The City of Vancouver has extended its free temporary expedited patio program to Oct. 31, 2021 for restaurants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said today.
That means that the temporary patios – which in some cases have allowed some restaurants to regain capacity at their establishments to a level close to pre-pandemic numbers – will be able to operate throughout the winter and into next spring and summer.
The program was introduced on June 1 to allow restaurants with available outdoor spaces to re-purpose seating that was indoors to the outdoor area, provided that social distancing measures are maintained.
Originally, the patios approved to operate were to stay open until Oct. 31 of this year. As of Aug. 14, 361 patios were approved (291 on public property and 70 on private land) – and the City of Vancouver noted that the number has increased to more than 400 approved temporary patios as of today.
In a statement, Vancouver general manager or development, buildings and licensing Jessie Adcock said that officials “heard clearly from businesses that this is an urgent need, and the City made many operational and policy changes very quickly to make this happen.”
Officials also admitted that there will be seasonal complexities to patio dining in the fall and winter months – something that the City “will learn and adapt” to as the process goes along.
For a full list of approved temporary patios, click here.
