Barrie city council temporarily extends patio hours
Barrie city council is doing what it can to help increase revenue for struggling restaurants as they begin to see some restrictions released.
As of Friday, the province is entering step one of its Roadmap to Reopening, allowing restaurants that have been forced to operate with just take-out and delivery options for months to begin to welcome customers back outside.
To help those businesses bring in as much needed revenue as possible, city council met for a special virtual meeting Friday to extend the hours that patios can operate.
"This is a great way for us to support our small local businesses as they recover from the pandemic, and it's a great way for residents to get out and get that sense of social connection that I think everyone is so desperately looking for right now," says Ward 2 councillor Keenan Aylwin, who brought fort the motion behind Thursday's special meeting.
Going into effect simultaneously as the province enters the first step of its reopening plan, the new hours will see patios remaining open until 12:15 a.m. Monday through Thursday, with those hours extended until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Canada Day.
Rules for when a person can enter or re-enter a patio have also been extended to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 1:45 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Canada Day.
Aylwin, whose motion was seconded by councillor Sergio Morales, says he has heard from some downtown residents concerned about noise volumes, which was why different hours were put in place for weekdays and weekends.
"We wanted to make sure that we could strike that right balance where we're supporting our local businesses by giving them that extra time to do business while also recognizing that people still need to get up in the morning and go to work or their kids need to go to virtual learning, and we don't want to disturb people too much," says Aylwin.
The extended hours are only meant to be in effect while restaurants are unable to serve guests inside. Once indoor dining is allowed, the previous hours that patios had to operate under will resume.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.