Cornwall Council Will Again Consider Implementing A Vacant-Unit Tax

May 18, 2024

A motion was carried by Cornwall council to have administration prepare a report on bringing a vacant unit tax to the the city.

The new business motion was proposed by Coun. Sarah Good and seconded by Carilyne Hébert, to have an additional tax on vacant buildings for a few reasons, including improving neighborhood vitality and public safety, and increasing the overall availability of housing.

“The intent is to reduce the vacancies within our community, and apply pressure to create occupancy with some of the (identified buildings),” Good said.Added Hebert: “It would be a mechanism to encourage landlords and property owners to either sell their properties for them to be filled with folks who are looking for housing, or put their units back on the market.”

Coun. Claude McIntosh during discussion said he’s fine with hearing what administration comes up with in a report, but that’s unlikely he’d ever vote in favour of a vacant-unit tax. Previous councils have toyed with the similar idea of creating a new tax rate for vacant commercial and industrial properties, but never voted to proceed.

This happened most recently at the start of 2021.“There are immense implications in this,” McIntosh said.

Ideas being floated for vacant storefronts in Cornwall’s Le Village

CAO Mathieu Fleury addressed the motion, saying administration would provide a response to it, and after that, if it got direction from council to pursue instituting the tax, there’d need to be a full financial/economic background study as per the Municipal Act requirements.

“It’s comprehensive,” Fleury said. “Under (the act), to present a vacant unit tax you have to complete the background studies on the economics that are involved.”

Fleury was a councillor in Ottawa when its council went through those steps and implemented a residential vacant-unit tax which came into effect this year.Good’s motion said implementing an additional tax on vacant buildings has proven to be an effective measure in other municipalities to encourage property owners to actively use or maintain their properties, and the revenue generated from such a tax could be directed towards social housing development, revitalization projects, and public services.

The motion asked the report on the feasibility of such a tax include details of how to engage the public, how to include outreach and education to inform property owners and the community about the benefits and implications of the proposed additional tax, and include an implementation process for appeals and exemptions where appropriate.

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