City Establishes New Guidelines to Support Local Businesses During Restart

Port Alberni, BC – To assist local businesses in finding innovative and creative ways of servicing the community, the City has established a set of guidelines that will allow approved businesses to expand their operations onto sidewalk areas and other City-owned properties.

The established guidelines, adopted by Port Alberni City Council on June 8, 2020, provide business owners with the general criteria and requirements to expand their operating space by way of a Temporary Sidewalk Use permit and a Licence of Occupation. Consistent with other Vancouver Island municipalities, the guidelines support the Liquor and Cannabis Regulations Branch to ensure continuity in service for business owners. Any approved temporary expansions will remain valid until October 31, 2020.

“The primary hurdle for businesses during this phased reopening is the space required to meet the physical distancing requirements,” said Shawn Bourgoin, Manager of Recreation Services and lead of the City’s Business Restart initiative. “To be economically viable, some businesses need to expand their operations to the outdoors. These new guidelines allow for that by granting temporary access to City-owned sidewalks and/or streets.”

One such example of this initiative in action is at Harbour Quay, where a local merchant recently expanded their operations onto the sidewalk area, allowing for more patrons to be accommodated while still observing the physical distancing requirements.

“We want our local business community to know that we are here to support and work with them, and to make things easier for a quicker and safer restart. It is exciting to see our local retail businesses reopening their doors and modifying the way they serve the community in response to the new COVID-19 standards, and we encourage any business that wants to expand their operations to contact our team and start the conversation,” concluded Shawn Bourgoin.

For more information on the City’s new guidelines, go to www.portalberni.ca/business-resources.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Shawn Bourgoin
Manager of Recreation Services
250-720-2519
shawn_bourgoin@portalberni.ca