CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The owner of a Charlottetown restaurant is going to give patrons some shade this summer, but he wonders how many will actually show up.
Kevin Murphy said a wooden pergola will be erected outside Fishbones Seafood and Oyster Bar on Victoria Row in Charlottetown, thanks to city council approving the application at its monthly meeting on Monday.
The city forced Fishbones to take down the pergola last June because it was put up without a permit. However, the issue was ironed out and it went back up.
Murphy’s concerns went far beyond whether council was going to approve the request this year.
“Don’t take the 2020 tourism season to heart because it might not be much," Murphy said Tuesday.
“I can tell you right now we’re trying to get our thoughts around what it’s going to be like and right now with the (Confederation) Bridge closed and no date on (re-opening to non-essential traffic) it’s very, very hard to know. (Business) could be 30 to 40 per cent of normal and that might be optimistic. You're operating in kind of a fog."
Murphy said tourism operators are lobbying government hard to at least open the bubble between New Brunswick and P.E.I. since both provinces have a good handle on the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic.
“Give us a little bit to go on. We’ve got no COVID, no cases, we’re in great shape, so let’s use the health success that we’ve accomplished here to start to work on the other big issue, which is our economy."
Murphy said the outdoor seating will conform to health guidelines. People will be seated six feet apart. He just hopes there will be people.
“The problem is going to be that there are no people. When you take away 70 per cent of your tourists — I mean, that’s just reality. Old Home Week is (cancelled), Cavendish Beach (Music Festival is cancelled), Confederation Centre is closed, there is no cruise (ship) business, no motorcoach business, the convention business is gone, you can just start to see what is happening ... those are the reasons people come here and there’s nothing. It doesn’t look good, but you’ve got to do what you can."
What is a pergola?
- A pergola is a four-sided structure with lattice work over the top. Usually plants or hanging vines are hung from the top to provide a bit of shade for those sitting underneath.
Fishbones initially applied in February to obtain approval for a new steel pergola structure but after discussion by staff in the city’s planning department, it was felt the prudent thing would be to have the restaurant put up the wood structure again.
The rationale is that the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation (CADC) is going to have a consultant prepare a streetscape plan for Victoria Row and the surrounding historic neighbourhood. The goal is to come up with a plan for semi or permanent infrastructure on Victoria Row to meet certain design standards.
Coun. Julie McCabe said she wants the planning rules to stipulate that if any of these temporary structures damage the pavers (the unique bricks that make up the sidewalk and street on Victoria Row) that the cost should be the responsibility of the applicants.
Coun. Greg Rivard, chairman of the planning committee, said that is the case and the rules will be written as such.
