Mike Britton says St. Catharines has most hurdles in Niagara
A former St. Catharines city councilor is calling out the city for what he calls excessive barriers hindering business growth.
Mike Britton has many business friends, and tells us St. Catharines is the worst for red tape in the region, making entrepreneurs jump through hoops for any change.
"If there is a change to the plans, they have to start from scratch. They have to go back to the architect, and they have to go back to the planner, and they have to go back to all of their people, and the costs add up," he says.
He says in other cities, any changes are just added to the original plan.
He adds he has a friend who wanted to register an apartment within a business, that needed next to no work, and was shocked at the $25,000 price tag from the city for administrative adjustments. "He sent me the letter and said 'What is this? I don't want to do any permitting, I don't want to do any building. There's nothing that needs to be upgraded or changed, it's just changing the paperwork from commercial to residential'."
The former councillor says his friend is leaving the unit vacant, instead of renting it to someone who needs it.
We've reached out to the city for comment.
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