Bylaw changes to streamline business for markets, taxis and food trucks in Coaldale

Coaldale’s business bylaw has been updated with changes for markets, taxis and food trucks.

During their regular April 22 meeting, Coaldale town council discussed a potential amendment to the town’s Business Bylaw.

Business Licence Bylaw Amendment 877-R04-24 aims to bring the town’s current bylaw in line with current provincial regulations, encourage compliance and identify growing business sectors in the community. If passed, it would also repeal the town’s Taxi Bylaw 552-R-11-05, as taxi and other network transports, like uber, would be included in the amended Business Bylaw. The current Business Bylaw was approved in November 2021.

In addition to taxis, other amendments include food trucks and markets/farmers markets.

“As Coaldale grows, it’s attracting a variety of businesses that our current Business License Bylaw does not address,” said Mark Anderson, manager of community policing for the Town. “The proposed updates to the bylaw, and the rescinding of the taxi bylaw, would streamline provide better business definitions and descriptions, and foster a better business environment in Coaldale.”

Anderson said the town’s Taxi Bylaw is outdated, and is out of date in regards to transportation network businesses, such as Ubers. In addition, it is behind many other municipalities, who have taken out taxi restrictions in their bylaws. These changes revolved around current business license requirements regarding taxis, and include rideshare services in the Town’s bylaws.

The town is attracting more food trucks from out of town, but as it’s extremely expensive for food trucks to get an out-of-town licence, they’re either not getting one or opting for single-day licences, resulting in repeated visits by enforcement services to ensure they are in compliance with licencing. Changes for food trucks include having a specific business licensing category, fire inspection requirements, and submission of Health Services Documentation, to encourage them to do local business while not placing excessive costs on them.

Local markets and farmers markets are becoming more popular, but the current Business License Bylaw makes no provisions for this, and it is extremely difficult to navigate the current rules in place for the market organizer and vendors. These changes are centred around making it easier to understand the bylaw and provide clarity for people holding the markets.

If the bylaw amendment passes, a education and social media campaign will be undertaken in regards to food trucks, markets and taxi businesses to let people known about the rule changes.

Coun. Jason Beekman asked if there was an incident to cause the taxi bylaw to come up for review again, which Anderson said no, but in reviewing the Business License bylaw, it was brought to his attention, and when they reviewed it they noticed inconsistencies.

Council unanimously passed all three readings of Business Licence Bylaw Amendment 877-R-0424.