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NF Council Talks Patios and Gender

Council meets at 4:00 this afternoon

Niagara Falls city council will be asked today to pass a bylaw to allow restaurants and bars to once again expand their outdoor patios and sidewalk cafes so they safely accommodate more patrons.

The temporary zoning regulations would be in effect until December 31st of next year.

This would be the second year council has allowed for expanded outdoor patios.

If passed this afternoon, the new regulations would allow restaurants and bars to include tents and canopies on patios and would allow them to be located within a required parking area or parking lot provided it doesn't block a fire route.

Counci is also being asked by a local resident to start bringing more women to the table.

Council will receive her letter as information.

Melanie Holm says she is writing to council to express her concern over the lack of female representation on the city's CAO Recruitment Committee.

Holm writes "During the last meeting, Councillor Lococo indicated that she would be interested in sitting on the CAO Recruitment Committee, particularly to ensure gender representation as women do think differently than men. Councillor Kerrio asked if all committees should be examined for gender representation (I would like to present the attached document to support the argument that yes, they should.) Mayor Diodati expressed his support for diversity on all committees, but then in the same breath attempted to downplay the importance of such representation on the CAO Recruitment Committee. Apparently, this is not an important committee, despite having also emphasized that this would be the most important job council has. Councillor Lococo was clearly dismissed in her concerns, and an attempt was made to placate her with a role on another, perhaps more suitable, committee. It was incredibly frustrating for me, as a woman, to witness this. I was incredibly disappointed by the display during this meeting; not one man on that Council stood up with Councillor Lococo and agreed that women should have a voice at the table and then helped to make that happen. Until we have equal representation, we must rely on men to stand up with us and for us as allies. Please read the attached document and consider your role in bringing more women to the table and supporting them in using their voices once they are there." 
 

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