City ups fees for expired licences

The city is cracking down on business owners who let their licences expire.

At Tuesday’s planning committee meeting, councillors agreed to raise fees for business owners who let their licences lapse. Previously, those who didn’t renew their business licences on time faced a $60 penalty. Now, that fee will quadruple to $250.

Marty Hazell, the City of Hamilton’s director of bylaw services, says 30 per cent of the city’s businesses aren’t renewing their licences on time. This means bylaw staff are dedicating resources to licensing renewals rather than targeting illegally operating businesses.

Hazell says the new fee will allow the city to recoup all of its costs, including staff time, mileage and administrative costs. It also sends a message that the city is going to get tougher with business owners who don’t follow the rules.

“There’s a long-standing culture that enforcement was lax,” Hazell said. “Word has gotten out that we’re going to get tougher on it.”

According to the report presented to councillors on the planning committee, in 2012, there was an average of 198 licences per month that were not renewed before the expiry date. So far in 2013, the average is 181 licences per month.

This penalty would only apply to business owners who reapply for licences within 60 days of their expiry date. Beyond that, they would have to start the licensing process from scratch — a much costlier process that could lead to thousands of dollars in additional fees. Those who renewed licences on time wouldn’t face additional fees.

Meanwhile, Cameron Bailey, the outspoken owner of the Hillbilly Heaven restaurant, says he has closed his Upper James location after sparring with the city about his business licence.

Bailey, who is most well known for displaying the Confederate flag outside of his downtown restaurant, was operating both locations without a business licence.

On his website, Bailey says he decided to close the Upper James location instead of conforming to several city requirements, including adding an accessible washroom and applying for a zoning variance for two parking spots.

“With nowhere to turn and no compassion from City Hall, I had no choice but to close our Upper James location and, with that, end the employment of eight people,” reads the statement on itswebsite.

Last month, Bailey told The Spectator he hadn’t licensed the Upper James location since its opening two-and-a-half years ago due to a “ridiculous” $2,000 rezoning fee.

Bailey’s statement also reads that “our licence application for our new — and now only — location at 202 King East will be filed on Friday.”