BOYLE — New businesses looking to set up shop in Boyle could be eligible for a bigger tax break if they choose an existing, empty building thanks to a change to the village’s property tax incentive bylaw.
Councillors asked administration to remove caps on tax exemptions for the first two years after a new business sets up in a vacant building. Before the changes, applicable business owners received 50 per cent off municipal taxes within the first year, to a maximum of $2,000, and 25 per cent off taxes in year two, capped at $1,000.
“After long conversations about how we can promote our village, it was unanimously decided that we need to think outside of the box, and not just say that we are ‘open for business,’ but instead we need to show that we are ‘open for business,’” wrote Mayor Colin Derko in a follow-up.
The amended incentive bylaw contains no dollar amount caps for years one and two, and the return to full taxation in year three remains unchanged. Councillors passed all three readings with unanimous votes.
Griffin told councillors an early April application for a new business in a vacant building was received, and will benefit from the removed caps. While Griffin didn’t hint as to what type of business he was referencing, Derko did.
“The attraction of a new owner of the vacant grocery store property and the sale of a commercial property is a direct result of this council’s commitment to ensuring a sustainable community.”
On March 30, a new Facebook page for an AG Foods in Boyle was established by the Abougouche Brothers, the same operators of the AG Foods in Lac La Biche. The new store will be taking over the old Buy-Low building, vacant since the stores closure last year.
The announcement of the new grocery store came almost a year exactly after the Buy-Low branch pulled out of the community to the disappointment and anger of local residents and officials.
In an April 22 post on the page, AG Foods Boyle announced their doors would be opening May 1, complete with photos of stocked shelves and more palettes of products waiting to hit the shelves. Since it’s establishment, the Facebook page has garnered 572 followers, and the official announcement received nearly 400 reactions from locals.
The 2024 closures of the Buy-Low and the CIBC branch had a number of locals concerned over the future of the community, and prompted comments that Boyle was dying, but others, like Derko, remain optimistic.
“The decision to make our village a desirable location and a welcoming community to do business in was very important to all of us,” wrote the mayor.
“I am confident and excited about our future.”
