'Salt in the wound': Riversdale business owners learn there is a long road ahead to try and reduce steep tax bills
Appeals for a tax freeze or property reassessments came from frustrated Riversdale business owners during a public meeting at the Roxy Theatre Tuesday morning where the City explained the raises and talked about the next steps.
The meeting comes after some property owners were hit with steep tax increases that some feel could put their businesses underwater.
Mayor Charlie Clark as well as city councillor David Kirton were personally at the meeting and city assessor Bryce Trew and several other councillors joined by Zoom.
Members of the Riversdale Business Improvement District (RBID), as well as business owners in the area, were hoping to gain more understanding about what can be done about the tax hikes.
Trew opened up the meeting with a presentation on this year’s assessments, explaining more about the steps taken by the city when reassessing property value.
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
An explanation wasn’t what some business owners were after however, as some like Carmen Hamm, owner of Cohen’s Beer Republic and Picaro Cocktails and Tacos, wanted to know what can be done at this point.
“Our business was forced to close completely and we’ve had our business operations restricted since last March. As we have heard these are unprecedented times,” Hamm said.
“We’re wondering if there is any opportunity in these unprecedented times to see unprecedented action with reopening the opportunity for assessment.”
The pandemic was a theme at the meeting, with many business owners speaking about how they are just starting to rebound as the steep tax bills arrived..
“I really, really struggle looking at a 58 per cent tax increase, especially when it is only being phased in over two years.” Curtis Olson of Shift Development said during the meeting.
“These are compounding increases that I guarantee will result in me losing tenants, will result in businesses closing because these are very challenging times, coming off a year of a pandemic. I look at these tax increases as salt in the wound and a nail in the coffin.”
IN PROVINCE'S HANDS
The city explained that the appeal process has closed as of March 29th, and any steps taken to reopen the reassessment process would require action from the provincial government.
“The dates of when the (tax) roll is open and how many days it needs to be open for a year, so on a revaluation year it’s legislated that the roll needs to be open for 60 days, on a non-revaluation year the roll is only open for 30 days,” Trew said.
“That is all in legislation, so any changes to legislation would need to go through government relations.”
'I WANT TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO': MAYOR
Several speakers at the meeting became emotional when presenting, or talking with people after the meeting, with many worrying about their future in Riversdale or the survival of their business.
Mayor Clark closed out the meeting with some words to the audience, talking about how he will see what the city can do to address the situation, but he couldn’t make any promises as there won't be a finance committee meeting until August.
“I think sending a letter to council as a whole that ends up getting in the queue is a first step,” Clark said.
“I don’t want to create false expectations here, I want to see what we can do. This has been really hard, the sort of compounding effects of COVID hitting certain sectors,” Clark said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.