It says something about Ottawa's street-food scene that such homey staples as chili and soup could be considered exotic. But misguided regulations have starved this city of interesting and healthy convenience food. When Jacqueline Jolliffe opened her soup truck on the Rideau Canal this winter, skaters were thrilled. So thrilled that she had trouble keeping enough soup on hand to feed the hundreds who lined up for beef or vegetarian chili, Thai squash soup or chicken-and-rice soup. "I think one in three people has said to me, 'It's so nice to have healthy food on the canal,' " Jolliffe says. Once the ice melts, Jolliffe would like to set up shop on an Ottawa street, or at least have the option. But she can't. The city isn't issuing any new permits and they're not transferable, so when a vendor retires, that spot disappears. Over the last decade or so, the number of street vendors has shrunk from about 100 to 32. Not only does that reduce the quantity of street food, it also tends to limit it to the stuff that's been around in this town forever -namely dogs and fries. That also means that Ottawa is missing out completely on the international trend in favour of interesting street food. This rule makes our city stodgier and duller. There's nothing wrong with fried dough, fried potatoes and hotdogs, at least once in a while. But the impression left with visitors, that Ottawa's food culture consists only of those things, is simply wrong. This city is full of foodies, amateur and professional cooks with imagination. It's just plain weird that the same city that spawned Zen Kitchen and Capital Cupcake Camp can't offer anything more interesting to harried pedestrians than street meat. This lack of street-food culture in the capital also contributes, in its small way, to the hokey branding we Canadians just can't seem to get past. We are a nation of Beavertails, hotdogs and poutine, our little huts and carts declare. But we're a nation of injera and gyros, too. We just hide that part of our identity, for reasons I'll never understand. Jolliffe is able to set up her soup truck on private property, so long as it's appropriately zoned and she pays for her licence. She's got a spot lined up at the University of Ottawa for a while and plans to hit some festivals this summer. But given her success, the city should be courting people like her, people who can give tourists quick meals to remember. And indeed, city staff are thinking about opening up the city's streets to more interesting food. Linda Anderson, chief of bylaw services, says staff will go before councillors in June with an idea for a pilot project aimed at bringing in a few new vendors in 2012. Read the rest <here>

The federal government earlier this week designated 2011 as the "Year of the Entrepreneur".  A worthy cause, certainly, but as news stories and comments quickly pointed out, it was not accompanied by any real programs or initiatives. Perhaps there are some things that could be done at the municipal level, though, to encourage entrepreneurs. Certainly, it's a designation that fits well with the business-oriented rhetoric of the new Mayor. In our Spring 2010 issue on "Rules",  for example, Jonathan Spencer wrote about how current zoning and other bylaws make it difficult to create small retail spaces that can serve as a stepping-stone for entrepreneurs who want to start shops or services on a tight budget (the article is not yet available online). It's as if the lower rungs of the retail ladder are missing. An obvious place to start is street food carts. Toronto is full of new arrivals from places with thriving street food cultures -- but it is currently almost impossible for them to replicate those services in Toronto. The situation is almost comical. Street food vending is governed by an outdated bylaw from the old City of Toronto that has not yet been harmonized to make it apply to the whole amalgamated city. On top of that, there is a moratorium, imposed in 2002, on issuing any street food vending licences to new vendors in downtown Toronto (Wards 20, 27, and 28) -- the wards with the greatest density of pedestrians, where street food is most desired and most viable. The moratorium has resulted in the gradual whittling down of the number of vendors in this area. Read the rest <here>

Read an interesting article in the Toronto Star today. Toronto's 'à la Cart' program began in 2009 with great fanfare. A top-down approach from City Hall controlling everything from the cart manufacturers to regulating every menu choice is blamed for the bankruptcy of several of the vendors. Compared to this, Vancouver's current program allows for much more freedom. One can only hope that that our city officials are studying the successes and shortcomings of the various food cart programs across the continent.