredited.
Banga said St. Therese was given every indication in early meetings that it would be taxed the same as Ursuline. Its half-year bill was $800 when the group bought the property in July 2007, he added.
Banga said there is strong community support for keeping the $1,600 tax rate, citing a 255 signature petition that was presented to council, calling for continued tax breaks based on the school’s religious and educational programming.
“It’s a story about a community that has gotten behind St. Therese and wants us to stay,” he said.
“The community has clearly spoken in terms of what their wishes are.”
Banga said the school is the town’s second largest employer, with teachers, maintenance workers and office staff. It has also drawn new families to occupy once vacant homes. He is unsure of St. Therese’s future if the bill is not lowered.
“It’s premature for me to comment on that,” Banga said.
St. Therese is appealing the tax bill, and Bruno mayor Audrey Ludwig said town council is expected to consider the matter again in April.
She was one of two on council who voted for the tax exemption, but another five voted it down.
Ludwig and her mother, like other residents in this predominantly Catholic community, once attended the school.
“It’s about our only structure that we have left that has significant value to the town,” she said.
“I’d hate to see it abandoned.”
The town initially levied a $147,000 tax bill, based on assessment notices prepared by the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, but later reduced it to $25,000.
Ludwig said the council has the authority to offer tax abatements or exemptions.
She talked with St. Therese officials before their move but did not make promises about taxation levels. She said the school should have met with the town administrator in advance of its move to discuss what it could expect.
“I can’t tell what anybody’s taxes will be, not even my own,” she said.
Ludwig was not surprised by St. Therese’s and the town’s response to the tax bill.
“They’re fighting for their life,” she said. “A lot of people are in favour of helping them.”
