‘The process is broken:’ Toronto councillor pitches fix for patio permit holdups

City Councillor Brad Bradford is calling for easier patio permit applications as a bistro owner says she waited for six to seven months to get her permit.

A Toronto city councillor is calling for changes to a “broken” permitting process after an east-end restaurant missed months of this summer’s patio season while its application was on hold at City Hall.

Tiarrés Brunch & Bistro in the Beaches was finally granted permission to operate its 80-seat sidewalk café last week—after its April application was automatically refused by the city because two neighbours filed undisclosed objections.

“What would have seemed like a pretty straightforward rubber-stamping kind of exercise resulted in delay and refusal,” Beaches East-York Coun. Brad Bradford said Thursday at a campaign-style press conference in front of the restaurant.

“It’s not enough to just say we support businesses… when our policies keep actively putting up roadblocks.”

Tiarrés owner Anotha Thamesh operated her sidewalk cafe at 1980 Queen St. E. all last summer in a location that has been home to outdoor seating for 45 years. But, her permit renewal process was snagged when just two of 47 neighbours who received mailout notices from the city indicated their opposition.

“To object to having a permit re-issued is just mind-boggling,” the chair of the local business improvement area (BIA), Russell Ward, told CTV News Toronto.

Bradford is proposing raising the threshold of automatic permit refusal to objections from 25 per cent of surveyed neighbours, so that as few as two complaints cannot force the applicant to appeal.

Under that model, contentious applications could still be reviewed, but straight renewals and non-problematic patios wouldn’t get held up in bureaucratic delays, he said.

“This is actually about cutting red tape to make it easier for small business and entrepreneurs who are trying to realize a dream in this city,” Bradford said.

“We need to be working with them, not against them.”

“It’s a much more fair process to set the amount of objections at a percentage of those notified, rather than just a flat ‘two,’” Milena Stanoeva, senior director at Restaurants Canada, told CTV News Toronto.

“It would give the business owners a bit more clarity, and a bit more certainty, that when they’re putting these applications in, they’re being given a fair shake.”

Bradford intends to submit his proposal as a member motion at next week’s council meeting, requiring the support of his colleagues to pass.

It has been widely speculated that Bradford will challenge Olivia Chow in next year’s mayoral election, though he has not confirmed that.

“There is a desire for change,” Bradford said Thursday, when asked whether his announcement was another indication that he would run for mayor.

“There is a desire for fresh generational leadership that is not afraid to stand up and focus on the things that matter most to everyday people.”

A spokesperson for Chow said her office would be reviewing the details of Bradford’s patio proposal, but that she supports cutting red tape.

“Mayor Chow is always open to continuous improvement and supporting our local restaurants and small businesses,” said Shirven Rezvany.

Bradford’s proposal would apply specifically to sidewalk seating and not the curb-lane patios that are run through the CafeTO program.

Streamlining the application process could significantly improve the bottom lines of local restaurants who get caught up in the appeal queue, said Lori Van Soelen, manager of The Beach BIA.

“When you think of patio season, you are missing out on the significant months to make that revenue,” she said.

“It’s a huge hit for these businesses.”

Thamesh agrees the months-long delay in receiving her patio permit cost her both time and money. Her patio generates as much as 60 per cent of her annual restaurant revenue, she said.

“I’m expecting more from the City to be able to help the businesses like myself succeed.”

“This is definitely a step forward.”