OSOYOOS TIMES-May 27, 2009

By Karen Knelsen

Osoyoos Times

On May 19, Osoyoos town council gave first, second and third reading to a proposed set of amendments to the Town’s existing business licence bylaw to make provisions for street vendors.
Under the proposed bylaw amendments, vendors who operate in one place would only be able to operate between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., except when they operate as an accessory to a bar or pub.
In that case, the business licence would allow vendors to operate past 11 p.m. as long as they were shut down and gone 30 minutes prior to the pub’s closing.
The vehicle or trailer the business runs out of would be limited in size to 6.7 metres long and 2.13 metres wide.
The size-limit rule would apply to mobile vendors as well and the vehicle would have to be removed from the vending site at the end of each day.
The bylaw also states that vendor vehicles must appear clean, tidy, rust free and be kept in good condition.
When Terry Olson and Diane Green opened Chips Ahoy-oos, their portable french fry and hot dog business now located in the Super Valu parking lot on Main Street, they first had to obtain a business licence from the Town of Osoyoos.
However, until Olson and Green applied, there were no regulations in place for vendors such as themselves.
The proposed amendments are meant for vendor businesses such as Chips Ahoy-oos.
Olson and Green were given their business licence based on a set of conditions, which have now been applied to the proposed bylaw amendments.
The amendments, if adopted, would also make it easier for other vendors to obtain their licences and there are different policies for three different types of vendor businesses.
The first section deals with general rules for stationary street vendors such as Chips Ahoy-oos, who set up shop on private land.
The rules are dependent on where the vendor is located.
In order for a stationary street vendor to obtain a business licence to operate on private property, he or she must be located in the downtown core in a commercially zoned area or be an accessory use to a pub or bar.
An example of this would a hot dog vendor out front of the Sage Pub.
Allan Redekopp, manager of the Sage, said he thinks the bylaw amendments are a direct response to what the public wants.
“If people are patronizing these vendors then obviously there’s need for them and a desire for them and they should be welcomed,” Redekopp said.
He also mentioned it might be good for his patrons if they were able to get a bite to eat before heading home.
The proposed set of amendments would also limit the number of vendors on a private lot.
Stationary street vendors can also lease space on municipal land as long as they are located within a town park.
Council would have to approve a permit for a stationary street vendor to set up on municipal land and the vendor would have to advertise the lease application for two weeks in the newspaper.
There will also be a limit of one stationary street vendor per park except during an event such as Canada Day.
But in that case, the proprietors would have to submit an application to hold a special event.
Desert Park is another area where stationary vendors could set up shop under proposed amendments.
But no more than three vendors at a time could set up there and the administration of Desert Park would be responsible for deciding the appropriate vending sites.
The third set of standards apply to mobile street vendor businesses, such as ice cream trucks or coffee wagons, none of which are currently operating in Osoyoos.
Mobile street vendors will be permitted to operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and they must not stop moving for more than 10 minutes at a time and only when approached by a customer.
They would only be allowed to operate outside of the downtown commercial zone and they may operate in town parks as long as it’s for less than 10 minutes at a time.
However, they will not be allowed in the parks if there is already a stationary vendor on the premises or if there is a municipal concession operating within the park.
Also, the mobile vendors would not be able to operate within 200 metres of a school during regular school hours and no voice amplification devices would be allowed.
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