Faith may be free, but property in Invermere isn’t.
An East Kootenay family didn’t want to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and attempted to claim religious exemption to avoid property taxes.
The owner of a strata unit in Invermere appealed their property assessment to the review board, but the assessed value was not the issue.
The owner tried invoking the name of Jesus Christ to avoid paying any property taxes.
The property owner and her son became ordained ministers through the Jesus Christ Trust.
According to the Trust’s website, it’s a Christian Evangelical non-denominational church and ministry school formed under the living prophet and saint John McCaig.
Members can pay for his courses and be baptized to become an ordained minister with the goal of financial freedom through private trust.
The board said the appellant filed a conscientious objector form on Feb. 18, 2026 which claimed to exempt, both mother and son, from all government rules anywhere by way of religious exemption.
Chair of the Property Assessment Appeal Board Dale Pope, not the head of the Catholic Church, said the appellant also provided other options if invoking Christ didn’t work.
“Somewhat ironically, the appellant also says, if her first point does not succeed, then there are two relevant provincial statutes that apply and allow the Appellant the exemption sought,” he said.
“I believe that it is fair to say that both of these statutes are enacted by governments to address general issues in BC communities relating to property. The two enactments are the Community Charter and the Trustee Church Property Act.”
Pope said none of the arguments held up.
“The invocation of the name of Jesus Christ may have relevance in ecclesiastical law to followers and believers of the Christian religion. I know of no authority however that would suggest it to have any preference or precedence over societal law created by elected officials and government on behalf of all the citizens/residents as a mechanism of establishing fairness and order for all of the people residing in a particular country, or in this case an area in a province,” he added.
While places of worship can be tax exempt, Pope said this property does not meet the requirements.
“There is no evidence that the public has any access to the subject premises,” he said.
“I find that the evidence clearly discloses that the subject is the place of residence of the minister and her son, but not a place that is ‘set apart for public worship’, as the Community Charter requires.”
The board has ruled in favour of the review panel and the property owner is not exempt from taxation.
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