Restaurant Re-openings & Patio Permissions

COVID-19
Written By

As Burlington moves into Stage 2 of the provincial reopening strategy, our beloved restaurants will finally be able to welcome customers again to dine on-site - just in time for summer!While indoor dining is not yet permitted, outdoor patios will be permitted to open for businesses as of this Friday, June 19th for those who are ready to reopen.I know our restaurant owners have been deeply engaged in the health and safety guidelines that will help them reopen in ways that keep our community health, such as the Dinesafe reopening guide and checklist from the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association and the comprehensive guidelines set out by the Province.To help our local restaurants manage provincial guidelines on physical distancing and serve as many customers as possible, the City of Burlington is working hard to enable patio expansions and pop-ups.Our teams have been working with the Burlington Restaurant Association over the past month to better understand their interest and needs so we could be ready to quickly work together on this initiative with a one-time detailed application form and an accelerated approval process.Restaurants can apply for patio permits that leverage city space downtown such as sidewalks or streets, and permits that expand into private property such as parking lots (in partnership with landlords) anywhere in the city.The application checklist for downtown patio approvals can be found here: Temp Patios Downtown Checklist June 15The application checklist for private property approvals can be found here: Temp Patios Private Property Checklist June 15Restaurant owners can reach out for help directly to Jenna Puletto, Special Business Area Coordinator and Senior Planner - Official Plan here at the City of Burlington at jenna.puletto@burlington.ca.The Region of Halton has also released an FAQ sheet to help answer some questions residents may have regarding the use of extended patios. Click this link for more: Halton Region Outdoor Patios FAQ.I know we are all looking forward to spending time outside together in a new and safely distanced way, and supporting our restaurants and small business owners who are very excited to see us again.The Province's framework for reopening includes additional details on this stage:Restaurants, bars, food trucks and other food and drink establishments (e.g., wineries, breweries and distilleries) can open for dining in outdoor areas only, such as patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent premises.

  • Establishments must take appropriate measures to ensure physical distancing of at least two metres between patrons from different households, including:
    • using reservations
    • limiting number of patrons allowed in the outdoor space at one time
    • ensuring enough space between tables, including to allow for movement
    • access to indoor facilities is limited to patio/outdoor dining area access, food pickup, payment, washrooms or other health and safety purposes
  • Liquor sales licensees who wish to temporarily extend the physical size of their existing licensed patio, or temporarily add a new licensed patio within the approved period are authorized to do so, if all the following criteria are met:
    • the physical extension of the premises is adjacent to the premises to which the licence to sell liquor applies
    • the municipality in which the premises is situated does not object to an extension
    • the licensee is able to demonstrate sufficient control over the physical extension of the premises
    • there is no condition on the liquor sales licence prohibiting a patio

—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

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