John R Innes

John Innes is a Professional Accountant and seasoned senior municipal executive. Before joining MTAG PPC at the end of 2019, he spent 30+ years as a Treasurer, CFO and CAO at a variety of Ontario municipalities. He has worked at both lower-tier and upper-tier municipalities and is expert in all aspects of municipal administration, taxation, assessment valuation, tax policy formation, advocacy, funding, and finance.

Innes has also been involved in the formation and administration of Tax Policy since the advent of “10-5-5”, at both the lower-tier, upper-tier levels as well as Provincial Working Groups. He has worked closely with AMO and MFOA on issue evaluation and advocacy for municipalities. He coordinated the task force that successfully convinced the previous Provincial Government that it needed to update and amend the valuation methodology for the taxation of landfills in Ontario.

His knowledge of the intricacies involved in the relationship between ratios, sub-classes, discounts and their impacts on tax rates and tax burden have resulted in his being asked by the Ministry of Finance and the Municipal Finance Officers Association to speak at several conferences and seminars about topics ranging from fairness of the taxation system to how to measure and quantify the impact of policy decisions on a municipality’s budget.

Innes sat on the main Special Purposes Business Assessment Review Committee established by the Ministry of Finance and participated in several of its Working Groups. He is currently a member of the MOF Tax Policy and Assessment Working Group, providing advice and recommendations to the Province regarding property tax matters.

Innes also understands the culture and political environment under which municipalities, their staff and elected officials operate. Through his connections with senior staff at municipalities, within government (MOF) and at organizations such as AMO, MFOA (and even MPAC), he is able to clarify for and provide direction to clients on matters of interpretation and applicability of the rules and new policy directives issued by the Province and affecting municipalities.

This, along with his knowledge of the Municipal Act and its associated regulations, makes him an invaluable asset in achieving positive outcomes for municipalities. Further, Innes is also fully conversant with the requirements and protocols for the drafting of Reports, By-laws and making presentations whether it be to staff, municipal councils, Provincial Tribunals or Courts.