Toronto bakery could be forced to demolish addition built during pandemic

For over 17 years, Wanda’s Pie in the Sky has been a local fixture in Toronto’s Kensington Market, serving up cozy homestyle pies, cakes, tarts, and treats out of a welcoming corner shop. But now, after weathering a complicated battle with the City, the bakery is facing the possibility of demolishing the very addition that helped it survive the pandemic.

Back in 2020, the bakery’s owners decided to build a dining space with lots of airflow to allow customers to enjoy their baked goods while adhering to social distancing regulations at the time.

“We most likely wouldn’t have survived the pandemic without it,” Wanda Beavers, co-owner of the bakery told blogTO.

“There was no indoor seating at the beginning, and we’re a bakery, so we could stay open, but there was no seating unless it was open on all three sides,” Beaver explained. “So we asked around to see if we could get permits, and the City wasn’t actually giving out permits at the time.”

Operating under the assumption that the business could one day obtain a permit once the City resumed its activities, Wanda’s Pie in the Sky established its 15-seat dining shed on Oxford Street.

It wasn’t until months later that the landlord, who owns the property, began receiving orders from the City to either obtain the necessary permits or demolish the addition. According to Wanda, they were unaware of these requests until the landlord received a court order.

The city issued an “Order to Comply” on January 19, 2023, which required the bakery either to obtain a building permit for the addition or restore the site to its original condition.

“The addition we built helps everyone — it harms no one,” Beaver said. “We did it to survive, and it will probably cost us in excess of $10,000 to take it down. We would lose a lot of business, especially in the wintertime.”

A spokesperson for the City of Toronto told blogTO that the issued order requires the property owner to obtain a building permit “for the unauthorized construction or to restore the site to original condition.”

NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who previously dealt with a similar issue when they were a city councillor, has thrown their support behind the bakery. Wong-Tam has urged the bakery’s owners to challenge the order, rallying the community and the media to put pressure on the City.

“Customers are appalled that this is even an issue,” Beaver said, referencing the outpouring of support the bakery has received, including an online petition, which has garnered over 600 signatures.

“We know it’s a legal matter, we know that when it goes to the court, it becomes much more difficult to fight this,” Beaver explained. “But in this case, I feel like this is a battle that really needs to be fought because we have to put a spotlight on the fact that small businesses are the mainstay of employment. More jobs are created in small business than anywhere else.”

Despite the challenges ahead, Beaver says there remains a faint glimmer of hope for keeping the dining shed a part of the business.

“It’s a slim chance, but it’s a chance,” she said. “We’re hoping that this story gets attention. The more people know about it, the better.”

As the bakery’s owners prepare for what could be a difficult legal battle, they’re also dealing with rising costs — materials, labour, and ingredients like butter, which has seen prices double since 2019. “Our profit margins have shrunk to almost nothing,” Wanda explained. “Something like this is a serious blow to a business that’s been around for 40 years.”

Wanda’s Pie in the Sky is located at 287 Augusta Ave.