A downtown business shared its concerns with City Staff and Council during last night’s downtown Talktober event at the Wood Innovation and Design Centre.
Nicole LeBlanc started Here & There Trading Co last September. She paid the business fee at the time and was charged – an increased fee – again in January. She’s hoping for a prorated license fee and possible compensation for new businesses.
“It’s a year (from when) you buy the license from. If you buy in September, you don’t pay until next September. Maybe the first couple years you pay a certain amount and then you don’t go up until year three or something because you don’t really make money in a business for the first couple of years.”
Despite her shop being approximately 70 m2, LeBlanc says her license is the same price as a business 500 m2. She also recommended more transparency after a letter she wrote to the city never made it to the proper department, and lastly for better communication between businesses and the city. She’d like to know where the money for the business license goes.
The city is scheduled to review its business license bylaw next Fall. Planning and Development General Manager Ian Wells says concerns like Nicole’s will be considered.
“Make some changes and modifications to make it a more simplified process and more consistency throughout the bylaw … the overall consistency that there are varying rates between different classes of business license so trying to bring an overall more consistent approach to it.”
The city has one more Talktober on Wednesday night at CNC.