All mobile food vendors must have:

– A Business License
For more information, please go to the Business License page.

– A certificate of trade name from Yukon Government Corporate Affairs (if you are naming the business anything other than your name)

• Apply to reserve your business name and pay $60 or complete the name reservation on the Yukon Corporate Online Registry and pay $40 by credit card
• Declare your business name and pay $25

– Approval from Yukon Workers’ Safety & Compensation Board (if you have employees or if the business is incorporated

• Register your business and pay a security deposit (if you are a new employer)

– Approval from Enviornmental Health Services

• Apply for a permit to operate a food premises (if you are operating a food business, either in a building or as a food truck)

To become a vendor on public property, you must:

– Register on Bonfire to access the City’s Procurement Portal

– Download the Request for Application (RFA) for Mobile Food Vendors

– Submit the Mobile Food Vendor Application Form through Bonfire to participate in the lottery and allocation process

– Obtain a Development Permit (if you have been successful in the lottery and have an allocated spot); applications to include the following:

• Development Permit Application Form 1A and Form 6B
• Permit fee of $350
• Letter of intent that includes the hours and days of operation
• Photograph of the vending unit
• Sketch plan showing the location and dimension of proposed permit area, passageway, permanent City fixtures and proposed amenities or accessories
• Signed RFA package (each page initialed and signed at the end)
• Proof of valid business license
• Proof of minimum $5 million general liability insurance with City of Whitehorse named as additional insured in accordance with the City’s Lease, Encroachment and Property Use Policy (Section 4)
• Proof of third party permitting or licensing, if applicable

– Enter into a Use Agreement with Yukon Government (if you are allocated one of the Waterfront Wharf sites)

– Comply with the Instruction to Applicants, Application Award Procedure and Schedule, and General Food Vendor Rules

To become a vendor on private property, you must:

– Obtain a Development Permit (if you are to operate on private property whose zone permits the use of “eating and drinking establishment”): applications to include the following:

• Development Permit Application Form and permit fee of $350
• Letter of intent that includes the hours and days of operation
• Photograph of the vending unit
• Sketch plan showing the location and dimension of proposed permit area, passageway, permanent City fixtures and proposed amenities or accessories
• Proof of a valid business license
• Proof of general liability insurance

– Provide written permission from the property owner to operate at the site

Application packages for the spring lottery can be obtained by registering through Bonfire. Applicants should review the full RFA package and conduct visits to the sites they are interested in. Vendors must submit a business plan with their application describing their vending apparatus, menu, operations plan, and financial goals.

There is no fee to enter the lottery for sites on public property.

Fees charged by the City are set out in the Fees & Charges Bylaw.

Current fees as follow:

• Business license (6 months) – $110
• Development Permit – $350
• Food Vendors Waste Sorting Station – $30 per truck
• Commercial Organics Collection Program – $38 per month
• Electrical Fee – $100 per month (vendors on the waterfront wharf sites will pay electrical fee to Yukon Government directly)

Please review the full Vendors’ Guidelines document in the application.
Please note Development Officer has the authority to attach conditions and limit the term of the permit.

– Vending Season & Operating Hours

• The vendor term is from May 1 to October 31
• Vendors shall cease operating by 10 p.m.
• Vendors must operate at their site at least five days per week on the riverfront and at the Main/Steele parkade, and at least four days per week at Rotary Park and Shipyards Park

– Regulations On Vending Unit & Location

• Vending units shall not block doorways, display windows, or impede pedestrian or vehicular access
• Cannot block access to an adjacent building or fire department connections, fire hydrants or utility maintenance features
• All permit areas utilizing a sidewalk must leave a minimum 1.2 m of sidewalk free and clear from obstructions for pedestrian use
• Ensure that the vending unit does not exceed the available electrical supply
• There shall be no permanent modifications made to the permit area. Vendors shall not insert any objects into the ground
• A mobile food vendor may operate at other temporary locations including festivals and special events, subject to proper permitting
• A vendor shall not assign or sublease their site to any other party without the express written consent from the City of Whitehorse

– Managing Commercial Waste

• Vendors are required to provide compost, recycling and garbage bins (with proper signage) for their customers
• Vendors must enroll in the City’s commercial organics collection program
• Vendors are required to dispose of waste produced. Garbage and recyclables must be sorted and disposed of at the closing of each day’s operations.
• Vendors are not permitted to use public garbage receptacles to dispose of waste.
  Options for managing garbage include:
  – Placing it in your curbside garbage cart for regular residential pickup
  – Arranging to share a dumpster service with a business that already subscribes to such service, or
  – Taking the garbage to the City’s Waste Management Facility

Throughout the year, there are many opportunities for food vendors to participate in festivals and markets. Some events are hosted by the City of Whitehorse, while others are done in partnership with the City or privately.

Street Eats
Street Eats is an annual event hosted by the City of Whitehorse that attracts more than 1,000 visitors over the course of three days. Along with food vendors who dish out lunch and dinner, there is also live music, recreational games and performances to entertain its visitors, regardless of age. Extra picnic tables and tents are provided for the public to enjoy, rain or shine.
Street Eats 2022
Street Eats 2023
Street Eats 2024

Fireweed Community Market
The Fireweed Community Market takes place in Shipyards Park every Thursday during the summer from May until September. Approximately 70 weekly vendors join in on the occasion to sell produce, artisanal products, and fresh food. To become a vendor at the market, you must register to be a member of the Fireweed Community Market and comply with their market rules and guidelines.
Fireweed Community Market

The City keeps a listing of Mobile Food Vendors that is shared with event organizers who are willing to have vendors at their events.

Economic Development
4061 4th Avenue
Whitehorse, YT
867-334-1083
[email protected]

Land & Building Services
6-151 Industrial Road
Whitehorse, YT
867-668-8346
[email protected]

Yukon Government Corporate Affairs
307 Black Street
Whitehorse, YT
867-667-5314
[email protected]

Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Board
401 Strickland Street
Whitehorse, YT
867-667-5645
[email protected]

Yukon Government Environmental Health
2 Hospital Road
Whitehorse, YT
867-667-8391
[email protected]