Even city hall doesn’t know reason for restaurant patio occupancy limit
London’s formula for calculating the maximum size of patios outside restaurants and bars is so longstanding that city staff are perplexed about its original intent.
On Monday, the Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) discussed permanently loosening municipal rules on patios that helped many restaurants and bars survive the pandemic.
However, a zoning bylaw that restricts the size of restaurant and bar patios will remain in place until city staff can do more research.
Currently, patios are limited to 50 per cent of the indoor capacity of the restaurant/bar, or 50 people — whichever is greater.
The zoning bylaw applies to both seasonal and permanent patios.
Coun. Stephen Turner asked staff why the limit was set at 50 per cent or 50 people.
Coordinator of Municipal Compliance Nicole Musicco replied that the decision predates her time working at city hall.
Twenty-one year city hall veteran Chief Building Official Peter Kokkoros admitted that he was also stumped.
“Similar to Ms. Musicco, that preceded my time at the city,” he told councillors on the committee. “It’s more hearsay than actual policy that I’ve come across.”
Kokkoros suggested, “During the summer months, that perhaps, half of the capacity of the indoor space was not really utilized, most people would prefer to sit outside, and therefore the inside would have potentially 50 percent less capacity than during the winter months.”
“I have concerns about it,” explained Turner. “There may very well be a reasonable explanation for why that number was chosen, but it seems arbitrary. It seems like it has the opportunity to be modernized.”
PEC members recommended council direct staff to research the rationale behind the limit and recommend an update to the zoning bylaw.
The committee did recommend providing new flexibility to seasonal patios temporarily set up in parking lots.
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) rules restrict temporary operation to eight months of the year.
The committee recommended lifting the mid-March to mid-November dates, allowing each establishment to choose its own eight month period.
The capacity would be set at 1.11 square meters per person, in line with the AGCO.
Council will consider the changes at its meeting on Oct. 17.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.