A news release Wednesday from the City of Toronto recommends that CaféTO patios on main roads be made permanent. The decision will certainly surprise some people who reasonably believed that such patios were a pandemic emergency phenomenon.
Today, Mayor John Tory endorsed a City of Toronto report that recommends making the successful CaféTO permanent and waiving permit fees for the program again in 2022 to continue emergency support for restaurants and bars.
The staff report, CaféTO 2022 and Beyond, recommends CaféTO be made a permanent program that can continue providing support to local restaurants while also making City streets more vibrant for years to come.
Designed as a quick-start program in 2020 to help provide outdoor dining space to local bars and restaurants during the pandemic, the popular program was approved by City Council to return in 2021 and saw a 51 percent increase in participation when compared to 2020 registration.
