Bar and restaurant owners in Halifax won’t have to shell out any extra money for patio insurance.
Halifax Regional Council was considering raising the liability from $2 million to anywhere between $3 and $5 million.
Council decided not to improve the increase after a public hearing Tuesday evening.
“We’re very pleased with council’s decision,” says Paul MacKinnon of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. “We felt the industry standard of $2 million was fine for restaurants that are simply taking what they do inside for 365 days of the year and move it out into the sidewalk for the summer months.”
Restaurant owners will also be allowed to keep their patios open for two weeks longer than before. Patios will now be required to close on Nov. 15, rather than Oct. 31.
