CORNWALL, Ontario – At their meeting on Monday, June 14, Councillor Justin Towndale put forward a motion asking for a report on the feasibility of opening Pitt St. to pedestrians on weekends during the summer.
Towndale requested that the results of the report be delivered to Council at their June 28 meeting and would see Pitt St. closed on Saturdays and Sundays from Second St. down to Water St. This would allow restaurants to host more guests at once and help them recover from a difficult lockdown that prevented them from hosting any sit down dining for much of this year.
“This is a way that we can show our support for a sector that has been particularly hard hit,” said Councillor Towndale
This idea was first considered by Cornwall Council in the summer of 2020, to support downtown businesses and give restaurants more space for socially distanced tables. At that time, the Cornwall Chamber had conducted a survey of downtown businesses and found low support for the idea. One year can make a significant difference though.
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The idea to open a part of Pitt St. to pedestrians on weekends was revived by Hassan Rafiei, the owner of Schnitzels European Flavours restaurant, which is located on Pitt St. just south of Second St.
Towndale told Council that Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) President Josh Casselman had already written a letter of support for the idea, and that Rafiei had already conducted another survey of all businesses that would be affected by the move and found unanimous support.
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“Certainly last year there was a lesson learned in terms of process and getting this done in an efficient way and now we’ve added an entire year of businesses having a hard time and so, this is just a motion to get a report,” said Councillor Eric Bergeron who seconded the motion.
Both councillors Towndale and Bergeron acknowledged that the real debate will happen on June 28, when administration returns with their report.
