St Catharines waives patio fees for 2022
Published June 22, 2021 at 3:44 pm
If you’re a restaurant or bar owner in St Catharines, you can look ahead to next year and feel good about at least one less financial pinch.
As it did in 2020 and 2021, City Council recently voted to waive all sidewalk patio and licensing fees for the summer of 2022 as part of the City’s push to help the business sectors most hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business licensing fees will also be waived for amusement arcades; auctioneers; food trucks; public halls; refreshment stands and theatres.
“The entertainment and hospitality industries have been extremely hard hit by the pandemic, but it is these businesses that are so crucial not only as employers but as key players in establishing our City as a destination and breathing new life into our streets,” said Brian York, the city’s Director of Economic Development and Tourism Services.
“As a City, we remain committed to supporting them in whatever ways we can, including eliminating some of the costs associated with them doing business during the recovery period.”
Aside from the waiving of fees, the City is still looking for ways to lend short-term support to its businesses.
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Restaurants are being given an opportunity to set up larger patios in a bid to offset the losses of 2020 and the lockdown of 2021.
As well, the City will continue setting up weekend road closures in its downtown core in an effort to lure more foot traffic to the local eateries.
In terms of long-term recovery, York’s department created a strategic plan to shore up future economic safeguards for businesses that was drafted into St Catharines’ Pandemic Recovery Strategy.
St Catharines City Hall photo courtesy of St Catharines Facebook page
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