City of Toronto holding town hall meetings for street food vending industry review

News Release

October 16, 2013

City of Toronto holding town hall meetings for street food vending industry review

Members of the street food vending industry and the general public are invited to attend town hall meetings as the City of Toronto's Municipal Licensing and Standards Division reviews the City's street food vending bylaws. The goal is to create a harmonized street food vending bylaw that balances the interests of all stakeholders and encourages a vibrant street food experience.

The town hall meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss the current street food experience and examine key considerations to be taken when drafting the harmonized bylaw. Topics to be addressed:

maximum designated area that food carts may occupy on sidewalks
minimum distance that street food vendors must maintain when operating near established restaurants
role of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in the permit issuance process
current moratorium on street food vending in the downtown area and limiting the number of vendor permits issued
opportunities for vending on public property (city parks, public spaces, right-of-way)
opportunities for vending on private property (parking lots)
improved vending opportunities for mobile food vendors such as food trucks.

Schedule of Town Hall Meetings
Monday, October 21, 2 to 4 p.m., Etobicoke Civic Centre, Council Chamber
Tuesday, October 22, 10 a.m. to noon, City Hall, Committee Room 3
Tuesday, October 22, 6 to 8 p.m., City Hall, Committee Room 3
Monday, October 28, 10 a.m. to noon, Scarborough Civic Centre, Council Chamber
Monday, November 4, 2 to 4 p.m., North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber
Tuesday, November 5, 10 a.m. to noon, East York Civic Centre, Council Chamber

More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/streetfoodvending.

Staff will report consultation findings to the Licensing and Standards Committee in the spring of 2014.