- « Abby Police warn to protect against summer break-ins
- Young Black Bear spotted near Virtual School grounds »
The BC Chamber of Commerce has asked the province to give local governments the power to deal with owners who leave businesses vacant and derelict.
Abbotsford chamber excutive director Allan Asaph says he thinks this change would provide a good tool to deal with the problem.
However he says it shouldn’t necessarily be the first step.
“What has worked and worked very well in Abbotsford was incentives provided by the municipality and by the business improvement area to motivate business owners to redevelop, but it can be frustrating if you have one particular property owner for example who is inhibiting the redevelopment in other areas because of that one property.”
Asaph says while derelict properties were a problem in Abbotsford 10 or 12 years ago, the recent revitilization in the downtown has meant huge improvements.