News Toronto & GTA Acanac City bureaucrats recommend food truck freedom 0 By Don Peat ,City Hall Bureau Chief First posted: Monday, March 10, 2014 10:11 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, March 10, 2014 10:20 PM EDT Caplanskys food truck Caplanskys food truck. (Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun) Article 1 Change text size for the story Print this story Report an error Related Stories Let market decide on food trucks New Toronto food truck bylaw eyed TORONTO - If city councillors can stomach it, Toronto’s street food scene is about to get a major shake-up. City bureaucrats are recommending slashing most of the red tape that has tied up the emerging food truck industry. The changes, if approved by council, would let food trucks with a food vending permit roam the city and set up shop in parking spots along streets and in parking lots provided they aren’t within 50 metres of a restaurant. Carleton Grant, of the city’s licensing and standards department, predicted the changes will allow Toronto to join U.S. cities like Boston as a leader in the street food industry. “We feel by providing those opportunities we will create a diverse food culture which is what Toronto is starving for,” Grant said Monday. Staff hope the changes, if approved at a committee next week and at city council next month, could allow vendors to be up and running by the Victoria Day long weekend. The changes could lead to food fights. Business improvement areas (BIAs) could object to food trucks using streets in their areas and push for a ban. Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, a food truck advocate, said she believes there is support on city council for the changes. “I’m optimistic that there is appetite for this,” McMahon said. Councillor Mike Layton was open to looking at the rules, adding he’ll talk to the business improvement areas and restaurants in his ward about the 50-metre rule. “I think that 50 metres is a pretty long distance,” Layton said. “When you have the density of restaurants that you have in my neighbourhood, that doesn’t leave a lot of space on the main streets.” Mayoral candidate John Tory held a press conference Monday with Caplansky’s food truck in the background to urge councillors to approve the changes. Tory called the street food debate “one of the longest-running soap operas at City Hall.” Readers comments » By adding a comment on the site, you accept our terms and conditions and our netiquette rules.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 02:57:21 +0000
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