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A city-ordered moratorium on new street vending licences in Toronto’s downtown core is quietly killing off the iconic hot dog cart, insiders say.

Mehran Bermah, owner of a popular cart on Albert Street behind Old City Hall, said even the widow of one stand owner wasn’t allowed to renew the licence at her husband’s former location.

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“They should have a little bit of heart but they don’t,” Bermah said.

In 2014, the City of Toronto issued 267 sidewalk vending licences for a non-motorized refreshment vehicles, which includes hot dog stands — 48 new and 219 renewed.

The number of licences issued has now dropped to 194.

Boris Velkovitch, owner of Soloways Hot Dog Factory Outlet, said when he began supplying vendors in 1998 he had about 400 customers.

Now even as the city population grows rapidly, the number of hot dog street vendors has declined to roughly 100, and only about half of those are active, he said.