By Councillor Jim McPherson
In response to It’s just a hot dog stand”, The real issue is… do we as a municipality wish to allow vendors of all sorts occupying our green spaces and selling goods on municipal property. And who has a say in this decision?
I was taken aback that we as a municipality do not seem to have any policies on this matter and maybe we should consider developing one before we decide to allow any stand.
As a municipal councillor, I believe it is my duty to raise questions and to comment. I wonder who is going to cover the increased insurance premiums for the municipality when we have many different sorts of vendors occupying our green spaces.
I wonder if the Chamber of Commerce or the BIA has polled its members on whether it wants public property to be used for business purposes on a regular basis. And are we going to regulate the types of businesses we allow?
Is Meaford Hall going to be open more hours for the public to use the washrooms?
Is the restaurant in Leith going to have no say in a cart vendor opening on the municipal beach which the restaurant owners have spent time and money to improve.
Is Memorial Park, Rapier Park, McCarroll Park, Bognor Park, etc now going to be open season for all types of vendors?
I try very hard to keep my remarks to the issues at hand. I have commented in Council on what some of the problems can be. I hope we all come to realize it is not a just a hotdog stand and it is a matter of public policy and public involvement.
I commend the cart vendors for choosing to locate on private lands. I am not opposed to their business but I want to know what our community wants on our public green spaces, parks and lands. This demands public input.
Sincerely,
Jim McPherson, Meaford Councillor
