The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association thinks patio fees, potentially re-introduced by the city, could be devastating for businesses.
DWBIA Chair Larry Horowitz says businesses would be charged just under $6 per sq. ft., an administration fee of more than $300, along with $1,000 up front.
"This will create job loss, it will create hardships for staying in business," he explains. "And for starting businesses, for those businesses that are tied to patios -- that the patios actually make it better for them."
There's been a moratorium on patio fees at the city for the last five years, and now a decision needs to be made on what to do about them again.
Horowitz believes it would go directly against the pedestrian-friendly, progressive image that the city is after.
