At the height of social distancing and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadian cities rolled out temporary patio policies, loosening rules and waiving fees for bars and restaurants looking to seat more customers outdoors.

These programs brought a glimmer of hope 91裸聊视频� and revenue 91裸聊视频� to businesses that had been forced to shut their doors, allowing them to offer more outdoor dining to citizens eager to leave their houses.

Now, as cities transition into their new normal post-pandemic, experts say patios need better across-the-board standardization to make them more accessible, as well as more predictable for the businesses still trying to make up for lost sales.

91裸聊视频淚t was a thing that became an obvious no-brainer for better streets and better neighbourhoods and better cities,91裸聊视频� said city planning consultant Brent Toderian, who is also the former chief planner for Vancouver.

91裸聊视频淪o it91裸聊视频檚 remarkable how bad a job we91裸聊视频檝e done.91裸聊视频�

When the pandemic hit, restaurants and bars shut their doors, resorting to takeout services or going dark altogether, and the extended patios were a lifeline for many businesses.

91裸聊视频淭he pandemic was a bit of a forced pilot program,91裸聊视频� said James DiPaolo, a senior associate at Urban Strategies.

91裸聊视频淐ities were looking at creative ways to adapt, and they were forced to do it on a much faster timetable than they91裸聊视频檙e used to.91裸聊视频�

Three years later, the transition to the new normal looks different everywhere you look, with some municipalities making temporary changes permanent while others roll them back.

But advocates have been sounding the alarm about the accessibility concerns of sidewalk and curbside patios for several years, and say that any permanent solution needs to have appropriate accessibility standards. Meanwhile, businesses are looking for predictability as they make plans and investments for the future, but in some cities have been complaining about delays and dismissals in the permitting process.

Many businesses in Toronto are seeing patio permits that were previously approved during pandemic years now denied for a variety of reasons, or are facing delays in getting permits even as summer rolls forward, said Tracy Macgregor, vice-president of Ontario for Restaurants Canada.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 where the frustration is coming in, because they can91裸聊视频檛 hit the ground running with these patios,91裸聊视频� she said.

The city91裸聊视频檚 Caf茅TO program is an example of the 91裸聊视频渞ed tape91裸聊视频� that can occur if policies aren91裸聊视频檛 designed well, said Toderian.

91裸聊视频淲hen you walk around Montreal, you see a lot more (patios). So that certainly suggests that their system is more effective,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 part of their general attitude towards the public realm, which is better than any other city in North America.91裸聊视频�

In some cases the pandemic patios actually improved accessibility, said Maayan Ziv, founder and CEO of AccessNow. For example, businesses that perhaps didn91裸聊视频檛 have accessible indoor seating before were able to do so with the additional outdoor space, she said.

But in other cases they introduced new barriers, she said.

91裸聊视频淣o public money should be going to the installation of new barriers, no permits or authorizations should be granted to businesses that have not considered the accessible access points to these spaces.91裸聊视频�

Over time, urban settings are becoming less accessible, said David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. The pandemic patio programs are just one example, he said, noting that early iterations often made pedestrians walk into the road.

Changes announced early on in 2023 to Toronto91裸聊视频檚 program include 91裸聊视频渦niform platforms for accessibility,91裸聊视频� according to the city, along with a transition period to make required changesand grant programs for businesses and BIAs.

Lepofsky said as each municipality looks for a permanent solution, there91裸聊视频檚 a patchwork situation developing, even though the duty to accommodate transcends city borders.

91裸聊视频淚f you leave it to each municipality to reinvent the accessibility wheel, they either won91裸聊视频檛, or they risk getting it wrong. And you91裸聊视频檙e burdening people with disabilities in each community to have to fight about this,91裸聊视频� said Lepofsky, who wants to see provincial accessibility standards for outdoor seating areas.

Widespread, uniform accessibility benefits everyone, not only people with disabilities, said Lepofsky, including increasing the base of potential customers for businesses.

91裸聊视频淲e just need to ensure that there is an accessibility plan built into all of these projects,91裸聊视频� said Ziv. That could be as simple as ensuring an easy path of access or educating and training restaurant staff, she said.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檇 like to see that widely adopted across every municipality, as opposed to a case-by-case basis,91裸聊视频� said Ziv.

Toderian agreed that patio programs should be approached in a standardized way, instead of a program that requires case-by-case reviews of patio designs as some do.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 no wonder these things aren91裸聊视频檛 getting done faster,91裸聊视频� he said.

Both Calgary and Edmonton appear to have clear and helpful guidelines for their patios, said DiPaolo, helping businesses figure out what their patio should look like instead of 91裸聊视频渟tarting from scratch in every case.91裸聊视频�

In Calgary, the city is yet again waiving fees for patio permits this year. In 2022 it made its extended patio program permanent, with permits valid for three years, according to the city website.

Along 17th Avenue, a popular stretch of bars and restaurants, a local business group decided to pitch in to streamline patio season.

The 17th Ave Business Improvement Area last year invested in building an extended boardwalk system that runs alongside the sidewalks, explained executive director Tulene Steistol. Seating is set up on the sidewalks in front of businesses, while pedestrians walk on the boardwalk without having to watch for servers and patrons crossing between the restaurant and the patio seating.

This has made patios safer for diners and pedestrians and more attractive for businesses, said Steiestol, noting that the BIA made changes after feedback from the city91裸聊视频檚 accessibility committee.

Steiestol thinks municipalities should help pay for projects like this, helping them become more widespread.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e had municipalities coming down, and their own teams from other cities taking note of what we91裸聊视频檝e done,91裸聊视频� she said.

Some communities have taken pandemic patios several steps further, implementing pedestrian-only street times and bringing in live music and public art, said DiPaolo.

91裸聊视频淢y hope as a planner is that 91裸聊视频� the success of these programs can be leveraged for more permanent improvements to the public realm,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淚nstead of building makeshift patios into the street during the summer months, maybe we talk about expanding the public boulevard, where these issues of accessibility and mobility and safety are actually built into the design of the streetscape rather than addressed through the permitting process that happens every year.91裸聊视频�

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