The Georgetown municipality stands to lose at least $6 million in annual earnings from the licensing of eating houses if the government’s proposed Food Safety Bill is passed in its current form, Town Clerk Royston King has warned.
King had indicated to Mayor Patricia Chase-Green at the May 28th statutory meeting that the City Council should look into having the bill, which is currently being reviewed by a parliamentary select committee, amended so that the city’s operations are not negatively affected.
Responding to questions from this newspaper at a press conference last Friday, King further explained that sections 43 to 52 of the bill make provisions for food business and if enacted they will render by-laws that grant the city the power to license “eating houses” and “street selling” invalid. He said the Food Safety Authority, which would be created by the new law, would be performing functions in direct conflict with those performed by the city’s Medical Officer of Health and because there can be no duplication of licensing authorities the city will have to stop licensing and collecting the fees for the service.
