Mobile ice cream trucks will continue to be banned from operating on city streets.
City staff had recommended such trucks be allowed, provided operators met health and safety, nuisance control, and consumer protection requirements.
They would have been required to get a business licence, while health and safety measures would have included two flashing amber lights and a sign posted on the back of the truck reading, “Caution: Watch for children.”
That wasn’t enough to garner sufficient support from council committee members Monday.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla raised concerns about children’s safety.
He had previously noted his six-year-old nephew died after he was hit by a vehicle while running across the street toward an ice cream truck.
He also pointed to comments from Orillia OPP, which expressed concern about the potential for collisions.
“When they’re coming from all sorts of directions, there certainly is the potential for someone to get struck,” said Shawn Crawford, the city’s manager of legislative services.
That cemented the decision of some council members to vote against the staff recommendation.
“I certainly see the value in it and I think there’s a fun element,” said Coun. Jay Fallis. “I am going to vote against because of the reasons that Ralph cited.”
Coun. Tim Lauer also spoke out against allowing ice cream trucks on city streets.
“I believe the OPP have a handle on safety issues and, if they’re saying this is not safe, I’m tending to agree with them,” he said.
Lauer also took issue with the $827 annual licence the operators would be subject to. There are businesses in town selling ice cream that are paying much more than that in taxes, he said, suggesting the city “make it fair and jack that (licence fee) up.”
Coun. Mason Ainsworth, who championed the return of ice cream trucks, said the only concerns he’d heard were from those who are selling ice cream at their businesses.
He also noted there is an ice cream truck currently operating in town.
“The ice cream truck is running in the city already, including on this cold, crappy day, might I add,” he said.
“People are quite happy about that.”
Crawford said the situation “is under investigation at this time.”
The conversation was sidetracked when Ainsworth, in making a case for allowing ice cream trucks, cautioned his colleagues against making a decision that would make Orillia become “known for the place that doesn’t have Uber and doesn’t have ice cream trucks.”
“I don’t think council or the community want to have another blunder like the Uber incident, where we’re essentially now blacklisted …” he said.
“It wasn’t that we said no to Uber,” Mayor Steve Clarke responded, adding the city wanted certain provisions in place to allow the ride-share company to operate in town.
“Orillia is blacklisted by Uber,” Ainsworth said, referring to that as “quite a big embarrassment.”
After some back and forth, council committee voted against allowing ice cream trucks, with only Ainsworth and councillors David Campbell and Rob Kloostra voting in favour.
