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City of Campbell River opens the call for food trucks downtown this summer

City will use pilot project to determine the future of food trucks in the downtown core
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The City of Campbell River has opened the call to receive expressions of interests for participants in the food truck pilot project this summer. Photo courtesy City of Campbell River

The City of Campbell River has officially opened the call for vendors interested in setting up food trucks downtown this summer.

After last summer’s proposed pilot project was delayed for community consultation before the program could be implemented, council approved it for this summer back in February and the city is looking up to four mobile food vendors “to give Campbell River a taste of the diverse, well-priced, quality food and beverages that could be offered in the CR Street Eats pilot program,” according to the announcement made this week.

Expressions of interest will be accepted until noon on May 3.

“Food trucks continue to be a fast growing sector in the restaurant industry, complementing traditional bricks and mortar restaurants,” says Rose Klukas, economic development officer for the city. “Campbell River looks forward to joining this movement, giving residents and tourists more dining options.”

“Extensive community feedback confirmed a hungry appetite for food trucks, and the 12-week pilot program is expected to draw more people to downtown sidewalks,” adds Laura Walker, the city’s long range planning and sustainability planning technician.

That may be considered an understatement. During the consultation process to see if there was community interest in such a project, only 28 of the over 600 respondents said they were against the idea, meaning around 96 per cent of people were in favour.

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In terms of food truck recruitment, the city release says, it will be based on selection criteria such as vehicle size and vendor availability.

“Participating mobile vendors will be regulated through a series of conditions and must provide bi-weekly feedback to city staff,” the release says. “They must also operate within a designated food truck area and ensure the cuisine offered doesn’t directly compete with downtown restaurants.”

“CR Street Eats Pilot Program is a time-limited opportunity to explore what works best with food trucks downtown and whether any challenges arise,” says Chris Osborne, the city’s long range planning and sustainability supervisor. “If the City opts to continue with downtown food trucks into the future, we will use this summer’s pilot program experience to make sure we have the right regulations in place.”

Email expressions of interest and a completed application to foodtrucks@campbellriver.ca, or drop off paper copies at City Hall no later than noon Friday, May 3.



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