St. Thomas is looking into ways to encourage landlords of vacant downtown storefronts and buildings to fill these empty spaces in the expanding community, according to Mayor Joe Preston.
Even though there might be the “fewest (number) of vacant stores” downtown since Preston moved to St. Thomas about 35 years ago, he mentioned that there are still “some investors who believe that just the asset growth in their property is enough,” and the city is seeking solutions for those vacancies.
“We’ve been exploring various methods and examining how other communities have addressed vacant storefronts or unoccupied buildings,” Preston stated, highlighting Oakville’s bylaw which mandates inspections of empty buildings.
One idea St. Thomas is considering involves increasing the frequency of fire inspections.
“We’re working on a plan for our fire inspection team to check the buildings once a month at a minimal cost to the landlord, which might motivate them to actually do something with those empty spaces,” he said.
Preston referenced a “couple of major fires” that occurred in recent years, including an arson fire in July 2025 that destroyed a historic 144-year-old building and led to $1 million in damages. He noted that closely situated buildings in the core area can create hazardous conditions during fires.
The city council and fire department have been discussing potentially introducing a bylaw for enforcing fire inspections, according to Preston.
“(The) fire inspection team and the chief have been discussing how best to draft the bylaw because it would indeed require a specific bylaw (to enforce),” he explained.
Preston also mentioned that any tax breaks previously available for vacant storefronts were eliminated during his time as mayor, meaning landlords face the same tax bill whether their properties are occupied or not.
“We want to ensure safety first and also provide incentives for landlords who have empty storefronts to take action,” Preston added.
“There’s definitely more activity right now among landlords looking to renovate and move forward anyway, but if we can offer some incentive for them not to leave their storefronts vacant, then we’ll act as quickly as possible on it.”
Dwindling vacancies in downtown storefronts have been observed over recent years, partly credited to the city’s introduction of special constables in the area.
“(It makes) downtown safe for people to visit and inviting, which has really made quite an impact,” he remarked. “Almost every week there’s another new business opening up somewhere.”
The growth in commercial activity is noticeable elsewhere too.
According to Preston, downtown “becomes the next hot spot” after businesses have filled up at the “absolutely full and growing” Smart Centres outdoor shopping center and Elgin Centre mall.
The city’s commercial expansion coincides with an industrial boom; Volkswagen subsidiary Power Co’s $7-billion EV battery plant is set to open in 2027 and will eventually employ 3,000 individuals, alongside nearby Vianode’s planned factory.
“I’d say that throughout my entire 35 years here in St. Thomas, this is as lively a downtown as we’ve seen so far,” said Preston.
“There’s no stopping us now. There are still vacancies out there; people still need space for commercial activities within our community.”
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