On December 8, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced new mandatory public health measures for businesses to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Effective December 13, 2020, all restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes must close to in-person service. This includes all temporary outdoor patios and sidewalk cafes. Take out, curbside pickup and delivery services are allowed.
Outdoor retail expansions may continue provided they follow the Province’s requirement to reduce customer capacity to 15% of fire code occupancy.
You will need to obtain zoning approval if you are:
- starting a new business
- moving your business to a new location, or
- changing business activities in an existing location
Examples of changes to business activities include:
- A cafe that will now serve alcohol
- A 50-seat restaurant now seats 200 patrons
- An auto body shop that will now perform engine repairs
Zoning approval is required in order to obtain a valid business licence.