A support session on Sunday, March 8, aimed at helping Grenville-sur-la-Rouge (GSLR) residents understand and potentially contest their municipal property assessments was held in the basement of L’Église Catholique Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs in Grenville. It was organized by resident and former GSLR mayoral candidate Margaret Brunton. She said the initiative was prompted by concerns from property owners who have seen significant increases in their 2026 property evaluations.
“We’ve had a lot of residents have really big increases in their property values, anywhere from 30 to 64 per cent,” Brunton said. “The whole idea was to help people. If they want to ask for a revision of their evaluation, they can.”
According to Brunton, the session was intended to guide residents through the process of requesting a reassessment and to help them better understand the paperwork involved.
“A lot of people don’t understand the paperwork. I’m a retired teacher, so paper is my thing. I was a logistics officer in the Navy, so I like paper.”
Brunton said several residents have reported increases in assessed values despite making no major renovations to their properties. She noted that some property owners have seen increases of up to $200,000.
“This area is predominantly an elderly population. People are on pensions, and their pension cheque is not going up with that,” Brunton said.
“For many people, it’s very scary. It’s like, ‘Am I going to lose my home? Am I going to have to sell?’”
Brunton said one possible factor behind the rising assessments may be the sale of higher-value homes in newer subdivisions, including the Baillargeon development, where properties can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
“In my opinion, we’re being compared to something that’s not even close to what we are,” Brunton said.
During the session, Brunton encouraged residents to contact the evaluation department of the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil for further information.
“I’m helping them get there,” Brunton said. “People are not always savvy about where to find the information.”
Brunton acknowledged her previous run for mayor of GSLR had made her a familiar figure in the community, which helped bring residents together for the session.
“Because I ran for mayor, people know me. I had 43 per cent of the vote; so, a lot of people put their confidence in me to lead them,” Brunton said.
Brunton said she may organize another session if there is enough interest. She added that a future meeting could be held in English to ensure the information is accessible to Anglophone residents.
