Patio season is here to stay: London extends temporary rules until Dec. 31
One business owner says the extension may not provide enough support for her restaurant
Are you willing to bundle up and brave the colder weather for the chance to gather outside with friends on a patio?
The city has extended its temporary patio rules until Dec. 31, hoping the extension will help businesses hard-hit by COVID-19 restrictions and closures.
"London's businesses have shown that it is possible to create truly wonderful shopping and dining experiences while following all health precautions," Mayor Ed Holder said in a statement.
"We must help make the transition into cooler weather as smooth as possible so businesses can continue serving customers safely."
Businesses continue to face "tremendous pressure" because of rising case counts and limits on indoor dining, said Jim Yanchula, manager of downtown projects for the city.
"The city is committed to helping in any way we can," he said.
Will patrons come out to cold patios?
Katie Roney, owner of Katie's Kitchen, told CBC London the extension doesn't do much help to her restaurant.
The restaurant owner says she would need to pay upwards of $200 to purchase heaters for the patio, if she decides to keep it open.
Currently, her restaurant's patio can seat 15 — half the capacity of indoor seating indoors, which is 30.
"It just lessens my already small capacity of restaurant to even smaller," Roney said."[It's] frustrating as a small business owner that all the help that we could get is kind of gone away."
The Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program, which helped small business owners with rent relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, was extended into September but has now ended.
Roney says with the ending of the rent-relief program, there isn't much else to help struggling small business owners like her.
She says she is also unsure whether customers would want to sit outside in less-favourable weather, even if she bought heaters.
Businesses wishing keep their patios open can contact the city's Back to Business (B2B) team, because they may have to take additional steps to maintain and operate their patios safely during the colder weather.
With files from Sara Jabakhanji