CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Restaurants Canada and the government of P.E.I. have been working closely in an effort to reduce the regulatory obstacles that foodservice operators on the island currently face. The effort, dubbed by the two parties as Project Art, aims to clear the path for restaurants, bars and pubs to grow more easily in order to strengthen the province’s foodservice industry.
“This initiative is a good example of the strong working relationship between the restaurant industry and the P.E.I. government,” says Bill Allen, chair of the Board for Restaurants Canada. “On a personal level, as a restaurant operator with establishments in a number of provinces, including P.E.I., this will make it easy to run my business and serve my customers.”
Project Art is responsible for changes, including:
- Electronic payments for food and liquor licences
- Limited entertainment
- Reduced fees for a packaged sale licence
“With 5,600 jobs on P.E.I., the restaurant industry is the province’s third-largest employer and provides more first-time jobs than any other industry,” Allen adds. “A strong partnership between the government and industry will continue to grow jobs and economic activity throughout the Island.”
