Essa moves towards licensing of small businesses
by Richard Blanchard

Essa council has moved towards a licensing system for the township's small businesses but support for the proposal was not universal.

Council voted to four to one in favour of the plan but the township's deputy mayor Terry Dowdall said that the plan would create more problems for small businesses in the municipality.

"Its a pretty big issue. I know that there are a lot more small businesses, operating from homes in the township, than what you would think," said deputy mayor Terry Dowdall.

Council had rejected a licensing system during the last term of council but mayor Dave Guergis said that the township needed some sort of framework in order to provide some means of control if problems resulted from the home-based businesses.

"You know the sort of problems that we had had recently with a couple of small home based businesses," he said.

"Licensing them gives us a say in their future proposals," said Guergis.

Dowdall responded that he felt that it was going to result in another layer of red tape for small business people.

Thornton area councillor Rick Newlove said that he wanted the process as uncomplicated as possible.

"I don't want people required to come in every year for a license but I'd like to some sort of control on them," he said.

The proposed bylaw would require small businesses not to change the residential character of the property, limit the amount of floor area devoted to he home business no more than 15% of the gross floor area of the home and limit the hours of operation so that they could not operate all night.

Council agreed to the licensing proposal in general. A bylaw will come to council at a future meeting.