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 Street food vending is governed by an outdated bylaw from the old City of Toronto that has not yet been harmonized to make it apply to the whole amalgamated city.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>