Patio bylaw public hearing next month

Related Stories and Links

Halifax Regional Council has voted in favour of some revisions to a proposed bylaw for sidewalk patios.

The proposal had asked for bar owners to have a required liability insurance of $5-million, up from a current $2-million, but an amendment tabled by Councillor Reg Rankin put the new figure at $3-million.

Councillor Waye Mason said hes okay with the decision for now.

I expect staff will come to us in a couple years and say, Were having issues and we need to $5-million, I think thats going to come eventually, but its okay to phase it in, said Mason.

Council is also going ahead with a supplementary staff report which will look at a tiered fee structure and possible subsidies for small patios.

Mason said he fears council will approve year-round patios for those that qualify, shortly after theyve been taken down for the year.

We might be able to get the bylaw rushed through quickly enough, that its approved in time for those patio owners so they dont have to take them down, said Mason. But thats looking a lot less likely after today because council asked for some changes and weve scheduled the public meeting that wont happen until a week at the end of October.

Mason said having outdoor patios year round would be a huge deal for Halifax, and will add to the attractiveness of the city.

Read the rest here:
Patio bylaw public hearing next month