Food carts a political hot potato
November 20, 2009
Vanessa Lu
CITY HALL BUREAU
It should be simple enough to serve up curry, chapati and crêpes, but Toronto's street food pilot program is turning into a political hot potato.
Originally proposed and pushed by John Filion, the councillor who chairs the public health board, a new plan calls for the troubled project to be handed over to the city's economic development division.
But the councillor in charge there, Kyle Rae, wants nothing to do with it. He thinks food vendors should be carefully regulated, but whether they succeed is up to the market.
"Back in the mid-'80s, street vending was an experiment to animate a city that was a sea of parking lots," said Rae. "But I'm afraid it's a fad ... they should be seasonal at best."
He believes the licensing department should be in charge. While licensing chair Howard Moscoe agrees it does belong there, he thinks economic development is the right spot for the time being, to get the program off the ground.
Lost in the shuffle are the eight vendors, many of whom sank as much as $80,000 into the program, to offer up food ranging from kimchi to falafels to kebabs.
With complaints about flaws in the carts, which the city mandated, and poor locations, the city is proposing new spots and cuts to some fees and rules. Council will vote on the changes later this month.
While Moscoe says licensing should eventually take over responsibility, he doesn't think now is the time.
"Given it's a pilot project, economic development is a good place to rest for a while," he said. "I think the city has a responsibility to make it work."
Toronto Star
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