The general manager of a local business is feeling “bullied” by the Downtown Orillia Management Board (DOMB) and the City of Orillia’s bylaw enforcement officers when it comes to signage regulations.
Bonnefire, a Toronto-based cannabis dispensary that opened a location last summer at 34 Mississaga St. E., was notified in January its outside signage did not meet the DOMB’s sign regulations meant to ensure the heritage feel of the downtown core.
The notice Bonnefire general manager Joey Khan received spells out what is wrong: The store’s sign does not include muted colours and a matte finish, 3D raised or engraved logos or lettering, the business name exceeds 10 per cent of the sign area, and symbols and logos identified with the business exceed 20 per cent of the signage area.
Bylaw officials also took issue with the sign being backlit.
Khan says the rules are “ridiculous.”
“If the logo can’t exceed 10 per cent of the sign, what is the point of having the sign?” he asked.
Khan agreed to take his sign down and is working to replace it, but now he feels he is being picked on by bylaw officers.
“The inspector passed by and took a picture of our sandwich board sign,” he said. “He emailed me and asked for a permit.”
Khan didn’t have a permit, but he feels the enforcement of the rule is petty.
“All these downtown stores are struggling as is,” he said. “Orillia is very seasonal, and a lot of that business was missed with the pandemic.”
He feels he is being “strong-armed” to conform to old-fashioned bylaws that should be reconsidered.
“Something needs to change with these practices and the things they are forcing businesses to do,” he said. “Wouldn’t they rather see these businesses be operational and doing well instead of having vacant units?”
He says he only hears from the DOMB when it has an issue with his business.
“There is no support,” he said. “It should be about helping each other out and fixing issues that we are all dealing with.”
Michael Fredson, chair of the DOMB, says the board tries to help businesses navigate relevant bylaws before they are financially affected by them.
“If there is a signage issue, it’s the city’s bylaw department that issues the ticket,” he said. “We try to give a warning before bylaw gives a ticket.”
In the case of Bonnefire, Fredson says, Khan was provided with “a lot of notice” his signage wasn’t going to meet requirements.
“They did it anyways,” he said.
Fredson acknowledges some of the strict esthetic regulations may deter some businesses from setting up shop downtown, and he notes the area is suited for certain businesses and shoppers more than than others.
“There is a different shopping demographic for a downtown core than in a West Ridge,” he said. “A Walmart shopper and a downtown shopper are not the same people usually.”
He says the esthetic of downtown Orillia is what helps attract a certain demographic most downtown businesses are geared toward.
“We are not West Ridge and most of the businesses down here are not trying to attract those shoppers,” he said. “We are trying to provide a different look and different feel.”
Fredson says the DOMB is in place to help businesses and provide them with marketing opportunities, but its hands are tied when it comes to cannabis retailers.
“Cannabis stores can’t market themselves,” he said. “They can’t put stuff on the street and participate in events. They are legislatively controlled that way.”
He says he understands why Khan believes the DOMB only reaches out to him to complain, but he says that’s not entirely the case.
“(Due to) the nature of his store, we can’t do a lot with him,” he said. “It’s the same for Miss Jones and Happy Dayz. We don’t go to them with our marketing stuff because we can’t.”
