A neighbourhood jam stand in Saanich will live to sell another jar after it was threatened with closure by the municipal government last month.
The Little Stand is operated by Katherine Little, whose husband built the small garden produce and preserves stand in front of their Queensbury Avenue home last June.
But when a Saanich bylaw officer recently told the couple a complaint had been registered against the farm stand and that it was operating in a residential zone that does not allow businesses, the Littles started an online petition to fight the Little Stand's closure.
It now appears that pressure has worked – at least for now.
On Monday, Katherine met with Brent Reems, Saanich's director of building, bylaw, licensing and legal services, who informed her she had won a temporary reprieve while the file is reviewed.
"Reems has committed to allowing the stand to remain open until he completes a review of the file to ensure Saanich's bylaw enforcement processes were followed," Saanich spokesperson Kelsie McLeod said in a statement Tuesday.
"It's important to note that there is no indication that processes were not followed at this stage."
Since 2016, the City of Victoria has actually encouraged the operation of small food stands in residential areas as part of a local food sustainability initiative.
