Restaurants and bars like those on 104 Street in Edmonton’s downtown might have to pay to open their patios this summer, and it has one business owner questioning if he can pay the price for a patio license.

“Maybe we take a break this year and rethink it for the next year,” said Flavius Joita, the owner of Birdog.

Joita runs Birdog on 104 Street in the centre of Edmonton’s downtown, and with the potential of paying the City of Edmonton for a patio license, he says it’s another in a long line of costs that are increasing for his business.

“I don’t believe you can tax to get the vibrancy down here on 104th. With the prices of food going through the roof — I don’t know if this is the year to add thousands of dollars in patio taxes,” Joita explained.

The new patio fees were announced earlier this year. At the time, Edmonton’s mayor told CityNews the patio fees were needed to offset property tax increases.

Owners could be paying nearly $7,000 for a year-long patio and $3,700 for a seasonal one on City sidewalks.

Councillor Karen Principe’s motion called on City leaders to rethink fees, but council shot down that motion on Wednesday, voting to keep the fees in place.

Principe told CityNews the city’s small business owners can’t afford the increase in costs.

“I understand why administration brought this forward, but maybe we just didn’t realize the impact it would have on these businesses. and I think it warrants further discussion,” said Principe.

Others on council are wondering if the new fees will make much of a difference to the city’s budget.

“What exactly these costs are offsetting? Because these businesses that are building these patios, it’s all their costs to incur, how they want to build that out,” said Reed Clarke, councillor for Ward Nakota Isga.

Joita said that with nearby Valley Line West LRT construction closing down 102 Avenue, the patio fees are another hit to his business ahead of the summer season.

“Before COVID, we used to get 10,000 people on 104 Street. It was one of the most important markets in North America. So now with that happening, with the street being blocked, with the patio going up, we’re going to have some challenges with that,” said Joita.

Adding that these pricey patio fees will put a lid on downtown’s vibrancy.