Barrie Patios may be open for an extra hour

BARRIE, ONT. -

Patio season is days away, and city councillors are looking to help businesses and patrons squeeze one more hour in.

On Friday, as part of the first phase of the provinces reopening plan, people are required to clear out of patios by 11:15 p.m., but on Thursday night, Barrie city council will vote on a proposal to let people stay an hour later.

"They'll be able to remain on the patio until 12:15. So, it's adding that extra hour to allow for more business, as businesses recover out of this pandemic," said Keenan Aylwin Barrie City Councillor.

If approved, the move would be temporary and would be in place until restaurants and bars can serve inside again—a happy medium for many businesses.

"It's a huge revenue potential upswing for us. Just people that want to sit around having a charcuterie board and a glass of wine" said Chris Gerrard, the owner of Queen's Hometown Pub.

Aylwin stresses that even with extended patio hours, noise bylaws would stand—amplified music won't be allowed.

"Being here 31 years, noise does travel, and people do get woken up, and we don't want to have a conflict between residents and business owners," said Gerrard.

"We pride ourselves on trying very hard to be a responsible neighbour. I think we have to cognizant of what business does downtown for the business but also for the residents. but I think it's worth trying," said Tim Gallinger, the operations manager for Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery Tavern

If council signs off, the extra hour on the patio will be approved for Friday.