Belleville landlords say removing vacancy rebate is unfair

The city is posturing to try and eliminate the vacancy rebate in lack of fairness to commercial landlords,” said Jamie Troke, who has vacant commercial holdings.

I file rebates on space that I actively have on the market, to try find tenants for.

Why would anyone in their right mind not want to collect income from rent and try to get a minor 30 per cent rebate on vacant space? It’s not even logical.

We aren’t motivated to leave our building vacant to get a rebate,

The optics of this seem to be ‘Why are we giving relief to absentee landlords who never fix anything up?’ 

It doesn’t make economic sense. Council shouldn’t perceive that as the reason that spaces are left vacant. I have vacant spaces in buildings and I’m a pretty active realtor leasing out space. I want to collect rent and recover hydro and realty taxes.

It seems the city has grouped everyone in the same basket and say we’re all going to be tarnished with the same brush,

They need to provide examples.

Jamie Troke, Ekort Realty Owner who has vacant commercial holdings and property on Front St

It’s ludicrous for people to think we somehow have a tax advantage by not renting it out,

Nobody goes in business to have a vacant building

This is not Toronto where there is critical mass, where there is always somebody new and you can open a store and get into business

Mr. Carr, bring me a tenant and I will finish the building

They’re (council) grasping for dollars.

You can go broke on those things

I brought money into Belleville and they should be encouraging those kind of things. They’re not looking at the overall puzzle. They’re just looking at one piece and how to get some more money.

Paul Dinkle, who owns several addresses downtown

Fix it, lease it or sell it is the message we need to send

I don’t want to say we have a chronic problem, but we certainly have an ongoing issue with vacancies in commercial businesses

Councillor Carr