NORTH BATTLEFORD — Is North Battleford doing enough to keep business thriving? That was in essence one of the questions that arose from the floor at this year's Power Hour in North Battleford, which allows the community to ask a slate of elected officials about the issues facing the Battlefords.
Chris Odishaw, who owns Battlefords Furniture and who was formerly the mayor of Battleford, worries that there is too much focus today on attracting new people rather than helping out the existing business community.
He cited high taxes, a lack of relief as interest rates and the cost of living climbs, the province charging six per cent PST on construction, and $1.7 million worth of back taxes owed to the city that people can't afford to pay.
"It's the toughest it's ever been."
Why are governments focused on growing more and attracting more people — as Mayor David Gillan of North Battleford had noted as a key reason for fighting the Crime Severity Index’s placing of the city as the country’s most dangerous place — when the business community in the Battlefords is already struggling, Odishaw wondered.
"The CSI means nothing to me and nothing to anybody that lives in this community because we know it's safe.
"You want people to invest in our community. We're here, there are 27 of us who want to invest more money ... there are First Nations who want to invest more money but the cost of doing business is getting out of control."
Response from the town and the city
Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie noted that the Town of Battleford hears those concerns and is focused on keeping the mill rate down.
"Chris and I have had this conversation a couple times ... we've heard the business community of Battleford in saying, 'no more mill rates [increase,]" Leslie said.
He used the example of the Tax Installment Payment Program or the eight-year rebate program for business in downtown Battleford.
"We're trying to help businesses survive and thrive."
While both Rosemarie Falk (MP for Battlefords-Lloydminster) and Minister Jeremy Cockrill (MLA for the Battlefords) both bringing up the carbon tax as a big issue, albeit among others, Mayor David Gillan said that he doesn't want to get into the debate on local costs of running city hall.
"Because that's what local tax is. The cost of the City of North Battleford. divided by all the businesses and homeowners," he said
"Now if we take tax off one, we have to apply it to someone else," he said, adding, "I want to grow the pie bigger.
"And I can appreciate fairness, nobody wants fairness more than me, I'll happily debate mill rate versus base tax anytime, but the whole idea is we need to grow the pie."
Mayor Gillan noted that running the city will come out of people's taxes, including a 'state of the art' InnovationPLEX or other facilities, that Gillan says come with higher costs.
"We have a lot of costs. But safety is important, parks and recreation is important ... let's grow the pie, grow more people here to pay the cost because we don't want the community to fight amongst themselves."
