Street vending
City of Powell River council have passed the initial readings of a zoning bylaw amendment to permit street vending at the Wharf at Westview.
Councillors directed staff to prepare the amendment after Carlos Felip, manager of development services, reported on the issue during the August 16 committee-of-the-whole meeting.
Currently, street vending is permitted on land the city owns at the end of Courtenay Street and adjacent to the boat ramp in the north harbour, as well as on the corner of Marine Avenue and Alberni Street.
Felip said the reason staff was recommending an additional site for street vending was because two of the allocated sites make no sense due to changes to the north harbour configuration and traffic flow. Street vending licence holders have requested the city consider another location for street vending because the north harbour locations are no longer appropriate.
In his report, Felip pointed out the original objective for development of the Wharf at Westview was to provide opportunity for the public to access the waterfront, as well as to provide a vibrant and attractive entrance to the city. “It was also the intention to provide points of interest along the way, including food and beverage services at, or near, the marina,” he wrote.
The Wharf at Westview can accommodate more than one street vendor at a time, Felip added, which would also enhance the visitor experience. Additionally, there may be an increase in foot traffic to the area around the wharf and in the number of business licences issued.
Staff are proposing to limit the number of street vendors at the wharf to a maximum of three mobile carts on a first-come, first-served basis. As well, staff is recommending the size of the cart be limited to two square metres (21.5 square feet). The area would be available to vendors selling a range of products, including food.
When asked about other street vending locations that are not on city-owned property, Felip said the city only becomes involved in those instances to ensure the site has the proper zoning and that the vendor has a business licence.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) inspects and issues permits for food vendor carts for food safety reasons under provincial regulations, said Anna Marie D’Angelo, VCH spokeswoman. “In a nutshell, hot food has to be hot, cold food has to be cold for food safety,” she said. “Menus are limited in mobile food operations so as to ensure the above. We have no opinion on the choice of food but it must be safe to consume.”
Council passed the first and second readings of the bylaw amendment at the September 6 council meeting. A public hearing about the proposed change will be held before council considers third reading.
Backyard fowl
City of Powell River councillors are expected to consider the following recommendations at the September 20 council meeting:
• To amend the animal control bylaw to allow the keeping, within an appropriate enclosure, of up to three poultry in all single-family and duplex lots in the city. The amendment would include a definition of poultry to mean domestic fowl, ducks, geese, turkeys and similar domestic birds.
• To amend the zoning bylaw to change the required minimum side setbacks to 1.8 metres in single-family and duplex zones. Currently, the zoning bylaw requires a minimum setback of 2.5 metres for one of the side yards where no service lane exists.
ICBC strike
Workers at the Powell River branch office of ICBC (Insurance Corporation of BC) will be part of a province-wide strike on Tuesday, September 18.
Over 1,500 members of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378 (COPE 378) at 55 claims-related ICBC locations are taking the strike action as part of an escalating strategy aimed at getting ICBC back to the bargaining table.
“These are employees who have been without a contract for over two years,” said David Black, COPE 378 ICBC president. “Their wages are falling behind while ICBC executives and business partners got massive salary increases and $1.2 billion of ICBC profits went into government revenues.”
Nearly 1,200 workers will be on strike in the Lower Mainland and the remaining 300 will be in communities throughout the rest of the province. Although some of the locations were part of the 24-hour strike organized by the BCGEU (BC Government Employees’ Union) last week, most were not.
ICBC’s last offer was a two per cent wage increase over a four-year contract, far below the rising cost of living, according to COPE 378.
“Our members felt it was very important to take another day of action so they could talk to the public about how the government is mishandling ICBC, not just for the workers but also for drivers that haven’t seen a rate reduction in years,” said Black.
Essential service levels will be maintained at all striking locations. COPE 378 represents 4,600 workers at ICBC.
