About the Assessment and Planning Appeal Board

The APAB is a decision-making body given the responsibility of hearing appeals, analyzing the information presented and providing rulings on:

1. property tax assessments (the market value assigned to individual properties);
2. land use and planning decisions (decisions made concerning land development); and
3. heritage conservation decisions (heritage property conservation rulings made by a heritage board or heritage officer).

The Board consists of:

• a  Chairperson,
  
• three Vice-Chairpersons, and
  
• two appointed members  and up to two alternate members, from each of the five regions across the Province.

The Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons must be barristers and solicitors of at least five years good standing with the Law Society of New Brunswick. The Chairperson may be appointed to the Board for a term not exceeding 10 years; a Vice-Chairperson's appointment is not to exceed a five year term; and any other Board member appointment is not to exceed three years; however, all may be reappointed. All appointments to the Board are made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Members of the Board come together to form panels in various regions of the Province and conduct scheduled hearings. In total, five regional Board panels convene across New Brunswick to hear appeals made by individuals or groups who are unsatisfied with a decision made in relation to their property, heritage conservation areas or development.

An appeal hearing panel is comprised of a Chair and up to two other members from the region of the appeal. The Chair may designate an alternate member or a member from another region; however one of the panel members must be a local member to address regional matters. Hearings are scheduled by the Board Chairperson and take place as and where required. During a hearing, it is the panel's responsibility to consider all evidence provided. The panel takes into consideration the facts presented at the hearing and provides a written decision.

It is important to note that the Board does not act on the behalf of Government but is linked to the Department of Local Government for administration purposes only, such as staffing and finance management. The Minister of Local Government and Local Governance Reform does not have decision-making powers in relation to appeals made to the Board, and civil servants are not permitted to serve on the Board.