ACTUAL I TÉ • NEWS
No tax break for Laurier Street businesses
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
session of council. He made a member’s motion to put the idea on the table for dis- cussion. «I’munder no illusions,» said Zanth, «but, on the one hand, we can’t say we value small business, and then say, on the other hand, ‘Sorry, your doors are going to close’.» «We may open a can of worms,» said Coun. Diane Choinière, adding she sym- pathized with the plight of those businesses between the St-Jean Street and Edwards Street intersection of Laurier Street, but she expressed concern about the possible precedent. Choinière noted that she has a few resi- dents in her own Bourget village ward that
might havemissed a few days of work during the past winter because of the heavy snow- fall and delays in getting their streets and driveways cleared. Choinière indicated that f a business could claim a tax break because city repair or upgrade work causes a temporary loss of trade, then a resident could claim loss of job income if delays by city snow removal crews prevented that person fromgetting to work. «It does set a precedent,» said Coun. Krys- ta Simard. «Where do you draw the line?» Zanth said he wasn’t proposing com- pensation for lost revenue but wondered
if a temporary tax break might be feasible. Other members of council expressed sympathy but did not support that idea either. «I do think we will be setting a precedent,» saidMayor Guy Desjardins. «It just goes on and on. We would be stopped every time we opened a hole.» One suggestion that came out of the dis- cussion was for the city to look into ways to help promote businesses caught in similar situations and to remind the public that those businesses are still open to customers even during traffic disruptions and detours.
There is lots of sympathy on Clarence- Rockland council for the business owners along Laurier Street who have seen their walk-in trade reduced to a trickle while re- pairs to a waterline below their street have detoured traffic. But there is not enough sympathy for council to consider giving those businesses even a small break on their property taxes this year. Coun. Mario Zanth floated the idea of a temporary tax break for Laurier Street busi- nesses affected by the water line repairs during the Aug. 4 committee of the whole
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Coun. Mario Zanth (left) floats idea to help Laurier Street businesses affected by the water line repair project.
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