B.C. business decries ‘money grab’ to make pandemic patio permanent

The owners of a cafe connected Vancouver Island will get to support their patio but are slamming what they opportunity was an unfair and costly process.

Hide and Seek Coffee successful Oak Bay yet had to salary $2,000 and spell done a metropolis assembly gathering to person nan patio approved.

“It felt for illustration it was an unfair money grab,” co-owner Jamie Owens said.

“We would dream nan metropolis would want to thief america amended our spaces and amended nationalist spaces wherever communities get together, and it didn’t consciousness for illustration that.”

Hide and Seek is 1 of galore businesses that were granted free impermanent patio permits erstwhile nan COVID-19 pandemic collapsed out.

The state has since required municipalities to person those impermanent permits to imperishable ones, which is wherever nan conflict arose.

Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch said patios successful his organization autumn nether 2 categories: those that are straight successful beforehand of a business, and those that widen beyond a business’ frontage.

There’s a basal $500 interest for nan former, while those that autumn into nan second class must salary an further $1,500 fee.

“We require immoderate consultation pinch nan neighbours and unit person to do a spot of legwork to make judge it is successful keeping (with) information issues, and past that study has to travel to council,” Murdoch said.

“That costs fundamentally covers a information of our costs for managing nan process.”

Murdoch added that businesses sewage nan use of patios for 4 years astatine nary cost.

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Owens said nan process felt for illustration needless and costly reddish tape, peculiarly fixed that nan next-door business, whose frontage nan patio extends into, was afloat successful support of nan application.

She said conscionable 2 patios successful nan organization were required to salary nan other fee.

Adding reproach to wounded for Owens, erstwhile nan exertion went earlier assembly immoderate councillors took rumor pinch its appearance, describing it arsenic a “horse corral” and not reflective of nan community.

In response, nan cafe invited residents to travel down and thief re-paint nan patio enclosure complete nan weekend.

“We decided to show them what Oak Bay is,” she said. “Now they can’t opportunity it doesn’t correspond Oak Bay.”