TORONTO — Toronto’s City Council has established a set of ground rules for food trucks, but many of the proposed rules, are worrying food-truck owners.
Under the proposed rules, which are set to go to committee next week, with the goal to be put in place by late May, license holders can park in a pay-and-display spot, at least 50 metres away from eating establishments and 30 metres away from a school. City councillors and local Business Improvement Areas (BIA), which include local restaurants, will also be able to request restricted zones where food trucks are banned.
Scott Fraser, co-owner of the Hogtown Smoke barbecue truck, told the Toronto Star he’s concerned about the BIA’s potential impact on his food truck’s business. “The BIAs are caving to the restaurants who don’t want the food trucks there. Therefore, what BIA is going to let us set up where we need to set up, which is where the people are?” he asked. “What they’re going to do is give us a little hole-in-the-wall parking lot, a mile and a half away from the nearest office building.”
City staff has already determined 350 potential spots where food trucks can set up. “The big objective of the report is to get a balance between carts, trucks and restaurants,” Carleton Grant, director of Policy with the city’s licensing and standards department told The Globe and Mail. “If approved, Toronto could be seen as a leader in the food industry along with cities like Austin, Portland and Boston.”
