'A bit messy:' Toronto mayor promises to improve CafeTO program after rocky rollout

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has promised that applying for this year’s CafeTO program will be “better” than it has been in the past, calling last year’s application process “a bit messy.”

During a news conference outside Red Rocket Coffee on Danforth Avenue on Monday, Chow announced proposed changes to the CafeTO program, which allows businesses to use sidewalks and curb space for outdoor seating.

She said the city plans to fast-track approvals for returning restaurants, letting those businesses know by the end of November if they are approved for the 2024 season.

Last year’s rollout was met with criticism from some Toronto restaurants, who said that confusing rules and excessive red tape prevented them from opening patios. Some said that after previously being approved during the pandemic, their applications were denied or approval was significantly delayed.

Chow apologized to businesses that were impacted by the sluggish administration of the program in the past.

“On behalf of the city, sorry about that,” she said. “We said we are going to do better this year and we are going to.”

Other proposed changes this year include opening up applications in mid-January for businesses that are new to the program.

“We will approve at least 90 per cent of new applicants by mid-April,” Chow promised.

She said the new deadlines will offer businesses and area residents more certainty earlier on in the year.

Chow said that the city will ensure that at least 90 per cent of approved curb lane patios are ready to go by the Victoria Day long weekend.

“We know that people are so eager to get out… after a long, cold winter,” Chow said.

City staff will begin setting up safety equipment on May 1 so that operators can be ready, she said.

The CafeTO program was initially launched in 2020 to help struggling restaurants and bars amid COVID-19 restrictions that limited or banned indoor dining. The temporary initiative was so popular among members of the public that city council ultimately voted in favour of making it a permanent program.

In addition to making it permanent, the city also decided to reinstate a one-time application fee of $865 on top of annual permit fees of $44.14 per square metre for sidewalk patios and $132.42 per square metre for curb lane patios.

In response to complaints from businesses about the cost, city council opted to phase in those fees over a three-year period, lowering the application fee to $285 in 2023 and the annual permit fee to $14.56 per square metre for sidewalk patios and $43.70 per square metre for curb lane patios. Those fees will double for the 2024 season.

In 2023, the city said the CafeTO program included 1,000 outdoor patios, including more than 330 curb lane cafes, 500 sidewalk cafes, and dozens of patios on private property.

The program netted $200 million in economic benefits to Toronto in 2022, according to a city-funded study.