Tue Nov. 10 2009 3:02:09 PM
Ethnic food vendors no longer on the streets after much hype
cp24.com
Residents buy food from the A La Cart vendor at City Hall in May. (Jake Schabas for Spacing Toronto)
Coun. John Filion promoting ethnic street food on March 17. |
The City of Toronto launched its ethnic street food vendors program earlier this year with much pomp and circumstance, but look around now and they’re nowhere to be found.
The “Toronto A La Cart” program allows eight ethnic food vendors to set up shop on the streets of eight city hotspots, giving competition to the hotdog vendors.
Yet a search of locations like Metro Hall and Nathan Phillips Square to speak to vendors about how business is progressing six months into the program came up fruitless last month.
The beginning of the fall and winter season is the main reason vendors aren’t on the street anymore, says Pad Thai vendor Nancy Senawong, who used to set up shop at Mel Lastman Square.
Senawong blames the city for not “allowing” her to set up an enclosure, which is why she says she is no longer on the street as the weather gets colder.
“They [city] said we’re going to work on that maybe next year – that really disappointed me because when they start the program they should think about it,” she says.
“First they don’t allow me to have the enclosure, second they’re not allowing me to have a heater, and we’ve paid for the location fee for the whole year, and we paid for the cart – it’s expensive.”
However, City Councillor John Filion says it’s up to the vendors to get enclosures approved by the city and the vendors are allowed to use enclosures that meet the city’s guidelines.
“They’re eight independent businesses. People have said the city tried to control it too much, which is a myth,” Filion says.
“When I last met them in the summer they were going to approve a common design for enclosures within the city guidelines, they haven’t done that and I don’t know if some of them are proceeding individually.”
Filion says in some cases the vendors are making bad business decisions.
“I’ve put in a lot of hours to give them advice, but some of them don’t take the advice and then say it’s the city’s fault,” he says.
Yvonne De Vit of Toronto Public Health, who drew up the guidelines for enclosures, says none of the vendors have submitted applications to get them.
“The ability to request enclosures for hot dog vendors was approved by council on April 30. I modelled specifications for A La Cart vendors after the existing bylaw that council had approved,” she says.
De Vit says the carts don’t have to have uniform enclosures as suggested by the city and the approval process for enclosures would be “very quick.”
She says it’s very common for street vendors to shut down at this point in the season with a number of hotdog vendors closing up shop as well.
However, according to Senawong, who is also the owner of Scarborough restaurant “Thai Angels,” other restrictions from the city are also making it difficult to run a business on the street.
“We can’t change the menu. I serve Pad Thai and cashew nut chicken everyday. Customers like that, but they cannot eat that everyday,” she says.
“The cart is really heavy. I can not pull the cart by myself, and I need two people. They don’t allow an assistant to work unless they have the licence,” she says. The cost of a licence is $600 per person.
The confusion between the A La Cart street vendors and the city is evident, which may have a role in preventing vendors from getting enclosures.
Coun. Filion says the lack of control over the vendors is sometimes a problem.
“It’s very frustrating that some of these folks can’t get their act together and then say it’s the city that’s some how impeding them.” he says.
The city will be meeting with the ethic street vendors in the next couple of weeks as they prepare to present an update to the Toronto Board of Health.
Meanwhile, the vendors have their licence for a three-year period that started in May, which is also the duration of the pilot project.
| E-Mail Story |
Comments are now closed for this story
November 10, 2009 at 3:07:14 PM
Rob
Wow. Could the City have botched this program any more? This is what you get when you over-govern something - just like a plant that gets too much water, it dies.
November 10, 2009 at 3:27:40 PM
Kat
These vendors couldn't be more regulated if they were selling nuclear weapons! Let them run their business. If someone doesn't like what they're selling or doesn't think it's safe, then don't buy it.
November 10, 2009 at 3:42:54 PM
AOR
It's a good thing. There's enough restaurants in the city that probably need the business. Plus it's not the type of food that you want to eat on the side walk. The strike also probably hurt, who wants to eat Thai and Indian food beside a stinky overflowing garbage bin?
This city management is incapable of putting forward smart policies, it's tragic.
November 10, 2009 at 3:46:57 PM
nfl
Typical-the city creates a mess then blames the vendors. Just follow the 100 pages of rules...
November 10, 2009 at 3:48:41 PM
Dano
Another example that illustrates government can never run a business. LCBO and OLG you say? Who can't make money at those. Our elected representatives can't balance a chequebook, live in imaginary fantasy worlds, go overbudget on everything, and increase our taxes while lowering our level of services. Please start a grassroots movement by electing independent leaders-not gasbags who love to legislate and have their picture taken. Get rid of these whistleheads and you get rid of the problems.
November 10, 2009 at 3:53:30 PM
Pat MaGroin
The ethnic vendors are just wining babies...
It's gettin cold now so they quit...
Go on EI for the winter
Great country this Canada !!!
November 10, 2009 at 3:55:12 PM
Greg
Their setting up a business on the streets of Toronto and didn't think it would get cold?
November 10, 2009 at 4:22:49 PM
Joe
The city can't manage anything. We still have street cars, cause everyone knows they improve traffic. Gosh, I laugh at the thought of another mayor, as if anyone was worse than David Miller. At the end of the day, these vendors should be allowed to build and enclosure to protect themselves and business. To have one menu is a joke, no one wants to eat the same thing everyday. City touches anything and it goes to garbage. Can anyone say Skydome?
November 10, 2009 at 4:28:03 PM
dave
Lets not forget that these vendors are trying to make a living just like everyone else. The government whips out a program but set mountains high of regulations and ask the vendors to submit this and that. It's ok to submit forms, but its a problem if the government takes forever to approve them. They SAY it'll be a speedy process, but we all know the government takes their sweet time on things. By the time the forms are submitted and approved, one or two vendors might have freeze to death from the lack of a heater. It's then party time for Mr. Filion because its one/two vendor(s) less to deal with.
November 10, 2009 at 5:21:13 PM
Justin
If they can't manage to support their own food vendor project, can you imagine what will happen if they finally get around to something important - like building the rail link to the airport? They'll order the trains, but forget to lay the track.
This government is incapable of planning ANYTHING correctly (except maybe their own Christmas party, of course).
November 10, 2009 at 5:40:33 PM
Fern
Let's all be thankful that stuff like this happens, because if it didn't, we wouldn't have as much to laugh at. It brightens up my day how ridiculous people are. What next? Maybe we could have a prostitute vendor lane so these women don't have to walk outside to get some business.
November 10, 2009 at 5:44:14 PM
Alison
Can I get a "FAIL" everyone? The vendors are complaining because mainly lack of business. The food wasn't really great, lacked the ethnicity that it proclaimed. Why do we need for it to be so regulated? We eat the smog dogs; and we seem to be fine, why the red tape with these carts? Why not mimic New York's food carts, which are successful, tasty, and fun.
November 10, 2009 at 7:22:08 PM
Hamid Ari
hOld up. Vendor says city didn't allow her to setup an eclosure. City says they didn't recievn applicntions for enclosures from anyone.
The vendors should apply for enclosures then wine and complain AFTER their re-jected.
November 10, 2009 at 9:09:18 PM
Dini
What did one street vendor say to the other street vendor? "I would touch that weiner."
November 10, 2009 at 9:46:09 PM
Kyle
Why can't they simply match the rules and guidelines regarding these new carts to those existing already for the hotdog vendors?
November 10, 2009 at 10:26:17 PM
Paul
Vending in any major city is big business. Getting a licence isn't easy. These new vendors were basically handed a free ticket to make money and now they expect the city to provide everything for them. Hot dog vendors who have been on the streets for decades have made due with the current rules. It is rediculous to think you can make large meals on a small cart to begin with. The idea of it was stupid so the outcome is expected. The woman owns a restaurent already so because she is too cheap to commit an extra $600 to have an assistant or follow guidelines for what she is permitted to cook she shoudl have the right to complain about the city? Be glad you even have a business. Most people can't even get a job that pays more than $10 an hour.
November 10, 2009 at 10:45:48 PM
Eric
This city council couldn't organize a one car funeral!
November 11, 2009 at 9:05:45 AM
Jade Jenkins
Its a shame this isnt working out, i really enjoyed eating the Indian food at City Hall during the summer it was yummy!
November 11, 2009 at 9:08:30 AM
Rick
I hate this city. Enclosure guidelines, menu guidelines, yada, yada,yada. Stay out of our lives & get back to doing useful stuff like replacing our over century old sewers & water mains.
November 11, 2009 at 9:30:14 AM
Steve Carr
"whinning babies"...wouldn't you be if you spent $30,000 on a flop that the city controls heavier than anything the communists have done. The city should be looking after this crime riden, dirty city not food carts for which I'm sute there is a whole department at city hall with everyone making a six figure salary.
The issue of cold is not thge problem; it's that they have to spend money needlesly on APPROVED enclosures.
November 11, 2009 at 10:10:48 AM
AB
The city is losing business as people get frustrated with stupid policies. Businesses are leaving Toronto. This article is one reason why.
November 12, 2009 at 10:27:17 AM
norm
Wow it just sounds like the ethnic groups are getting the short end of the stick. Seems like when you call the city they seem to pass the buck to someone else, your just another number and don't waste their time because your not important enough to them. I got a letter saying the city has given a contract to a private company to do sewer work in my area and they need to come in to the basement. There were 2 numbers on the letter one for the city and the other for the private co. I called the city and had some concerns but was willing to help if I can save the workers time but the person from the city told me to call the co. who was contracted to do the job. My question is why even bother having your name and number on the letter if we had concerns if you're just going to ignore it and tell me to call someone else. I know not everyone in the city passes the buck, there are some really good hard working civil servants, people like councillor Thompson and his staff is one of them. i would vote him for mayor if he was running.
November 12, 2009 at 3:56:11 PM
C Dog
They micro manage the cr*p out of everything.
November 12, 2009 at 4:05:29 PM
Cyndy Lou
The city should stop all the regulations and let them alone to serve their food????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I have never seen such a bunch of whiners and complainers in my whole life. We don't like the job our Mayor is doing yet we voted for him. We don't want the city to regulate the food yet when we all start getting sick we will bitch the city isn't strict enough. Honestly get a clue people. There are rules are regulations for a reason. If you don't like them you don't have to work in an industry that requires they be met.
November 12, 2009 at 4:20:03 PM
Dan
You ARE aware that vendors and food carts is not just some rare Toronto phenomena...?
The vendor program is messed up, and you can't blame all of them -- don't you think, if the program worked, that just one of them would be doing well? In a city with no other street choices outside of hotdogs?
Think before you type, people.
November 12, 2009 at 6:23:26 PM
Ryan
From reading all the comments on this page, I have come to conclusion that the city and the people who are running it need a bigtime wake up call. I have lived here my entire life and things are just getting worse. Infrastrucure, taxing up the &$^*. We need to come together people and fight!
November 13, 2009 at 2:42:24 PM
andrew
I agree with most of the comments here but the one thing few forget are health regulations. As a working chef in the city I find it funny that we forget that we have health regulations for a reason! The health department is trying to stay within there guidelines and the enclosure is also a fire safety issue. Having set up and worked many outdoor event s successfully I find it very ironic that the vendors find it hard to work within the guidelines. And those guidelines were there when they applied for there license. But on the other hand yes this is just another example of bad Miller gov't
November 13, 2009 at 4:39:41 PM
KG
It's amazing that these vendors would ever sign up for such a heavily regulated program to begin with. You're dealing with the city here - you think it's going to be nothing but cupcakes and sprinkles? Businesses lose $$ every day because of regulation - who do these people think they are to be exempt from the risks and costs of doing business?
At the same time, what is wrong with this city council? Who cares about crap like this - put my money where it's needed. Wasteful spending creates a vicious cycle and we're all paying dearly. Our leaders are completely out of touch.
November 14, 2009 at 10:02:52 AM
Philip Maddatu
Ahhhh the city of Toronto...
November 15, 2009 at 1:07:06 PM
Security @ Yonge & St. Clair
There's a cart still running on the corner of St. Clair and Yonge. It's been up all summer and still going. SOOOO yes the city needs a better management team but most these guys can't afford to bunk up for winter. Quite hating on the hard working people of Toronto.
November 15, 2009 at 2:53:35 PM
JM
it is a shame that this won't continue as it would have been one of the many other reasons that Toronto is such an interesting city that appeals to visitors of the world. Get your act together and stop fighting about ridiculous laws that help no one! open your mind square-heads, the world won't collapse if they have an enclousures or a heater!minimal things!
November 16, 2009 at 10:03:52 PM
Fedup
I have an idea... Spend money on making internal operational structure more efficient... An application to approve 4 piece of canvas? Are they required to submit technical drawings stamped by an architect too? Mr. Miller with your limited time, stop wasting our money on these mickey mouse issues and start managing the city... perhaps than you can leave office with some level of dignity.