BURSTSmithers property owners received another shocker this year as assessments continue to rise.
This time, the median home value rose an average of four per cent over the 12-month assessment period. Data released by BC Assessment this week indicates the average value of a single-family home in the town was over half a million dollars at $527,000 as of July 1, 2025.
That is up from $506,000 in 2024 and gives Smithers the highest average value for a single-family home in northern B.C.
Telkwa residents also saw a significant bump in their assessments. Homeowners, on average, will see a 10 per cent increase in the value of their properties on their notices. In 2024, the average a single-family home in Telkwa was valued at $434,000, now the average is $478,000.
The Village of Hazelton and the District of New Hazelton also saw increases for the average single-family home assessment. The average home in the village rose by 10 per cent and in the district by eight per cent.
The highest valued residential property as determined by the B.C. Assessment Authority in the Bulkley Valley, for a second year in a row, is at 1628 Willow Street in Telkwa. It is listed at $2.201 million and is a two-storey house with five bedrooms and five bathrooms on 14.34 acres.
“The North Central real estate market remains stable, which is being reflected in the 2026 property assessments,” says BC Assessment Deputy Assessor Jarret Krantz. “Most homeowners can generally expect value changes in the range of -5 per cent to +15 per cent with some exceptions depending on the community.”
Overall, North Central BC’s total assessments increased from over $99.8 billion in 2025 to about $104.7 billion this year. A total of almost $1 billion of the region’s updated assessments is from new construction, subdivisions, and the rezoning of properties.
The North Central BC region encompasses approximately 70 per cent of the province: stretching east to the Alberta border, north to the Yukon border, west to Bella Coola, including Haida Gwaii, and to the south, just north of Clinton.