Table of Contents
Background
Some motions are mine: in response to provincial correspondence, born from data I’ve explored, or inspired by my own ideas. This motion belongs to the community.
Vacant properties are something I’ve heard concerns about from residents in every ward, and they’re an issue municipalities have a variety of tools to address. This motion asks staff to explore those tools and report back on what options might be appropriate for Central Elgin.
Among the possibilities are vacancy tax policies, which can discourage owners from leaving properties unused for extended periods of time. Another is the creation of a vacant property registry, which can help ensure that vacant buildings do not create unnecessary risks for emergency responders, neighbouring properties, or the public.
At its heart, this motion is about housing, safety, and stewardship. It asks whether there are practical steps we can take to encourage the productive use of properties while helping to keep our neighbourhoods safe and well cared for.
If I could change one thing about this motion, I wish the agenda could credit it to the many residents who have raised this issue over the years rather than to me alone. Thank you for continuing to share your ideas, concerns, and hopes for our community.
This motion will be considered at the June 22, 2026 meeting.
Motion
WHEREAS the City of St. Thomas recently approved a plan to maintain a register of vacant properties, upon the recommendation of their fire chief, for the improved safety of emergency responders and community members;
AND WHEREAS vacancy tax policies are an established method of discouraging landowners to hold properties unused within communities;
AND WHEREAS vacant properties are an observed phenomenon throughout the Municipality of Central Elgin;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT council direct staff to prepare a report on addressing vacant property solutions for the Municipality of Central Elgin, including but not limited to vacant property registries, taxation tools, enforcement mechanisms, and incentive-based approaches, with consideration given to emergency responder safety, housing availability, and neighbourhood stewardship.
Prolonged retail and commercial vacancies are not only in eyesore in Port Stanley but in fact effact the success of their neighbours, and the village as a whole.
There is a building in Port Stanley, that falls under Central Elgin . This building is on the south side of Main street and Bridge street. This property is a vacant building and has been for almost 6 years. Maybe this building falls under this bylaw of vacant buildings.
Morgaine, your motion ia a community motion. Thank-you! Our community leaders must preserve the character of the community and make it prosper. By addressing absent building owners we can do that which benefits us all! Well done! M talking points.
-unsightly buildings deter charm
-unoccupied buildings do not provide goods, services, growth or employment for youth of part time adults/seniors.
-unoccupied buildings are the easiest way for a wealthy owner to profit without effort or care or stewardship to the community
-unoccupied buildings get vandalized. Javelin through one window, door marked “fix ir sell”
-unoccupied buildings create us to remember what was, usually a nice memory which is replaced with regret and sadness
-unoccupied building’s like the Catholic church on George St affect a genuine home owner’s ability to sell their own property.
– we do not want to lose Port Stanley’s village shops, our full time residents want our businesses to remain
– it would be horrible if it became like FARHI’a downtown London
– William St will all be commercial could one day resemble Grand Bend and where will our harbour village be then? We need the regulations now.
Thank you Morgan. I hope the vacancy tax is substantial enough to be encourage development . Exterior maintenance should be mandatory at owners expense and annual health unit and fire inspections, again, owners expense, might not only protect the community, but add additional financial incentive for the developer to, develop. Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf.
Hey Ava,
Those are great comments. I think if I could imagine my perfect vacant tax policy, it would be a scaling tax that increases year after year. That would allow for folks who are deliberately holding something vacant for a year waiting on some milestone in their family or business to pay a little bit, but it would mean that chronic landbankers pay more and more each year until it becomes unpalatable. I’m excited to see what other possibilities may arise as staff dive into it!
I agree, if you’re a big developer, vacancy tax may be part of doing business, however if it’s a tax that increases yearly, plus additional inspection cost, plus taxes it may be a deterrent to smaller developers to purchase for a “write off” or as a speculation. Exterior maintenance and restoration should be mandatory (no boarded windows), fines for non compliance. If there aren’t strong consequences buildings will sit empty.
Thank you Morgaine for moving on this motion, this term. It is nice to know Council is still working for us.
I so appreciated your timely responses to me concerning this subject, and acting on it.
I will just echo what Elaine has already said, and hope there is real change here. The property in the center of town needs to be dealt with.
This should be directed at commercial buildings only. Many residential owners do not want to deal with renters, given the ineptitude of the Landlord Tenant Board, and want to protect their investment. Residential properties are subject to property standard bylaws so the municipality has a mechanism to ensure buildings and properties are being sufficiently maintained and can step in if they are not.