The quantity of seasonal patios on city property fell by more than half this year – the first summer since the program was made permanent, with new rules and fees applied.
There were 14 businesses that participated in the initiative this time around, setting up patios in blocked-off street parking spaces, down from 33 in 2023, says a city staff report released on Friday.
That’s a 58 per cent reduction.
“Although the 2024 season shows a roughly 50 per cent reduction in participation, patio sizes for those who have continued to participate in the program have remained mostly consistent with installed patios in previous years,” states the report.
“For those that did not participate in 2024 but did participate in 2023, seven applied for or maintained sidewalk-only patios and also hold encroachment agreements with the city in compliance with the city lands encroachment bylaw.”
The initiative started as a response to lockdowns and public health measures early in the pandemic turned into a three-year pilot project that wrapped up at the end of the 2023 season.
In July of last year, council voted to make the program permanent. In doing so, it implemented a series of new rules and fees. Previously, most fees were waived or funded largely by provincial grants.
Participating businesses were charged $659 for the season to be part of the initiative, as well as $10 per square metre of public space used each month of the program.
“The fees collected for the seasonal patio program in 2024 were able to cover the cost of facilitating the program,” notes the staff report.
The seasonal patio program ran between May 4 and Sept. 27.