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An Edmonton councillor is putting forward a motion to challenge increasing patio fees for businesses set to go into effect next month.
Ward tastawiyinwak Coun. Karen Principe said her motion, asking for city council to reconsider instating the fee, comes after she heard from multiple business owners who said it would be too costly.
“Edmonton is home to so many small- and medium-sized businesses, and these patio fees can possibly negatively impact them,” she said in an interview Monday.
“That’s just not the most conducive way of supporting our economic development or the businesses that help make our city thrive.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city waived fees associated with the patio program.
But starting in April, businesses would need to pay $6,900 to operate a large year-round patio on a public space, and $3,700 for large seasonal patios.
Quinn Phillips with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association said businesses are already facing increasing pressures to stay open, and that an added fee could be detrimental.
“Many of them already have outstanding loans from the pandemic and current challenges,” she said.
“Then, of course, we’re talking about inflationary pressures on food and supplies, new tariffs on alcohol. So all these extra costs are already really, highly impacting them.”
Phillips said she understands that business owners and city council will need to meet in the middle, but ultimately hopes that the fees can be waived.
“We have asked to suspend the plan in favour of a holistic approach … that recognizes the importance of patios and the safety, vibrancy and economic economic development of downtown,” she said.
Ward O-day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson said providing the program at no cost was no longer viable within the city’s budget.
She cites the loss of parking spaces and regulatory processes in place to ensure patios are following guidelines as costs the fees would be making up for.
Additionally, Stevenson said the city has lost a considerable amount of revenue from photo radar that was pulled from a number of sites.
She said patios were supported by Edmonton’s Safe Mobility Strategy, which was funded through photo radar revenue.
“Patios served as traffic calming. They could narrow the streets, just provide those sticky sides which make cars travel more cautiously and slowly,” Stevenson said.
“With the cancellation of automated enforcement or photo radar, we just don’t have access to those funds anymore. We aren’t generating that revenue.”
Stevenson will be looking at a number of things when the motion goes up for debate at council, namely what the financial cost would be if all patio fees were waived, and where council could find the money to cover those costs.
“Another approach is that we could see how this first season goes,” she said.
“If we see a considerable drop in the number of patio applications and patio installations for me that would really speak to this truly being a barrier.”
City council is set to debate the motion in the next few days.
If passed, patio fees would be temporarily paused, as councillors find other ways to come up with funding.