Mayoral candidate Clive Doucet promised Wednesday to relax regulations for small outdoor patios if elected this year.
Part of what he’s dubbed his “new deal” for small businesses, Doucet said at a news conference he plans to simplify the registration process for small patios to a one-page, low-cost application.
“We are penalizing (small businesses) with rules. It shouldn’t take UN negotiations to put up a vegetable stand or open a small patio. We should be able to say yea or nay within 60 days from application and the fee should be a small, annual flat fee that applies across the city, designed for business prosperity, not to line city hall pocket books,” Doucet said.
Brian Karem, owner of Maclaren's bar on the corner of Elgin and Maclaren streets, has been fighting to build a patio for over ten years. His application to the city to build a 42-seat patio was recently deferred several months.
According to Karem, the current approval procedure is complicated and costly, requiring owners to collect signatures for support and pay up to $15,000 for a process architect. It’s also forbidden to build a patio within 30 metres of residential buildings, which makes Elgin Street a difficult spot.
While Doucet’s promise only concerns patios of five tables or less, Karem said limiting the processing time to a maximum of 60 days is a step in the right direction.
“Elgin Street is not only the main street of Ottawa, but the main street of Canada,” he said. “If it’s good for the streets, it’s good for the city and good for the country.”
Doucet also announced plans to provide better recycling services to small businesses and make shopping streets more pedestrian-friendly with wider sidewalks, street furniture and improved parking.