Saint John will waive sidewalk café permit fees for the second year in a row due to COVID-19 impacts.
The City of Saint John will waive 100 per cent of sidewalk café permit fees, and fees for parking spaces where patios are constructed due to COVID-19 impacts.
It will also allocate $20,000 through the ENCORE fund (Municipal Economic and Community Recovery Program) for this initiative.
“The initiative applies to areas covered by the current sidewalk café program which includes sidewalks and parking spaces within the Uptown Business Improvement Area (BIA) and does not apply to cafés or patios on private property that are covered under separate licensing agreements,” reads a city staff report.
The initiative is in line with other cities in Atlantic Canada that have also waived patio permit fees.
“Staff will publicize this program to typical applicants for sidewalk café permits and will work with our Growth partners to spread awareness of this initiative to other potential applicants,” continues a staff report.
There is also a minimal administrative burden for the city to implement the program and it is designed to meet the requirements of the Sidewalk By-Law.
Last year, 17 businesses participated in the Sidewalk Café Rebate Initiative.
