On February 13th city council unanimously adopted a motion to request the Province of BC provide the City of New Westminster and other municipalities with the ability to introduce a new vacant storefront and commercial property Tax. If approved, this would give power to municipal officials to implement significantly higher taxes on buildings and lots that have been left abandoned or sit empty for lengthy periods of time.
“This was something our NWP team campaigned on and I’m pleased to see it received unanimous support of City Council,” says councillor Daniel Fontaine. “This is not a partisan issue, it’s about making sure our business districts are vibrant and active. Boarded up buildings block after block in places like our downtown core is something that should have been dealt with years ago – we’re glad something is finally moving forward.”
The local New West Chamber of Commerce came to speak to city council about this issue. They indicated there was an overwhelming majority of their members who support the introduction of a new vacant property tax on commercial buildings and land as a way to encourage those sites to become occupied.
Councillor Daniel Fontaine was interviewed by CKNW’s Simi Sara Show on this topic today. If you want to hear the interview click on the CKNW icon. To read about the city’s draft retail strategy click here.
