Yet, Toronto insists on stubbornly refusing to update
by-laws which make it difficult to create change. The current by-laws restrict food trucks from
operating on public property in the downtown core, an area bordered by Bathurst
Street to the west, Eglinton Avenue to the north and the Don River to the east.
Food Trucks @ The Distillery District |
But wait? What about the fry trucks that park in front of Nathan Philips Square? Those have been there since before the dawn of time and have special permits with the City. That is the only place they can operate. There has since been a moratorium on new street vending permits for public property in the downtown core. New food trucks don’t stand a chance, at least not in Toronto.
It’s a different story in Alberta, where Calgarians
petitioned the City to eliminate outdated and misguided laws. The mayor of Calgary was even on board with
the movement and actively encouraged it.
As a result, the city loosened up on some of their old restrictions and Calgary’s
food scene is now thriving. In
comparison, Toronto’s by-laws are antiquated and embarrassing. But what is perhaps most embarrassing is an
unwillingness to make changes.
With the popularity of TV shows like Eat St., Torontonians
have caught a glimpse of the wide
variety of food trucks that exist elsewhere in North America and they want more
of it closer to home. In a survey
conducted by The Street Food Vendors Association, respondents complained that
Toronto didn’t have enough variety of street food, needed more food trucks and
needed to allow the food trucks to be mobile.
For a mayor who clearly likes to eat, it’s surprising that
Rob Ford and the Toronto City Council haven’t stepped in to help remove the
barriers for new food trucks. That small change would make one of the world’s
greatest cities, even better. Or at
least on par with Calgary.
A wonderful info graphic from Toronto Food Trucks, explaining why it's so hard...
3 comments:
It is the same here in the valley, no food trucks to be found not even a chip truck within a 100 km radius. I had my fill of chips when I visited Ontario last summer, so I am good for another few years. For food trucks I need to head to Vancouver or even Portland or SF.
"For a mayor who clearly likes to eat, it’s surprising that Rob Ford and the Toronto City Council haven’t stepped in to help remove the barriers for new food trucks..."
Zing!
Now I understand, cause I was wondering where are the food trucks of Toronto! Too bad, hope they change it..
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