A pair of distinct canopies that have lined a block of downtown Terrace since the 80s may not be doing so for much longer.
For nearly 50 years, the canopies have covered the walkway in front of the 4600 block of Lakelse Avenue.
But questions over the ownership of the canopies and who should be responsible for their maintenance and upkeep has resulted in the landmark falling in to disrepair, and becoming a liability to the City.
Last night, Council gave staff the go ahead to work with the Terrace Downtown Improvement Area on a design for the reconstruction of the road, which includes the removal of the canopy.
But business owners from the 4600 block say that neither the City nor the TDIA consulted them on the plan beforehand.
They say that an in depth plan for the refurbishment of the canopy was put together years ago, but abandoned by the City.
A number of City councillors also took issue with the fact that business owners had not been meaningfully consulted on the proposal in years.
Ultimately, Council decided to leave the wording of the recommendation as it was, but to encourage cooperation on an alternative solution with business owners.
Staff are open to businesses coming together to form an organization, or local service area to take responsibility for managing repair and upkeep on the canopy.
One thing is for sure: either someone needs to take ownership of the canopy and its maintenance costs, or it will be removed in the coming years.
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