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📷 Nanaimo's Cliffside Brewing could potentially be business to benefit from the new patio rules / via Jesse Woodward

Restaurants, pubs, breweries and wineries are being given the green light to expand service to patios. BC's Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch has set up a fast-track, on-line permission process to temporarily allow expanded service areas until Oct. 31st. It does not allow an increase in the number of licensed seats in an establishment. It will only allow those seats to be spread out, to include patios or even sidewalks, with permission of the local municipality. The president of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association calls it "excellent news." Ian Tostenson says "it will be welcomed by all of our members and by businesses throughout B.C as an important step towards recovery." Normally such approvals would take months and hundreds of dollars to complete. Site inspections will not be required before the permit is issued, but random inspections are planned.

Both the Minister of Health and the Provincial Health Officer are downplaying concerns from restaurant patrons about a new rule. Now, diners must leave their names where they dine, to help with contact tracing, if there is a COVID-19 outbreak at the establishment. Some complain that is an infringement of privacy, but Adrian Dix calls it "a small inconvenience," saying "It's not a question of rights but a question of our obligations as human beings to one another during an extraordinarily difficult time." The contact information will be held for 30 days. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the information will not be accessed unless there is an outbreak. She says health authorities already have access to information from credit cards or loyalty cards when needed for contact tracing.

The Nanaimo Clippers is organizing a series of drive-in movies, to boost community spirits during the pandemic. The movies begin on June the 12 and 13th for season ticket holders only. From the 19th until the 21st, they will be for the general public. However, there will be a 50 car limit, and there will be no washroom facilities at the undisclosed drive-in location. Registration is required and a random draw will follow. The Junior Hockey team reports more than 700 families have registered in less than a day. On the bill "Toy Story 4" "Onward" and "Step Brothers." To enter the draw for tickets, check out the Clippers website.

Written and reported by: Lisa Cordasco, News Director for CHLY 101.7FM.

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