By Tax Sale Compass Editorial Team, Cloudy Days Retail Inc.
Last reviewed: October 1, 2026
"Redemption period" is used loosely online, and that is where most of the conflicting figures come from. Two separate rights are involved. The first is the owner's right to stop the sale by paying before it happens, which exists in every province we reviewed. The second is the right to redeem after the sale, buying the property back from the successful bidder, which exists in only some provinces. This page keeps the two apart and gives the statute section for each rule.
| Province and statute | Before the sale | After the sale | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta: Municipal Government Act | Any person may pay the tax arrears once the tax recovery notification is on title | None. No right to pay once the parcel is declared sold | 415, 423(3) |
| Ontario: Municipal Act, 2001 | Any person may pay the cancellation price before the one-year period after registration of the tax arrears certificate expires | None in Part XI. The tax deed vests title | 375(1), 379(2), 379(7) |
| British Columbia: Local Government Act | Only parcels with delinquent taxes are offered at the annual tax sale | One year from the day the annual tax sale began. Council may extend one year only if the municipality is the purchaser | 645(1), 660(2), 660(6) |
| Quebec: Cities and Towns Act | Only immovables on which taxes are still due are sold | One year from adjudication. Price plus 10% a year, part-year counted as a full year | 517, 531 |
| Quebec: Municipal Code of Québec | Same rule | One year from adjudication. Price plus 10% a year, part-year counted as a year | 1030, 1057 |
| Nova Scotia: Municipal Government Act | Sale proceeds unless arrears, interest and expenses are paid | Six months. None if taxes were more than six years in arrears | 141(1), 152(1) |
| Nova Scotia: Halifax Regional Municipality Charter | Same rule | Six months, same six-year exclusion | 156(1), 167(1) |
| New Brunswick: Real Property Tax Act | Sale not held if taxes, penalties and costs are paid before it | Application to the Minister within 30 days of the sale; price plus 15% | 12(5), 13(1), 13(4) |
| Prince Edward Island: Real Property Tax Act | Sale not held if taxes and all costs are paid before it | No redemption provision in the Act | 16(5), 17(3) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador: Towns and Local Service Districts Act (towns) | No sale if the arrears and expenses are then, or have been previously, paid | No redemption provision in the arrears sale Division | 152(1), 158(2) |
| Manitoba: The Municipal Act | Any person may pay the designated-year arrears and costs before the auction begins | None. The sale is final | 371, 367(6), 377(4) |
| Manitoba: The City of Winnipeg Charter | Parcels redeemed before the auction are not offered | One year, paid to the city; then through the district registrar until title issues | 378(1), 386(1), 390 |
| Saskatchewan: The Tax Enforcement Act | Paying the arrears and costs discharges the tax lien; six-month notice to redeem before title passes to the municipality | None against a buyer from the municipality | 19(1), 23(2), 31 |
Statutes were checked against official provincial legislation websites. See the Sources section for links and the consolidation dates we used.
Alberta. After a tax recovery notification is endorsed on the certificate of title, "any person may pay the tax arrears" (subsection 415(1)), and that right lasts until the parcel is disposed of. Subsection 423(3) closes it at the auction: "There is no right under section 415 to pay the tax arrears in respect of a parcel after it is declared sold." The buyer takes the parcel free of encumbrances, except a listed set of interests (subsection 423(1)). See our Alberta tax recovery guide.
Ontario. "Before the expiry of the one-year period mentioned in subsection 379 (1), any person may have a tax arrears certificate ... cancelled by paying to the municipality the cancellation price" (subsection 375(1)). If the price is still unpaid at the end of that year and no extension agreement exists, the land is offered by public auction or public tender (subsection 379(2)). The tax deed vests an estate in fee simple, free of all estates and interests except listed ones such as easements and Crown interests (subsection 379(7)). Part XI has no buy-back from the purchaser. See our Ontario tax sales guide.
Manitoba outside Winnipeg. Any person may pay the arrears and costs "before the commencement of the auction" (section 371). The notices must warn that "if the property is sold, the sale is final" (subsection 367(6)). The only route after the sale is a court challenge on narrow grounds, within 30 days (section 377).
Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Both statutes let the owner stop the sale by paying beforehand. Neither contains a redemption section, and both vest title in the buyer free of claims, with the Newfoundland and Labrador conveyance subject to Crown claims and easements. Prince Edward Island sales also follow regulations we have not reviewed.
Saskatchewan. The owner's chances to redeem come earlier: while the tax lien is registered (section 19) and during the six-month notice before the municipality takes title (subsection 23(2)). Once the municipality holds title, it must offer the land for sale within a year (section 31), and no section gives a right to redeem from that buyer.
British Columbia: one year. "The time limit for making a redemption is one year from the day the annual tax sale began" (subsection 660(2)). The owner, a charge holder or someone on their behalf pays the collector the upset price, the purchaser's notified maintenance costs and taxes advanced, and interest at the rate prescribed under the Taxation (Rural Area) Act. That interest runs on the amount the purchaser paid above the upset price and on the purchaser's other outlays (subsection 660(3)). The purchaser then receives all amounts paid, with interest at that rate (subsection 660(5)). The owner's "right to possession of the property is not affected during the time allowed for redemption" (paragraph 665(1)(b)). See our British Columbia tax sales guide.
Quebec: one year. Under both statutes the owner may redeem "at any time within the year following" the adjudication, paying the price plus 10% a year, with a fraction of a year counted as a full year (Cities and Towns Act, section 531; Municipal Code of Québec, article 1057). Unlike in British Columbia, the buyer may take possession during that year but may not remove timber or buildings (section 521; article 1036). See our Quebec guide.
Nova Scotia and Halifax: six months. Redemption is available "within six months after the date of the sale," but not where taxes were more than six years in arrears at the time of sale (Municipal Government Act, subsection 152(1); Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, subsection 167(1)). The person redeeming pays the sum paid, 10% a year interest on it, later taxes and listed costs, less the surplus balance and any rent.
New Brunswick: a 30-day application. Redemption starts with an application to the Minister "within 30 days from the date of the sale" (subsection 13(1)). The applicant then pays the sale price plus "15 per cent of such sum," unpaid taxes and penalties, and the purchaser's certified costs, less rents (subsection 13(4)). See our Atlantic Canada guide.
Winnipeg: one year, then until title. A person with an interest may, "within one year after the date of sale," redeem by paying the city all unpaid taxes plus a penalty at the rate council sets by by-law (subsection 386(1)). After the year, redemption remains possible through the district registrar until a certificate of title is issued (section 390). See our Prairie guide.
The figures are invented to compare the formulas. They are not drawn from any listing, and each treasurer or minister calculates the real amount.
Assume a winning bid of $50,000, and that the owner moves to redeem 20 days after the sale. Ignore later taxes, insurance, repairs and rent.
The same bid can therefore lead to a final purchase, a quick refund with a fixed 15%, or a year of waiting, depending only on the province.
Province pages: Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Background: what are tax sales, provincial tax sale systems, how to read a tax sale notice and how we count listings. Active listing detail is part of Tax Sale Compass Premium, at Canadian dollars 9.99 per month or 99.90 per year.
Tax Sale Compass, operated by Cloudy Days Retail Inc. of Cold Lake, Alberta, is an information service. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Tax Sale Compass is not the auctioneer and is not a party to any sale. Statutes change and local rules apply, so verify every sale, deadline and redemption right with the municipality or provincial office that published the notice.