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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 01-18 UES OJ Report to Executive Committee n !: iiLI\L ir G Report Number: CS 01-18 Date: January 8, 2018 From: Marisa Carpino Director, Community Services Subject: Community Festivals and Events - Policy - File: A-1440-001 Recommendation: • 1. That Council approve the Community Festivals and Events Policy as set out in Attachment 1, subject to minor revisions deemed acceptable to the Director, Community Services; 2. That Council authorize staff to issue a park permit for the use of Esplanade Park by Ajax- Pickering Rotary Clubs from May 30 to June 4, 2018 (inclusive) for Ribfest, on terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; 3. That Council authorize staff to issue a park permit for the use of Esplanade Park by Carea Community Health Centre on June 9, 2018 for Aboriginal Celebration Day, on terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; 4. That Council authorize staff to issue a park permit for the use of Esplanade Park by Filipino- Canadian Heritage and Resource of Durham on June 16, 2018 for Filipino Festival & Santacruzan, on terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; 5. That Council authorize staff to issue a park permit for the use of Canadian Food Truck Festivals from August 8 to August 13, 2018 (inclusive) for Pickering Food Truck Festival, on terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; and 6. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: To further the strategic directions of Pickering's Cultural Plan, staff have worked in collaboration with the Cultural Advisory Committee to develop a Community Festivals and Events Policy and Community Festivals & Events Manual that encourages and supports community events. • The Community Festivals and Events Policy (the "Policy") outlines the criteria, guidelines and processes by which requests to host private and/or public events in City Parks are received and considered for approval. Prospective applicants will be supported by the Community Events staff team and the Community Festivals & Events Manual (currently in draft form) which will provide key information, timelines and required documentation to apply for events in city parks. In the CS 01-18 January 8, 2018 Subject: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 2 coming months, City staff will consult with the applicable stakeholder groups prior to finalizing and implementing the Community Festivals & Events Manual. Identified in the Policy are Signature Parks which consists of Esplanade Park, Millennium Square, Alex Robertson Park and Bruce Hanscombe Park. The Policy outlines the unique terms, conditions and approval process for these high profile parks. Please note that, as per the attached Policy, the permitting of Esplanade Park for public events is subject to the approval of Council. The purpose of this report is to seek Council's endorsement of the Community Festivals and Events Policy. Moreover, as per the conditions of the Policy, staff also seek the endorsement of Council for "Partner Events" proposed to take place in 2018 as per the list below. Partner Events Applicant 2018 Proposed Dates (including park set up, operation and clean up) Ribfest Ajax-Pickering Rotary Clubs Wednesday, May 30 — Monday, June 4, 2018 Aboriginal Celebration Day Carea Community Health Saturday, June 9, 2018 Centre Filipino Festival & Filipino-Canadian Heritage and Saturday, June 16, 2018 Santacruzan Resource of Durham Food Truck Festival Canadian Food Truck Festivals Wednesday, August 8 — Monday, August 13, 2018 Financial Implications: Applicants are responsible to coordinate and operate all aspects of their events including marketing, event organization & operation, setup, and clean-up according to the terms and conditions set out by the City of Pickering. Applicants are also responsible for all costs associated with application fees including park permit fees, table rentals, garbage/recycling receptacles, etc. (as per the Summary of Fees and Charges • Schedule) and the costs associated with paid duty police officers and/or contracted security guards as required by the City. For Partner Events, City staff are in attendance to oversee weather and emergency operations, check that conditions of the agreements are being met, and to provide a City staff contact during event operations. CS 01-18 January 8, 2018 Subject: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 3 New in 2018, City staff will be proposing the following in the 2018 Budget (Summary of Fees and Charges): 1. New "Application Fees" by event category in order to offset, in part, the staff costs associated with the screening of an application. Larger events require more staff time. Event Category Application Fees Community Event Application $25 (plus HST) (under 1000 guests) Community Festival Application $100 (plus HST) (1000-4999 guests) Partner Event Application $250 (plus HST) (5000 or more guests) 2. New "Refundable Park Damage Security Deposit" at rates that rise incrementally by the number of persons at the event. Currently, the City does not require damage security deposit for park permits as we do for facility permits. There is occasion when damages to City parks can occur during permitted events. The new refundable damage security deposit will enable the City to readily draw on the deposit to repair such damages. If no damages are incurred during the permitted event, the applicant will be refunded the deposit in full. Therefore, proposed in the 2018 budget will be the following Park Damage Security Deposit effective March 1, 2018: Park Damage Security Deposit 0-99 people $50 100-199 people $100 200-499 people $250 500-999 people $500 1000-4999 people $750 5000 or more people $1000 In 2018, City staff will be reviewing our existing "Park Permit Fee" structure for events/festivals. Currently, the City's park permit fee is $40 plus HST per day despite the magnitude of event attendance. This flat rate approach is inconsistent with municipal best practice of neighbouring municipalities such as Oshawa and Ajax who charge park permit fees based on estimated attendance ranging from $55 to $953. As a result, staff will review the park permit fee structure in 2018 in consultation with applicable stakeholder groups. Any proposed changes will be reflected in a future budget (Summary of Fees and Charges) which is subject to Council's approval. Discussion: In 2014, Council endorsed the City's Cultural Strategic Plan as per Council Resolution #247/14. The Plan outlined a pathway for the successful integration and promotion of Culture in order to enhance and sustain the social and cultural well-being of the City. The Plan outlined a vision and strategic directions to achieve the goals of the plan. CS 01-18 January 8, 2018 Subject: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 4 In fact, six Strategic Directions were proposed for the Cultural Plan: 1. Broaden and deepen city leadership and investment. 2. Build a strong and collaborative cultural sector. 3. Strengthen culture-led economic development. 4. Conserve and promote history and heritage. 5. Celebrate and support diversity and inclusion. 6. Cultivate opportunities for the creation, education and enjoyment of the arts. Under Strategic Direction 3, Cultural Services staff were tasked to create and introduce online user-friendly tools such as a Community Events Application & Community Manual to encourage community organizations, residents and corporate partners to take the lead in the provision of cultural initiatives. In an effort to reach this goal, several steps were undertaken. 1. Staff resources in Cultural Services were dedicated to the support of Community Events. 2. A Community Events Staff Committee was created to ensure communication and consistency in the delivery and processing of Community Festival and Event applications 3. Cultural Services staff, in collaboration with the Community Events Staff Committee, have drafted an online Community Festivals & Events Manual that provides a concise detailed process for operating successful community events within the City of Pickering. The contents were developed through a review of current community-led events, in consultation with department staff, and considering municipal best practices. Staff referenced event manuals and best practices currently employed by the Municipalities of Toronto, Brampton, Barrie, and Burlington. The draft manual has been presented to the Cultural Advisory Committee for comment and feedback. In 2018, City staff will consult with applicable stakeholder groups to collect their feedback to the draft Community Festivals & Events Manual prior to implementation. When finalized, the online manual will be used by organizations and individuals to plan community events, and includes: • step by step directions on identifying event scale, timelines for successful operation, and the application process to operate Community Festivals & Events in Pickering • detailed information on application, permitting, and licensing processes • critical paths to assist organizers with meeting required timelines for successful operation 4. The Community Events Staff Committee, in collaboration with the Cultural Advisory Committee, created the Community Festivals and Events Policy to identify a process by which permit requests for events in City Parks are considered and approved. The policy has been presented to the Cultural Advisory Committee. CS 01-18 January 8, 2018 Subject: Community Festivals and Events,Policy Page 5 At this time, staff seek Council's endorsement of the Community Festivals and Events Policy. As per the proposed Policy (Section 05.02(b)), staff are also required to seek Council approval for applicants of"Partner Events" requesting to operate in Esplanade Park in 2018. As such, the following community organizations have confirmed they would like to continue to operate 2018 events in Esplanade Park. The permit dates are included below and include all operational aspects of the event. Partner Events Applicant Proposed Dates 2018 (includes event set up, operation and clean up) Ribfest Ajax-Pickering Rotary Clubs Wednesday, May 30 — . Monday, June 4 Aboriginal Celebration Day Carea Community Health Saturday, June 9 Centre Filipino Festival & Santacruzan Filipino-Canadian Heritage and Saturday, June 16 Resource of Durham Food Truck Festival Canadian Food Truck Festivals Wednesday, August 8 — Monday, August 13 City of Pickering staff from applicable departments support the events, in principle, subject to various event/festival requirements being met by the applicant during the event planning process. The requirements include but is not limited to the following: • proof of liability insurance • rentals of event equipment and supplies • Durham Health Community Special Events Form for Event Coordinators/Organizers • locates completed for all staked equipment • rental of all required portable restroom and hand-washing stations (if applicable) • submission of site plan and emergency response plan • adherence to the City's Emergency Weather Standard Operating Procedure • hiring of site security and police officers to monitor event operations (if applicable) Attachments: 1. Community Festivals and Events Policy CS 01-18 January 8, 2018 Subject: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 6 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: • 111 Tanya Ryce Marisa Carpino Supervisor, Cultural Services Director, Community Services MC:tr • Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer • w ATTACHMENT# TO REPORT#,CS.O I—16 cite Policy PTCKERI NG Procedure Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Policy Number ADM 200 Reference Date Originated (m/d/y) Date Revised (m/d/y) Pages Community Use of City Parks December 6, 2017 9 Procedures 200-001 . Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Supervisor, Cultural Services i Policy Objective The purpose of this document is to outline the criteria and process by which permit requests for private and/or public events in City Parks are considered and approved. Community Events are key in developing community identity and pride and enhancing cultural experiences within a community. The objective of A .s policy are � ,«, oi • Ti tablish ear and a nsiste s,ethods f© o iduals/or.• a nizations to req '-'41 space in Ci parks for e rivate a d-/or pub, vents; , , • T• nsure that •ivids/orga tions inte",gest ®.fin hostingan event in City P ks are a a;e of processes re•:= reme and available r sources; iii;; ,mss • To efine the Cit 's rol, , °s pport of commune ,\events `" • Toadlentify event tate•"o es an® the allot ion of re ources • To'outline the fiiaancial„implica ions so that -nts a '`d fees;62n be planned/co sidered ac ® dingly; Al?' � , ° y • , To -nhance moo.= munica aon be een app scants an..1 e Cify�of Pickering; and 6•, x . ,6 • • To -� - -stival an., tivent Pe; itConditions ands.-gulag„®ns are followed a =ring events n` ity Parks in r<ding app i able City policies, •y-laws, health and safety" requirements, rental contract agreements and provincial regulations. Index 01 Purpose 02 Scope 03 Application 04 Definitions 05 Delegation of Authority 06 Community Festivals and Events Approvals and Restrictions 07 Administrative Requirements 01 Purpose The City of Pickering recognizes that community led public events significantly contribute to the community's sense of place and are an important form of public celebration. Community events are an integral part of creating a vibrant and diverse City. This policy provides a framework to support community led public events in parks and public open spaces, and establishes objectives to ensure that events are compatible with the City's vision for a vibrant and sustainable community. 02 Scope The Community Festivals and Events Policy is designed to: • Establish the process for supporting, and/or administering events held within City Parks, utilizing Municipal facilities; • Provide guidelines for fair, equitable, transparent and consistent decision making and access; • Establish uniform criteria and procedures for the use of parks for special events; • Promote a diverse range of organized activities; and • Ensure that the City's parks and facilities are used for the benefit of the entire community. To ensure that events are compatible with the City's vision for a vibrant, sustainable community, the City supports and manages events in order to meet the following objectives: • Balance the needs of event participants, parks users and neighbours; • Ensure that events are compatible with event venues; • Ensure the protection of the natural environment; • Promote a diverse range of activities and opportunities; and, • Encourage participation and inclusion of all members of the community. • 03 Application This Policy applies to the operation of Community Festivals and Events in Pickering. 04 Definitions 04.01 Community Events occur on City of Pickering property, are open to the public, have an estimated attendance of 20 - 999 guests per day and include one or Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 2 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 more of the following criteria: alcohol sales, staking, generators, industrial cooking, raffles, amplified sound, carnival or fair, food vendors and may include use of a Signature Park. Community Event organizers are required to submit a Community Festivals & Events Application to the City. Event operation is subject to approval of the Community Events Committee. Community Event requests for Esplanade Park must be approved by Council. 04.02 Community Events Committee is responsible for the approval of Community Festivals & Events and the development of community event guidelines. The Committee is comprised of City staff representatives from Traffic, By-law, Finance, Community Services, Planning, and Fire Services. The team meets monthly to consider event requests, and upcoming events. 04.01 Community Festivals occur on City of Pickering property, are open to the public, have an estimated attendance of 1,000 to 4,999 attendees per day, and include one or more of the following criteria: alcohol sales, staking, generators, electrical hook ups, industrial cooking, road closures, raffles, amplified sound, carnival or fair, food vendors and may include use of a Signature Park. Community Festival organizers are required to submit a Community Festivals & Events Application to the City. Event operation is subject to approval of the Community Events Committee, and the Director, Community Services. Community Festival requests for Esplanade Park must be approved by Council. 04.02 Independent Events occur entirely on private property within Pickering. Organizers of Independent Events are required to follow all applicable City by- laws and gather applicable licenses, permits and insurances. Independent events are not required to submit a Community Festivals & Events Application to the City. 04.03 Non-commercial Photography is the professional or amateur collection of images through photography for personal use, where the images will not be distributed or made available for sale/profit. Non-commercial photography can be booked directly with the Assistant Coordinator, Parks & Facility Bookings. 04.04 Partner Events occur on City of Pickering property, are open to the public, estimated attendance is 5,000 guests or more per day, and include one or more of the following criteria: alcohol sales, staking, generators, electrical hook ups, industrial cooking, road closures, raffles, amplified sound, carnival or fair, food vendors, fireworks, parade, and may include use of a Signature Park. Partner Event organizers are required to submit a Community Festivals & Events Application to the City. Event operation is subject to approval of the Community Events Committee, the Director of Community Services and CAO. Partner event requests for Esplanade Park must be approved by Council. 04.05 Private Events occur on public property in the City of Pickering, and have a private guest list of under 1,000 guests. Organizers of Private Events are required to follow all City By-laws and gather applicable licenses, permits and Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 3 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 insurances. A Community Festivals.& Events Application is not;required to be submitted to the City for Private Events. 04.06 Road Races/Bike Rides event categories encompass runs, walks or biking races on trails or roads that may include road closures and traffic disruptions. Event attendance and permit requirements will determine the event scale and application timelines. 04.07 Signature Parks are parks located within the City of Pickering that have a special set of approval and booking criteria due to its profile and location. Signature Parks are Esplanade Park, Millennium Square, Alex Robertson Park and Bruce Hanscombe Park. Event requests for Esplanade Park must be approved by Council. 05 Delegation of Authority 05.01 Chief Administrative Officer to: a) support the allocation of staff resources to coordinate the Community Festivals and Events Policy; and b) consider and approve, as appropriate, City staff recommendations to permit Partner Event applications. 05.02 The Mayor and Members of Council to: a) direct inquiries related to Community Festivals and Events to the appropriate City staff; and, b) consider and approve, as appropriate, City staff reports to Council recommending a permit be issued for Partner Events at Esplanade Park. 05.03 Directors & Division Heads to: a) support the allocation of staff resources to participate in the Community Events Committee; b) to ensure their department meets the corporations obligations related to a City issued park permit and/or event agreement; and c) Director, Community Services to consider and approve, as appropriate, City staff recommendations to permit Community Festival applications. 05.04 Managers & Supervisors to: a) assign staff resources to coordinate Community Festivals & Events; Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 4 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 . • I b) oversee revenue accounts and conditions of the agreement/permit to ensure that the obligations of all parties are being met; and 05.05 The Community Events Committee to: a) attend monthly meetings to consider event applications for City parks; b) screen applications and provide timely responses; c) recommend the approval or denial of an application, considering the guidelines of this procedure, to the applicant, Director, CAO and/or Council, as is applicable; d) keep an up-to-date listing of all current and available permits and existing agreements; • e) track and report on annual community use of City parks for public special events; f) ensure that all agreements safeguard the Corporation; g) act as a liaison between department staff; h) assist department staff in the tracking of program participants in support of the program; i) promote the park permitting programs; j) serve as a centralized resource for any park permitting activities throughout • the City; and k) collect feedback from the community, partners, and City staff on initiatives to maintain a positive program reputation, and enhance revenue outcomes. 05.06 Employees to: a) Adhere to the guidelines as set out in Section 05. a. Non-Compliance with Guidelines Failure to comply with this Procedure may result in disciplinary action. 05.07 Please refer to all associated Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures, if applicable, for detailed processes regarding this Policy. Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 5 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 06 Community Festivals and Event Approvals & Restrictions 06.01 A Community Festival and Event Application submitted to the City for approval must meet certain criteria to be eligible for a permit, including compatibility with the provisions of municipal, provincial and federal laws as well as in accordance with rules and regulations administered by the City's by-laws, Durham Regional Police and Durham Region Public Health. 06.02 Applications will be evaluated by the Community Events Committee to ensure a varied mix and range of activities and interests which reflect the community and to ensure the request does not duplicate existing events. 06.03 To be considered for a permit, community festivals/events must provide a meaningful benefit to the community and must have a direct impact on one or more of the following areas: • Arts and Culture; • Environment; • Culture; • Diversity; • Heritage Promotion; • Environmental Benefit; • Education; • Health and Wellness; • Physical Fitness; • Enrich the character and identity of the City; • Create unique or innovative experiences; • Contribute to programming in slow seasons; • Extend the overall range and mix of programming in the City; and • Be openly accepting, inclusive and accessible of all community members. 06.04 Event approvals will be granted in a fair and equitable manner. When requests are submitted, the criteria used will be based on a number of different considerations: • Nature and type of activity; • Nature and type of the user requesting the event; • Space/staff/equipment availability the date requested; and • Benefit and/or enhancement of the community. 06.05 The City of Pickering will consider applications to host community festivals/events based on the following criteria: • There is a need within the community to host the event. Need is assessed by the following factors: it supports the initiatives of an official plan, the City does not offer similar programs/events and, the event model has a proven track record for success and/or degree of community interest/engagement. Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 6 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 • That City resources are being allocated to a variety of event types, representative of all cultural aspects. • That the City has the resources to reasonably assign to the event without impacting City operations. • That organizers have the capacity and resources to execute the proposed festival or event including human resources, financial stability, and a solid plan for marketing, public safety, accessibility, traffic, and parking control. 06.06 The City of Pickering will decline Community Festival & Event requests if (but not limited to): • The proposed event will create a hardship for the City or the surrounding community. • Any event component is contrary to City of Pickering policies. • The organizing group cannot provide surety of their ability to be responsible for event operations, associated event costs and damages. 06.07 The City will not accept event applications from any individual/organization that endorses views or ideas that promote discrimination, contempt or hatred. The purposes, practices and event proposals of applicant groups must be consistent with the Human Rights Code. The following events or activities are not permitted in City parks or public open spaces: • Events that conflict with the City's values or that are deemed to impact negatively on the City's identity as being family friendly. • Events that contribute to the sale of tobacco, marijuana, pornography or support the production, distribution, and sale of weapons and other life- threatening products • Events that endorse views and ideas that are likely to promote discrimination, contempt or hatred for any person on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, age, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, economic status or level of literacy. • Activities that exclude persons from participation in or enjoyment of the event on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, or disability. 06.08 The City will not permit events provided by organizations whose reputation could prove detrimental to the City's public image and/or whose main business is derived from: • The sale of tobacco or other addictive substances; • Pornography; and, Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 7 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 • The support of, or involvement in the production, distribution, and sale of weapons and other life-threatening products. 06.09 The City will not permit events which, either directly or through third party arrangements (i.e. vendors, sponsors), that: • Violate any City policy; • Convey a negative religious message that might be deemed prejudicial to religious groups; • Promote alcohol and other addictive substances, at venues geared primarily to children; • Present demeaning or derogatory portrayals of individuals or groups or contain anything, which in light of generally prevailing community standards, is likely to cause deep or widespread offence; or • Is in direct competition with City of Pickering services, programs or initiatives. 06.10 The City reserves the right to reject or revoke permits for public events and to refuse to enter into agreements for partnership event or public event that originally may have been openly solicited by the City. 06.11 City parks will not be closed to the general public during any permitted events. 06.12 The City may, at its discretion, bring any proposals to Council for their approval even if they do not meet the guidelines of this Policy. 07 Event Applications and Permitting 07.01 When applying to conduct an event, a Community Festivals and Events Application must be completed in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Community Festivals & Events Manual and submitted for consideration to the Corporate Events Committee. To ensure availability of resources, the application is to be completed in order to be considered. • Approvals will take into consideration the size of event and what is being requested; the availability of equipment and space; other event currently scheduled for the day requested. • The organizers will be held responsible to pay for all direct fees related to the event including licenses, permits, City staff during event operations, rentals and any damage or replacement of equipment. • The organizers will be responsible for picking up and returning equipment borrowed (except for large items such as picnic tables and garbage containers, barricades for road closures). 07.02 Resources and In-Kind Services may be provided to support events upon request. These services include: Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 8 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200 • Event area inspection, grass cutting and prep, parking and traffic plans and set-up, City promotions, or electrical access. • In some cases for partner events, City staff will be present during event operations to clean facility washrooms adjacent to Park, remove garbage, assist with set-ups and respond to unanticipated requests from the event promoters. • Limited printing assistance. • Staff assistance in an advisory capacity during the planning. • For Community Festivals and Partner Events, a staff liaison may be • arranged: o to assist with arrangements for City resources, e.g. equipment, deliveries, etc. o to confirm availability and assist with the booking of City facilities, equipment and services. o to obtain site maps for road or park locations. 07.03 If approved, application will form the basis of a permit, referred to as a Parks or Facility Permit. The permit provides permission for event organizers to conduct their event. The applicant will be responsible for all costs associated with the event. 07.04 The permit includes the specific conditions for the use of the site, and the • required fees (refer to current City User Fees and Charges By-law, and Conditions of Community Events Permit). • • • Policy Title: Community Festivals and Events Policy Page 9 of 9 Policy Number: ADM 200