Longueuil offers another gift to Molson

Carl Vaillancourt

Thursday, December 7, 2017 01:00

UPDATE
Thursday, December 7, 2017 01:00

Look at this article

The Molson Coors brewery has benefited from a discount of about $ 10 million on the land purchased in the City of Longueuil due to a soft ground.

The company will pay$ 6.8 M to acquire a huge field located between the canadian space Agency and route 116 in the borough of Saint-Hubert. However, this land is valued at$16.6 Million.

The mayor of Longueuil says the taxpayers are getting value for their money.

“This land belonged to the City. It’s not we brought nothing. The field was vacant, ” said Sylvie Parent.

Photo courtesy

Sylvie Parent

Mayor of Longueuil

“The load-bearing capacity is low, so it requires additional costs for Molson to construct its plant,” said Louis-Pascal Cyr, spokesperson for the Longueuil, in order to justify the price.

The brewery, which will leave its historic site of Montreal, would pay to $ 1.09 a square foot, nearly three times less than the value of the property assessment.

The discount has shocked the mayor of Beauharnois, Bruno Tremblay, who had also attempted to attract Molson in his municipality.

“It is a beautiful gift to Molson. I find it deplorable. It is a lack of respect since it creates an unhealthy competition between cities, ” said Mr. Tremblay.

This is income on the land sold to the giant IKEA by the City of Beauharnois to more than $ 3 a square foot. A field smaller than the one sold to Molson had reported$ 7 Million more for the citizens of Beauharnois.

Tax credit

“If it was for a charity, I do not say, but this is not the case of Molson “, he repeated.

Recall that the City of Longueuil had also announced last week a tax credit of$ 14.9 Million over five years to the Molson brewery.

The director of corporate affairs of the Quebec-Atlantic at Molson Coors, Francis Lefebvre, said he was delighted with the support of the City of Longueuil.

“We welcome with great enthusiasm the decision of elected officers of Longueuil “, he said.