Restaurants now allowed to expand patios

Outdoor patios at restaurants and bars have been given the green light to grow, allowing more people to dine or have a drink in the open air as summer gets into full swing.

Premier Doug Ford said the government has amended emergency orders to cut red tape and allow municipalities to quickly pass temporary bylaws, clearing the way during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measure follows consultations with chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and a push from Progressive Conservative MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill), who proposed the idea in May to help restaurants and bars struggling to stay afloat selling takeaway food, beer, wine and spirits.

“Businesses across the province are demonstrating that we can still enjoy our beautiful Ontario summer while protecting the health and safety of their patrons,” Ford said in a statement Friday as new cases of COVID-19 rose to 165, up 12 from the previous day.

“Restaurants and bars are an important part of our economy and a great driver of employment,” he added. “We will continue to support them as our province reopens and recovers.”

The changes under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act will speed up the approval process for restaurants and bars wanting to create or extend patios and allow covered outdoor dining areas, with certain stipulations.

As the law stands under the Planning Act, it can take several weeks to get the required permissions but the changes under the emergency act will shorten the process to days, the government said.

Until now, restaurants and bars in parts of the province now in stage two reopening mode have been permitted to host guests on outdoor patios only.

The emergency order issued Friday clarified that outdoor dining areas can open if they have a roof, canopy, tent or awning, so long as two sides are fully open to the outdoors with no substantial blockages to keep the air flowing.

Statistics from the health ministry showed more regional health units reporting small numbers of cases than usual, with 14 of 34 reporting no new cases at all. Most of the rest reported fewer than five new cases with Toronto the highest at 87, York with 23 and Peel at 22.

The week saw a substantial decline in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, with the number down to 155 on Friday from 256 at the same time last week. Forty patients remained in intensive care with 25 of them on ventilators, down from 61and 41 as reported by the ministry last Friday.