Patios in Ottawa will be able to open until 4 a.m. on the Canada Day weekend after council approved changes.
The city got one request from the Fox and the Feather on Elgin Street to extend its patio operating hours from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. during that weekend.
But it also set up a process where other bars can ask to stay open later. Mayor Jim Watson said even though Canada Day is now just a few weeks away, there is still time for people to apply.
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“It can be done very quickly this is a request that came in from people, particularly on Elgin Street.”
The process allows local councillors to challenge the later operating hours and Coun. Jeff Leiper got an agreement from staff that the city would not approve later hours if the local councillors objected.
The changes won’t allow restaurants to serve alcohol later, but they can apply to the province for that change and Watson said some have.
“That has to come from the province and I know we already have some requests in particularly in the ByWard Market to extend it.”
This story originally appeared in Metro News.
