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The Chinese government ‘arbitrarily enforces local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries’
The U.S. recommended Americans reconsider travelling to China because of arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans and the risk of wrongful detentions.
The Brockville Convention Centre is no more, but its owners want to turn the property into rental housing.
Brockville council’s planning and development committee on Tuesday evening will hold a public meeting on a request to rezone the Kent Boulevard site into a residential property, though its owners aren’t closing the door on a future commercial use.
Located across the street from the Holiday Inn Express, the Brockville Convention Centre opened just under a decade ago, and has hosted everything from weddings to awards banquets to political events.
But Ali Rehman vice-president of the Chayell Hospitality Group which owns both the Convention Centre property and the hotel, said the change of purpose makes more business sense, especially in an ongoing housing crisis where governments are urging an increase in supply.
“It kills two birds with one stone,” Rehman said Monday.
“You have a rental shortage … and then the second thing is, due to COVID, there has been a decline in corporate meetings.”
There is already plenty of competition in Brockville for events bookings, he added.
The Convention Centre closed at the end of 2022, with all 2023 bookings refunded.
“January and February were usually empty anyway,” said Rehman.
The owners plan to turn the property into eight rental
