St. Catharines extends patio program, waives fees for 2021
Initiatives aimed at helping restaurant and hospitality industry through COVID -19
City council has approved measures that include expanding St. Catharines’ temporary pop-up patio program and waiving parking fees that it hopes will help the local food and hospitality industry survive through the pandemic.
The city’s economic development and tourism services department, which recommended the steps, is also planning to ramp up its LoveSTC.ca campaign to promote local businesses.
“We haven’t put as much effort into one single campaign as we have this because it’s so important to support local these days,” said economic development director Brian York.
“Moving forward, we want to see that one successful.”
The website, which was launched last April as PickupSTC.ca within days of the province declaring the first COVID-19 state of emergency, is a one-stop shop featuring local businesses that provide curbside pickup and online services.
York said the city will be promoting it with billboards and radio and digital ads soon.
“It’s an effort we’re fully invested in and I think every member of the community should, or will, know what LoveSTC is certainly in a month’s time.”
Council voted Monday night to extend the city’s temporary outdoor patio program and current approvals until Jan 1, 2022. The program, which was introduced last spring, allows restaurants to spread outdoors to help make up for indoor dining restrictions during the pandemic.
It also waived fees for 2021 sidewalk and pop-up patios.
Staff were directed to work with the St. Catharines Downtown Association on temporary road closures on weekends for a second year. Last year’s closure of a section of St. Paul Street gave pedestrians room to physically distance while walking on the road so restaurant patios could take up room on the sidewalks.
Council also waived parking payments in city lots, garages and for on-street parking until the end of April across the city to help businesses that are still open and customers who want to do pickups.
Parking enforcement will continue for safety-related issues and restrictions for loading zones and curbside pickup spots.
The financial impact of waiving parking fees and reducing enforcement is estimated to be $119,000 a month.
Mayor Walter Sendzik said whenever he’s asked what the city is doing to support businesses, it’s encouraging to be able to point to these kinds of tangible ways that city staff are working with businesses and councillors are helping them save dollars.
“While the parking fee may be a $75 parking fee, for a small business operator who’s operating on their own, that adds up throughout the year,” Sendzik said.
“These are the little markers that we can show are making somewhat of a difference for the small business owners.”