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Miscommunication lead to unwelcome surprises for many business and property owners
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This wasn’t how she imagined spending her golden years.
Pat Georgiades has owned 405 Danforth Ave. since 1970, which until recently housed a dining room for Pantheon — a mainstay restaurant in Toronto’s Greektown.
Last March’s closure of in-person dining forced the restaurant’s owner to cancel their lease with Georgiades, and her charming storefront has been vacant ever since.
With an empty commercial property and no prospect of finding a tenant, she faced a property tax bill of $4,200 per month — until she learned of the city’s property tax deferral program, announced last May, waiving late penalties and interest for six months.
“It was a little bit tough getting the money together, but I paid on the 7th of December.” the 80-year-old Georgiades told the Sun.
Satisfied that she was all paid up, she was shocked to receive a bill demanding $733 in late fees and interest.
“I did pay, but two months late,” she said.
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It’s a common story up and down the Danforth, said Greektown BIA Executive Director Mary Fragedakis.
“In order to qualify for the deferral program, you had to apply online and be approved by the city,” she said.
That came as a surprise to her and her colleagues in other city BIAs — as well as businesses in Greektown.
“Many of them are not versatile with the Internet,” she said.
“We have a lot of older members, and some of them have language barriers so they didn’t understand.”
Like Georgiades, many assumed the deferral was automatic.
Georgiades’ reached out Premier Doug Ford’s office, who referred her to Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns, who then referred to city councillor Paula Fletcher, who referred her to the city tax office.
There, a supervisor offered her a $60 rebate on her $733 bill, due to her decades of prompt property tax payment.
Last week, Fragedakis sent a letter to her former council colleague Mayor John Tory, asking him to consider a four-point plan waiving late fees, allowing retroactive deferment, continuing the program into 2021 and working with BIAs to ensure everyone’s on the same page.
Spokesperson Lawvin Hadisi said over 9,000 businesses applied for the deferral last year, and promised the mayor’s office would follow-up with Fragedakis in order to better understand the issue.
“The Mayor will continue to work with businesses and BIAs to ensure that they receive the support they need to recover from the pandemic,” Hadisi said.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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