Halifax Mayor asks for report on waiving sidewalk encroachment fees

The mayor of Halifax has asked city staff to look atwaiving encroachment fees for businesses trying to make theirbuildings more accessible.

Business owners are charged annual fees if part of theirbuildingaffect municipal property,such as a sidewalk.That can includesigns, awnings and even ramps for people with mobility issues.

"This comes under 'no good deed goes unpunished,'"Mayor Mike Savage said Thursday.

"I'm asking staff to look at the waywe would waive fees for encroachments designed to facilitatebarrier-free access."

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Bureaucracy 'ridiculous'

The mayor said he learned ofthe issue from theowner of WoozlesChildren'sBookstore on Birmingham Street in downtown Halifax.

The store has a ramp and is charged an annual encroachmentfee of $168, owner Liz Crocker said.

"It's not the amount, but the ramp doesnot impede pedestrians," Crocker said."The bureaucracy involved in this chargeis just ridiculous."

Crocker said she is happy to hear about the mayor's call for a report.

"It shows he is listening,"she said."Maybe this willspark a broader conversation about all the fees imposed onsmall businesses."