First of all, these are fairly old housing units that date back several years, so they have to be compared with the houses built in Shannon, which, as I mentioned, have a certain average value. There are many single-family homes on our territory. It's a small resort town surrounded by nature, with properties that often sit on large lots. This results in a loss of value and accounts for part of the difference between the assessments for my city and those for national defence land.
In addition, on my territory, there are the small Canex military stores that, frankly, no longer meet the standards of retail establishments found in a city today. These are commercial buildings, but they are outdated. These older shops and buildings haven't increased in value, whereas the Shannon side has appreciated over time. As a result, there is a valuation gap estimated at about 8% compared to the portion of the base located in Shannon.
As I mentioned earlier, the military base territory is divided between two cities. Saint‑Gabriel‑de‑Valcartier contains all the higher-value buildings, including the administrative offices and the research centre. When payments in lieu of taxes are calculated, what is located in each jurisdiction is assessed accordingly. This formula no longer reflects the reality of the territory where the Valcartier military base is located.
I don't know whether the same situation exists elsewhere, but in our case, it's no longer equitable. It no longer reflects the situation in 2026.