The City of Victoria asked and the provincial government listened — and then some. The province announced Thursday it was extending provisions that allow restaurants to serve alcohol on temporary patio areas established during the pandemic until next spring.
The provisions had been set to expire June 1, and the city had been pushing for an extension until Oct. 31.
The extension until March 31 gives restaurants a year to recoup some of the money lost through the pandemic, and iron out details of liquor licences for patio areas.
The city has already extended its temporary patio permitting provisions to Oct 31, but Mayor Lisa Helps said it’s unlikely the city would extend its dates until the spring.
“I think we’ll stick with October with the assumption that there won’t be too many outdoor diners in the winter months,” she said. “This will give restaurants until March 2023 to get their expanded liquor licence areas in place through the province, but without affecting their businesses during the high season.
“Having said that, we’ll wait to see what staff recommend, since they’re the ones doing the work.”
Helps said the extension will give the city time to make the patios a permanent feature of downtown and other neighbourhoods.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said rolling over the temporary provisions gives local governments time to make policy changes and assess applications for permanent structural changes, and ensures patio service isn’t disrupted during the busy summer season.
Ian Tostenson, chief executive of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said the decision was great news for the restaurants and bars that have innovated and adapted over the past two years, saying it will take one worry off businesses’ plates.
The temporary patios were intended to help businesses weather the pandemic by giving them space to serve more patrons, as health orders restricted the number who could be served indoors.
The fact they will be permanent for some businesses is one of the silver linings of the pandemic, said Jeff Bray of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
Bray said the patios have added to the vitality and vibrancy of downtown Victoria. “We are also supportive of Victoria city council’s advocacy with the province to bring in this extension.”
The city is still establishing a municipal process for restaurants to apply to make their outdoor seating areas permanent, which it has said won’t be quite as liberal as the pandemic program, or as inflexible as the existing sidewalk café bylaw.
