Finance and Economic Development Committee

(on behalf of Councillor J. Leiper) WHEREAS the report entitled Westboro Village Business Improvement Area Boundary (ACS2016-PIE-EDI-0009) was listed on the Finance and Economic Development Committee agenda of 4 October, 2016; and WHEREAS, following public delegations, Committee approved Motion No. 21/4, which

WHEREAS the report entitled Vacancy Rebate Program (ACS2017-CSD-REV-0004) recommends a three-year phase out of the Vacancy Rebate Program with a declining rebate and defined eligibility criteria during the phase out as further described in the report, with the complete elimination of the program being effective in 2019; and WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the City and its residential taxpayers to accelerate the timeline for the proposed phase out of the Vacancy Rebate Program, with a timeframe for elimination of the rebates similar to that of the City of Toronto, to encourage commercial and industrial property occupancy rather than to continue to provide tax rebates for vacancies, and to further encourage renovations to occur to make vacant properties fit for occupancy; and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Recommendation 1 of report ACS2017 be replaced with the following: 1. That the City of Ottawa’s Vacancy Rebate Program (VRP) be phased out over a period of two years, with the eligibility criteria during the phase out to be provided for as described in this report, and that the rebate amount is reduced to 15% in 2017 and eliminated in 2018.