The municipality of Bristol and the owner of My Way Chipstand in Norway Bay have come to an agreement that should allow the business to open “within the coming weeks”, according to Bristol Mayor Brent Orr.

In late April, the municipality denied My Way Chipstand an operating permit for the upcoming summer season.

According to Orr, the municipality made the decision to initially deny the permit due to the dilapidated state of a building that is located adjacent to the business. The property that My Way Chipstand operates on, Orr explained, is within the same property boundary as the deteriorating building, the former home of a general store on Wharf Road.

“The building is in a state of disrepair and . . .

is dangerous,” Orr said. “Many people complained that there’s nothing to turn people away if kids were to go climb on it or something like that. We don’t want to grant a permit in an unsafe area.”

Known for its Mexican food, the takeout style restaurant is popular amoung Norway Bay residents and cottagers and is the only eatery within easy walking distance.

The issue was publicised through a petition circulated by the Bristol Community Action Network. Under the heading “Save our tacos & our town! Grant the location permit to My Way Chipstand (Norway Bay QC),” the petition was shared on Facebook, email threads and in person.

“Considering this permit has been granted in previous years, and that the level of safety of the building hasn’t significantly changed in the last year; this was an extremely surprising and disappointing decision,” the petition reads.

“The undersigned shares the belief with Council that the building is potentially hazardous and that people, especially youth, should be prevented from entering the building for any reason at any time. Unfortunately, restricting the use of the chip stand will not accomplish this goal,” the petition continues.

“The chip stand is situated as far from the building as possible while still being on the property in question, much farther than the mailbox or the road itself. Even though the chip stand attracts many people, the undersigned believe that the chip stand is no more responsible for people entering the building than the road or the mailbox.”

The petition, which collected over 1,600 signatures, was presented to Bristol Municipal Council at its monthly meeting on June 5.

“The municipality has no issues with My Way Canteen, it is an added attraction to our community,” said Bristol Director General Christina Peck in an email sent to THE EQUITY. “The issues surrounding refusing the permit stem from an ongoing dispute with the current owner who refuses to secure the building.”

“Demolition is not an option now due to an ongoing legal dispute to determine ownership of the property, however the owner has refused in the past to comply with our requests to either secure or demolish the building. The degrading state of the building and mold issues have forced the municipality to suspend issuing the permit for public safety concerns and subsequent liability if an accident were to occur,” Peck said.

“Last council meeting, the owner has agreed to fence it and to make it secure,” said Orr regarding the dilapidated building. “So we told the owner of the chip stand that if the property owner fences it and we get some proof of liability insurance, they will be able to proceed this summer.”

THE EQUITY reached out to the owner of My Way Chipstand but had not received a reply as of press time.

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