Vancouver mayor aims to cut the red tape for restaurant businesses

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announcing the hospitality working group during a press conference on July 14, 2023. (Sarah Anderson/Daily Hive)

Businesses, especially those in the hospitality sector, and independently owned and operated by families, are already struggling under the challenging economic climate.

But within Vancouver, in particular, these businesses often also face gross uncertainty from arduous, complex, and expensive permitting processes that allow them to simply open their doors or enable vital revenue generation operations, such as obtaining a liquor primary license for a bar.

As a case in point: After an 18-month process that cost $40,000 — far beyond the budgeted $25,000 — Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions is now able to have extended operating hours, and patrons can stand at the bar.

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“This is a city run by rich-a** m************, and the opportunity isn’t here for us. There’s no incentive, the City is fighting against us for bringing in cool concepts… it’s a fight every day to try to do something cool,” Cameron Bogue, the owner of Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions, told Daily Hive earlier this week, emphasizing that the City’s processes and policies hurt the creativity and innovation of young entrepreneurs.

There have also been similar challenges with seasonal patios, too, with businesses only receiving their required permits well into summer, if they are successful at all.

To that end, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is looking to fix the process and remove some red tape. In a press conference today, he announced a working group led by City staff will aim to address the challenges, and it will be overseen by the Development, Building, and Licensing department. Both members of City staff and industry representatives in the hospitality sector will be represented.

Vancouver is open for business and it’s time for us to lose our “no fun city” reputation once and for all.

Today, we were incredibly excited to announce that the City of Vancouver has launched a hospitality sector working group.

The hospitality sector is such a vital part of… pic.twitter.com/brG8IuVn7G

— Mayor Ken Sim (@KenSimCity) July 14, 2023

Sim’s team chose Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions as the setting for his announcement after City Council voted to allow the bar to have a liquor primary license.

“Vancouver is open for business, and it’s time for our City to lose its ‘no fun’ reputation once and for all,” said Sim. “We all want to see these businesses succeed, and we want the City of Vancouver to play a big role in helping make that happen.”

City councillor Lisa Dominato added: “We’ve heard a clear demand for policy change from local businesses and this working group is an important first step… The hospitality sector is critical to the local economy. That’s why the City is inviting members of the hospitality industry to participate in this collaborative working group, with a clear goal of making life easier for our local businesses.” Sim admitted that the City of Vancouver has not always been the best hospitality partner, but now the industry will go from being outside the room to having a seat at the table.

This working group has already met informally, and will continue to meet throughout the summer, with an aim of providing an update this fall.

“This working group is a groundbreaking step to guide change and make progress at an accelerated pace for our industry still feeling the detrimental effects of the pandemic,” said Ian Tostenson, BC Restaurant and Food Services Association, in a statement.

Laura Ballance, representing the Hospitality Vancouver Association, said this is “welcome news” for bars, nightclubs, pubs, and restaurants, and applauded the proactive, solutions-based approach.

Restaurants Canada representative Mark von Schellwitz told the media that 50% of its members are not profitable, so reducing municipal-related costs will go a long way to support the industry.

Bogue told Daily Hive that Vancouver establishments have been “pigeonholed into [a] liquor licensing system that makes everything either a restaurant or a nightclub.”

“If you can open a bar in Vancouver you can open a bar anywhere because the challenges are just monumental,” he told Daily Hive. “I’m never opening another restaurant in this market ever again.”

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