Coming off a wet spring and summer, Kingston’s restaurant and bar owners are relieved to hear Kingston City Council has decided to extend patio season by a month, until the end of November.
It’s the first time City Hall has extended the season.
Trillium district councillor Adam Candon is in favour of the extension.
“It makes sense to make these decisions based on the weather, and I think that this is a win-win for everybody.”
Downtown pub owner Paul Fortier applauds the decision, noting it gives businesses some flexibility to stay open for longer.
“We do pay rent and that’s additional revenue for the city, and … it helps small businesses as well in the downtown,” Fortier said.
Kingston Brewing Company manager Honey-Lee Pratt says many restaurateurs would like to see patios open earlier in the year, potentially during the “shoulder season,” which can start as early as March.
Many customers also like the idea of being able to have a meal or a pint outdoors well into autumn.
With climate change in mind, councillors say they’re open to the idea of serving up a longer patio season for Kingston residents and tourists alike.
“This is coming to administrative policies in our next meeting, which is the start of November,” said Candon, who sits on the municipal committee. “So it’s going to be discussed in detail, but this is kind of a trial run this year.”
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
Comments