SooToday received the following letter from Shawn Dagenais of Paw'n Pet Food & Grooming in response to the article Demolition underway for possible roundabout or right turn lane.
To the editor,
The recent article regarding the demolition of the building at 628 Second Line West raises serious concerns about the city's handling of this project and its treatment of local businesses.
While the stated goal is to address traffic congestion at the Goulais Avenue intersection, the city's actions thus far demonstrate a troubling lack of transparency and consideration.
The article correctly notes the demolition cost of $124,500 and the $700,000 purchase price of the property. However, it fails to acknowledge the true cost to our community.
The building was not just home to Paw'n Pet Food & Grooming, but also East Coast Buy and Sell Inc., CASS Partnership (who were in the location for 40+ years) and Robert Dale’s office. The city spent $0.00 on reaching out to these four affected businesses, $0.00 on relocation services, and $0.00 on follow-up to ensure a smooth transition.
The lack of communication and support is appalling. Mayor Shoemaker’s misnaming of Paw’n Pet Food, and the repeated references to non-existent businesses, highlights a shocking disregard for the businesses that were impacted.
While there has been mention by city staff and the public of the long history of Morgan's at that corner, the article itself, and the city's narrative, continue to omit the 40+ year contribution of CASS Partnership, a glaring oversight.
The rush to purchase and demolish the building raises questions. How can the city justify spending over $800,000 when council won’t even see the engineering proposals until May 12? Has the PUC been consulted?
The proposed roundabout or lane widening will necessitate significant power line relocation. Have we seen PUC's plans for this work? Has anyone looked at the cost of moving the lines for whatever gets proposed?
These utility relocation costs are often substantial and could easily add hundreds of thousands more to the project's budget.
Contrast this with the experience of a business owner in Brantford, who received city assistance with relocation, leasehold improvements, and an $80,000 compensation package.
Paw'n Pet Food has been forced to discontinue its grooming services due to the abrupt eviction and lack of support. For four months, they have been inundated with calls from confused customers.
The financial burden and customer loss suffered by all four affected businesses are significant. Paw'n Pet Food was forced to relocate a 2,500 sq. ft. business within 60 days, without prior notice or compensation.
While the city may claim they offered a few extra months of reprieve, this was only after Paw'n Pet Food was forced to fight for it.
The fact remains: no initial support, no relocation assistance, and no consideration was given to the businesses impacted. This involved: moving the product themselves, leasehold improvements at the new location, extensive advertising and marketing to inform customers, significant loss of income during the move, and numerous unforeseen expenses that continue to arise.
Compounding this hardship was the extremely low commercial vacancy rate in the city, forcing Paw'n Pet Food to settle for one of the only available options.
Even as I write this letter, customers are parked in front of the demolished building, calling us asking where we are now located, a testament to the ongoing disruption caused by the city’s actions.
Adding to our concerns, the city has just decided to take over the Downtown Association, a move that raises questions about their ability to effectively manage community interests, considering their demonstrated lack of consideration towards businesses like ours.
This situation reveals a profound disconnect between the city’s actions and the needs of its business community.
The city's actions are costly, poorly planned and show a lack of empathy.
I urge the council to reconsider its approach, prioritize communication, and provide fair compensation to those whose livelihoods and businesses have been disrupted.
Shawn Dagenais
Paw'n Pet Food