One of the most consistent pieces of feedback I hear from residents is that the City needs to be doing more to support small, local businesses. It’s clear to see when you walk down our main streets – vacancies have become a problem. Vibrant, strong main streets are such an integral part to what make our neighbourhoods feel like communities.
I’m proud to say that my motion (see it in full here) requesting a report on the feasibility of a vacant storefront tax was adopted through City Council earlier today. This is not a be-all, end-all solution – this is part of a suite of policies that we’ll be investigating in order to protect our local businesses. We’ll still be looking at incentives for small business owners, adding new tax bands to reduce small business rates, and working to address local businesses being taxed like condo buildings. I’m looking forward to reading the report and working further to help our small business owners.
About Brad Bradford - - -
