Peggys Dogs in hot water with new Peggys Cove bylaw
A long-running hotdog cart in Peggys Cove may be forced to cease business due to an updated bylaw.
Claire Paruch, owner of Peggys Dogs, has been running her hotdog cart for more than 12 years. She said the amended bylaw would restrict vendors and effectively force her to shut her business down.
“I find it sad that they focus on my little hotdog cart,” she said. “I work so hard at that little cart … I am not shutting it down.”
Paruch started a petition to show support for her hotdog cart. The digital petition on change.org gained more than 850 signatures in three days.
As the sun beamed down on Peggys Cove on Tuesday, families and elders lined up at the cart for a snack. Flipping a variety of pork and beef sausages on the grill, Paruch and her stepdaughter, who also works at Peggys Dogs, exchanged stories and smiles with customers visiting the village.
For Paruch, meeting the tourists of Peggys Cove through her business is more important than maintaining finances.
“It’s the interaction, the happiness,” Paruch said. “People are in good moods. It brings me joy and I love to see people happy … it brings me true value and happiness.”
The Peggy’s Cove Commission Land Use Bylaw (LUB) sets guidelines for property owners. It was last amended in 2003. The commission has approved a draft of the new LUB containing a small change that could have big consequences for businesses.
Vending, meaning any outdoor sale of goods or services, would be prohibited as per the draft which has yet to take effect. The only exceptions to this are food trucks for special events, and yard sales on private property.
Prior to the introduction of the bylaw draft, Paruch said the commission asked her to move her hotdog cart as it was obstructing a fishing zone.
“You can’t fish on our waterfront here,” she said. “It’s only about, what, six, seven feet deep? It’s not a viable option to fish here.”
She refutes the claim, and argues that her cart is on her property, which is residential. Other businesses in the area also straddle the line, with several businesses operating in residential areas according to the 2003 LUB amendment.
Paruch thinks the bylaw could affect more than just businesses in the cove.
“I mean, (the bylaw) includes artists, musicians,” she said. “You need that down here! You need the life. Otherwise, you just walk up to the hill.”
The Peggy’s Cove Commission will hold a hearing on Wednesday evening before adopting the bylaw.
