City considering more street patios
Mayor supports plan to boost safe seating for hard-hit restaurants
A local economic recovery plan is scheduled to be released next week as the city considers using roadways for restaurant patios.
City council recently made it more difficult for commercial main streets to be restricted to cars for the purpose of walking or cycling, but Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday that he would be in favour of using more street space for patios as businesses try to crawl out of an economic slump.
Watson said he asked staff to produce a report within a week to see if the city can replicate past projects which used street space in front of restaurants for patios.
“One of the reasons why I’m enthusiastic about this idea is because we suspect when restaurants are given the green light to open they’ll have to practise social distancing, which means they’ll have fewer places for customers to sit and eat and have a meal,” Watson said during a press conference.
“If we can help them, logistically if it works, to increase their seating capacity by allowing them to have a patio which in the past they haven’t because they haven’t had the land, then I would be in support of that.”
Watson said the city will release its draft economic recovery plan on May 29 before sending the plan to council for approval. For now, the city has released tips for businesses to keep staff and the public safe.
Mark Kaluski, the chair of the Ottawa Coalition of BIA, credited city hall with doing its best to lay the groundwork to boost the local economy when the province relaxes more restrictions.
“The one thing we’re asking for is a lot of flexibility for patios and for restaurants when they’re able to reopen,” Kaluski said.
Those ideas include cancelling patio encroachment fees, setting up weather protection and using propane heaters to extend the patio season.
Kaluski, who sits on the mayor’s task force for economic recovery, said the city has been consulting with the BIAs on ideas to make sure the municipal government doesn’t stand in the way of businesses.
“To be quite honest with you, they’re quite supportive. They’re really looking to help us out,” Kaluski said.
Kaluski said BIAs are asking city hall for help to acquire personal protective equipment for staff, especially since small businesses that have already opened, like some ground-floor retailers, and those that will eventually open, like restaurants, are competing with large companies to get the safety gear.
While the city has extra powers under the current state of emergency, Anthony Di Monte, the city’s general manager of emergency and protective services, said he’s not interested in considering any local laws that would punish people for not wearing masks in businesses.
“It’s up to each of us to be responsible and follow the recommendations of the public health team (which) said we should be wearing masks,” Di Monte said.
Vera Etches, the city’s medical officer of health, said if people can’t keep two metres apart from others, they should be wearing masks.
Coun. Keith Egli, the chair of the health board, said, “we want to get buy-in from the public” on the use of masks to reduce the risk of transmission.
There’s another blow to anyone hoping for big outdoor events this summer; the city has extended the prohibition for special events requiring city permits to Aug. 31. Municipal permits are required for events with 500 people or more. jwilling@postmedia.com twitter.com/JonathanWilling
To be quite honest with you, they’re quite supportive. They’re really looking to help us out.