Item - 2022.EC28.2

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend Municipal Code Chapter 742, Sidewalk Cafés, Parklets and Marketing Displays, to extend the live music on cafes pilot for 2022 by adding a new subsection 742-9.9C as follows:

C. Despite Subsection A, from May 1, 2022 to November 7, 2022, inclusive, amplified sound on a sidewalk café is permitted if:

1. the permit area is located in Ward 9, 10, 11, 14, 19 and 21;

2. the amplified sound is played only between the hours of:

            i. 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Thursday or Friday;

            ii. Noon to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday; or

            iii. Noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday;

3. the permit area is not located on a local road;

4. the permit holder has not been convicted of an offence under Toronto Municipal Code, or the Reopening Ontario Act in the past 12 months, unless in the opinion of the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, measures have been taken to adequately resolve past issues of non-compliance.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards and General Manager, Transportation Services, to report back to City Council on the results of the pilot and the feasibility of expanding the program city-wide, including considerations for enforcement resources.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to report to the Economic and Community Development Committee on the results of the restaurant and hospitality industry survey and any implications for the City's support for the restaurant industry and future programs in the first quarter of 2023.

4. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to extend the CaféTO program until August 31, 2022 for cafés on the sidewalk which have already been approved under the program for a term ending on April 14, 2022; and amend Municipal Code Chapter 742, Sidewalk Cafés, Parklets and Marketing Displays, to add the following term to the definition for 2020/22 Café:

6. a curbside café or frontage café which was also approved during the term described in Subsection 3. from no earlier than April 15, 2022 to no later than August 31, 2022, inclusive.

5. City Council request the General Manager of Transportation Services, the Executive Director of Economic Development and Culture, the Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards, the Chief Building Official and the Executive Director of Toronto Building, in consultation with Toronto Fire, Toronto Public Health and other relevant stakeholders, to report before the end of 2022 on the feasibility, safety, and relevant conditions for the approval of full or partial, permanent or seasonal, enclosures and heating for patios on the public right of way, including fire safety, building code requirements, air quality, utility access, and winter maintenance operating challenges.

6. City Council renew and extend and the agreement between the City of Toronto and the University of Toronto Scarborough, for the purposes of the Find Dining program, to May 31, 2023 to allow for the previously allocated funds to be used.

The restaurant industry has been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, the City has sought to both strengthen existing programs and to create enhanced supports for this struggling industry. The Economic Development and Culture division has been directed to create numerous new industry focused initiatives with the goal of understanding:

- How to best support the restaurant and hospitality sector through the COVID-19 pandemic;

- How to expand the geographic reach of restaurant industry support programs.
 

This report provides updates to key program activities including:

- CaféTO

- Amplified music on patios pilot

- Supporting the restaurant and hospitality industry outside downtown

- Marketing and financial supports available to the sector