Wiarton will not be changing its sidewalk merchandise bylaw.
Mayor Janice Jackson says, “We’ve received complaints over the years about merchandise on the sidewalks on Berford Street and I guess the complaints ramped up because of the Big Dig and the completion and how nice looking the downtown core is.”
In late September, council directed Town staff to research and report on the potential implementation of a bylaw which would regulate or prohibit merchandise to be displayed on Town sidewalks.
Jackson says, “Council asked staff to reach out to the business community and see if those complaints were widespread or whether it was a minority of people,” adding, “We support our business community and whatever the majority wanted was totally fine with council.”
A staff report to council October 19th says a letter was, mailed to all 69 property owners within the BIA area (some run businesses from their properties), to the 27 known business tenants in the BIA area (not property owners) and was emailed to the Chamber of Commerce and the Wiarton BIA Board of Management for their further circulation to their membership.
Of the 58 responses staff categorized into a chart, 44 chose to permit it, seven chose to prohibit it and seven wanted to regulate it.
According to Jackson, who estimates about half of the businesses on Berford Street responded, “The majority of that half that bothered to respond wanted to see the merchandise remain, so council left it to remain status quo.”
Jackson notes some of the desire to remove the merchandise may stem from a few years ago, saying, “A fellow named Roger Brooks came to town and he’s an expert on downtown streetscapes and businesses, how to attract new businesses to an area and how to increase shoppers, and just how to increase the attraction of your downtown core.” Brooks is the founder and CEO of Roger Brooks International and the Destination Development Association. He is a speaker and author who has spent decades researching and speaking to communities about downtown and community revitalization.
Jackson says, “The one thing he emphasized time and again was there should be no merchandise on the street at all except for decorative things like flower urns and things of that nature.” Jackson says, “A lot of those in the downtown core went to Brooks’ sessions and they took that away.”
Jackson points out there are plenty of towns that don’t allow merchandise on the sidewalks unless it’s a special event. She says a place like Sauble Beach, which has lots of merchandise displayed on the sidewalk is considered differently by many, “I think it’s a little bit of a different game when it comes to beach towns,” says Jackson, who notes sidewalk merchandise is pretty standard in those communities.
She says, Wiarton businesses can continue to display their merchandise on the sidewalk if they so choose, “From our perspective, we support our business community and whatever the majority of them wanted to do was totally fine with us.”
