DELTA Mayor George V. Harvie on Tuesday in a letter to Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth requested that the online process for Temporary Expanded Service Areas be extended indefinitely to ensure the survival of struggling food and beverage establishments.
Harvie wrote: “In 2020 the Province, through the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB), established an expedited, no fee, online process for Temporary Expanded Service Areas (TESA). These TESA areas enabled restaurants, breweries, distilleries and other licensed establishments to expand their liquor service areas to help overcome the burden of indoor capacity restrictions imposed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The mayor noted: “It is understood that the LCRB is no longer accepting new TESA applications and that any existing TESA will expire on June 1, 2022. For those businesses wishing to extend the use of their TESA space beyond this period they must apply to the LCRB for a permanent outdoor patio or (indoor) structural change. This application requires payment of a $440 fee, the submission of floor plans, and referral to the local government.”
Harvie said: “The process is too onerous for small business who are already reeling after the devastating financial losses encountered due to the effects of pandemic restrictions.”
