Some relief for Windsor bars and restaurants as city council has approved waiving fees again this year for extended outdoor patios.
The program started last May when the city gave the green light to make it easier and cheaper to open a patio during the COVID-19 pandemic saving operators as much as $3,000.
Debi Croucher, Executive Director of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, says last year's patios were a big success.
"Their support not only ensures that our businesses continue to remain open, but also helps them thrive and that was very much evident last year with the success of those spaces with the vibrancy that they contributed to the downtown," says Croucher.
She says the patios brought a unique vibe to the downtown core.
"It gave them a chance to thrive, to remain open and the surge that it contributed to the downtown was really unmatched. It was a really lively ambiance. It was just such a great vibe and this is huge for us," she says.
Croucher says some businesses may not have survived without the revenue the patios brought in last summer.
"The support in 2020 really gave the businesses an opportunity to remain open given the tremendous challenges that every business throughout the world had," she says.
In an effort to further help bars and restaurants stay afloat during the pandemic, council has also approved an extended patio season from April 1 to Nov. 15.
With files from Patty Handysides and Rob Hindi