Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors finalized their vote this spring to end the town’s temporary patio program at the end of this year, and some business owners with patio permits say the landscape of local business and tourism is about to change.

Business owners with patio permits issued during the pandemic will soon see changes, with some having no opportunity to reapply at all. 

Speaking with The Lake Report, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said all patios operating under temporary licenses will cease operations in December, and those on municipal lands may not be able to reapply for permanent licenses.

“Any patio on town-owned land, once the end of the temporary permits expire, they will not be able to continue there,” Zalepa said. 

In cases where patio licenses were granted but the structures themselves are on privately owned property, owners can apply for a new, permanent permit.

Paul Dietsch, co-owner of The Sandtrap Pub & Grill, said this is likely the route his business will take.

In an interview, Dietsch said the pub isn’t affected very much by the changes. 

“We will still have to apply for a permanent permit, which is definitely in our plans. But yeah, just the (patios) on town lands have to worry,” he said. 

Jovie Joki, owner of the Irish Harp, is one of the business owners who has to worry.

The Harp’s patio is primarily on private property, but part of it extends onto municipal lands, Joki said in an interview. 

The municipality has estimated that the annual cost of having a patio on a parking space, per spot, could be $10,352 to $13,800, stated communications co-ordinator Marah Minor in an email.

If Joki were to try and get a permanent patio, the cost would be extortionate, she said, based on her looking into the cost of buying parking spots and creating the required parking spaces to accommodate diners using the patio.

“It’s really close to a million dollars.”

The high price tag factors in parking spaces that the town requires for patios, “Whereas before, it was just waived,” she said.

Joki added she was hoping the town would introduce a seasonal program, but after several meetings discussing it, the subject has seemingly been dropped. 

“Everything’s just been shelved, I don’t really know what happened,” she said. 

Jokie said the patio program’s end will hurt tourism in NOTL.

“It’s not good at this time, especially with everything else and the Americans not coming here — it’s not going to help,” she said. 

Kim Gauld, co-owner of the Sunset Grill on Queen Street, wrote in an email that embracing outdoor patios would be a positive for the future of tourism in NOTL and called the news of the program coming to an end “concerning.”

Sunset Grill’s patrons, both from in and out of town, have “enthusiastically embraced” dining outdoors, she said.

“We were excited that the staff had a report ready for the council in February, and then surprised by the council’s change in direction,” she wrote.

Their restaurant’s patio occupies two parking spots. Gauld said she and her husband, co-owner Scott Gauld, are open to paying a fair fee that “reflects the value we gain and the positive impact our patio has on the community,” she wrote.

She said the higher prices presented in town staff’s report would be “a significant consideration for a small business like ours,” and noted that Toronto’s CafeTO patio program, for example, charges around $4,000 per spot.

“The town staff has a report with many options that could be discussed to make a sustainable and equitable program,” she wrote.

With files from Zahraa Hmood.