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Mayor, councillors announce updates for CafèTO as the program ends for the year

Mayor Chow and council members standing behinda podium that is set up on a side walk
Originally starting as a pilot project in the pandemic, CafèTO quickly became a permanent program in 2021. Photo by Owen Thompson.
Owen Thompson - CJRU - Toronto • ON | 17-10-2023
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Mayor Olivia Chow announced new changes to the CafèTO program outside of the cafe Red Rocket Coffee on Monday.

CafèTO is a program that began during the pandemic to allow restaurants and cafes to have a sidewalk or curb patio. The program became permanent on Nov. 10, 2021 with over 1,200 restaurants and cafes being a part of the program and over “12 linear kilometres of public space allocated for outdoor dining opportunities.”

Chow was joined by Councillors Paula Fletcher and Shelley Carroll yesterday in the announcement of three changes to the program. For Toronto, CafèTO is an important part of the city with it making the city over $200 million, according to Chow and Carroll. The first change is that current participating restaurants will know if they have been approved for next year by Nov. 30.

“It's almost Halloween and the sun is darkening my photosensitive setting right now,” says Carroll. “The seasons are getting wider and wider, especially in the shoulder seasons. That's why we're stepping up to make sure we have improvements.”

On the same note, with the earlier approvals, the second change is for new applicants. For those not in the program, the application time will now begin in mid-January.

“Even in the dark winter you can imagine your patio being open,” says Chow. This year’s application opened on Feb. 22 with the deadline being on March 28. She says that the goal is to have 90 per cent of all new applicants to be approved by mid April.

The last change announced is in regards the date CafèTO will reopen in 2024. The current plans is for the patios to re-open on the Victoria Day weekend on May 25. To aid in the faster turnaround for opening, Chow says city staff will be setting up the safety equipment and measures on May 1.

“By setting these timelines, these deadlines, small business owners and local residents will know what to expect and can plan ahead. CafèTO is a really important program. It brings people together and what they feel belongs to this neighbourhood,” says Chow.

The changes to the program are set to be implemented immediately.

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