By David Reevely | Ottawa Citizen
Photograph by: Bruno Schlumberger , Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — Finding a new place to park his successful food truck is taking a little longer than the city wanted, but the bylaw department is off Ben Baird’s case.
The proprietor of the big blue Ottawa Streat Gourmet truck, which sets up most weekdays at Queen and O’Connor streets, had been parking in his Mooney’s Bay driveway, though the truck is bigger than the city’s rules say a vehicle can be if it’s stored on a residential property. After a neighbour complained, the city gave him till July 5 to sort it out or risk fines.
The truck isn’t moving till July 15, when Baird gets a space at a “commissary kitchen” where he can also do his daily food preparation, but that’s good enough.
“We did work out a solution and gave him an extension,” said Susan Jones, the general manager in charge of the bylaw department. He’d wanted till Sept. 1 and had to scramble to try to meet the earlier deadline. But with the paperwork in hand for a new parking spot next week, the bylaw department sees no need to chase Baird any further.
“We were overwhelmed by the support we got, from folks all over this awesome city we live in,” Baird said.
