Workers construct RiverHouse Condominiums, expected to reach full height by October.
Lawyer Cavan Acheson and Mercury Columnist Joanne Shuttleworth certainly think so.
The idea seemingly stems from a local Fair Taxes Campaign, which- among other things- has seen condo dwellers fight back against waste removal taxes. From Shuttleworth: “Most condos can’t utilize the city’s three-stream waste removal system because the interior roadways of townhouse complexes are too narrow for the city’s garbage trucks, the boulevards too small to accommodate individual bins and the city trucks are not equipped to deal with the dumpsters in most condo buildings, even if the waste was separated.”
It means that condo owners are presently stuck paying for private waste removal via their condo fees, while also paying for waste collection in their municipal taxes. In doing so, condo owners are being unfairly double-taxed, as they are the only ones subjected to this overpayment. As a result, the Fair Taxes Campaign is asking the city to rebate portions of condo owners’ tax bills to account for part of difference. Such a rebate is already in place in Waterloo Region, where their council rebates $31 annually.
With Guelph already home to over 6,000 condo owners, and the construction of another 400 units underway, the need for such a committee is growing. Considering the different lifestyle condo owners lead, such a committee could be beneficial to protect their unique interests. A condo committee could also lobby for by-law changes that don’t fit the condo lifestyle or the needs of condo owners.
Many towns with few condos will have to adapt their practices as the trend grows. For Guelph, this could mean the introduction of a Condo Advisory Committee made up of owners, planners, property managers and industry pros. The input will certainly aid both the town and its residents in smoothing the transition from building out to building up.