Ottawa committee approves new rules for festivals, events and demonstrations

Ottawa City Hall (CTV News Ottawa)

A City of Ottawa committee approved new rules for festivals and events, as the city looks to shake the image as the town that fun forgot.

A joint meeting of the emergency preparedness and protective services committee and the public works and infrastructure committee approved a new Special Events Bylaw and a Highway Events Bylaw Thursday afternoon, regulating events indoors, outdoors and on roadways across the city. The policy also introduces a “voluntary notification” system for protest organizers, eliminating the need for a permit.

There were 228 events in the City of Ottawa last year, up seven per cent from the year before. The Ottawa Festival Network says large festivals support approximately 70,000 jobs and generate over $320 million in spending annually.

The new rules will remove barriers for food trucks and mobile vendors to set up at block parties, street festivals and night markets, provide flexibility for noise exemptions for events impacted by “unforeseen factors” like severe weather at Bluesfest, and cuts red tape for bars and restaurants and venues offering late-night events.

• 5 things to know about Ottawa’s new rules for festivals and events

Councillors amended proposed rules for young volunteers for traffic barricades and directing parking, mandating volunteers be a minimum of 18 years old. The committees also approved a motion from coun. Wilson Lo to make the adoption of a code of conduct optional or mandatory for festivals and event.

Staff had recommended the new Special Events Bylaw require staff and volunteers complete the “Safer Events” training course prior to working or volunteering at events. A motion from Lo was approved to make the training “strongly recommended and not mandatory.”

Tara Shannon of the Ottawa Festival Network says the “streamlining and expansion” of permitting is a good change for festival organizers.

“We appreciate the change in the Noise Bylaw to allow for flexibility when the unexpected arises,” Shannon told councillors.

Shannon did encourage the city to rename the Noise Bylaw to the Sound Bylaw.

Shannon and Ottawa Bluesfest raised concerns about the proposal for mandatory Ottawa Public Health training and new requirements for volunteering doing parking and trafficking.

“While I fully support the intent behind and the necessity of Safer Events training, I have concerns about it being mandatory and the idea of enforcement being carried out by Bylaw officers,” Shannon said. “Volunteers are the backbone and the lifeblood of the festival and event sector. If participating in an event comes with the fear of being policed or penalized, we put that support at risk.”

• Ottawa eyes new ‘voluntary notification’ system for protest organizers

Ottawa Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan says the mandatory Ottawa Public Health training requirements for volunteers would be tough for festivals to enforce.

“Is everyone trained? No, absolutely not. We deal with over 2,000 volunteers, many of them literally show up for their shift 15 minutes (before) and don’t have a chance to be engaged prior,” Monahan said. “What we do is we make sure we have adequate people who are prepared.”

“It is not realistic to have everyone involved, several thousand people, all trained in all aspects. It would never happen.”

Monahan also asked the city to explore reducing the number of permits festivals and events are required to submit to the city.

“There are 15 documents. I don’t know any organization that is volunteer driven, which would have the resources to provide these,” Monahan said, noting his emergency plan is over 100 pages long.

Monahan called on the city to work with Ottawa Festival Network, the Ottawa Police Service, festivals and the city to “create less red tape” to operate.

“The costs are growing, and we need to address their challenges.”

Here are some of the changes for special events under Ottawa’s new Special Events Bylaw and Highway Events Bylaw.

Late-night noise exemptions

Festivals and events will be allowed to keep the party going after 11 p.m. in the event of severe weather, power failures or other “unforeseen delays.”

Currently, noise exemptions are allowed until 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays.

Staff say event organizers asked for “additional flexibility” when outdoor events are impacted by weather, power failures, technical difficulties or transportation delays for artists and athletes.

The new bylaw will allow event organizers to extend their event until midnight if the event is impacted by “unavoidable delays” beyond their control. Under the proposal, the director of Bylaw and Regulatory Services, in consultation with the ward councillor, will be able to approve a 60-minute extension.

Food trucks on the move

The proposed new bylaw would provide “more opportunities” for food trucks and mobile vendors to set up at block parties, street festivals, night markets and other events on roadways, according to staff.

“Under the recommended changes, one licensed food truck or mobile vendor would be able to participate in a block party without requiring additional permits or approvals,” says the report. “Multiple food trucks or mobile vendors would be able to participate in other highway events without requiring additional permits or approvals.”

After-hours events in bars and restaurants

The City of Ottawa is proposing reducing the red tape for bar and restaurant owners and special events operators to offer late-night events.

The city currently requires events “where any part of the event takes place between the hours of 3 a.m. and 9 a.m.” to obtain an All-Night Dance Event licence.

However, staff note the Ontario government has enacted new rules for licensed establishments to serve until 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario may also issue periodic extensions to hours of operations for licensed establishments and Special Event Permits for unlicensed venues celebrating events.

To remove duplicate requirements for inspections and approvals, the city’s new bylaw would create an exemption within the All-Night Dance Event Licence for venues operating under an AGCO licence or permit, so they wouldn’t require a new permit from the city.

Weekday road closures

The City of Ottawa will be changing the rules for road closures on weekdays, giving staff and the ward councillor the authority to close roads.

Currently, parades and sporting events are not permitted on a city street during weekday peak period traffic hours, and sidewalk sales are prohibited between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. during weekday periods.

Under the new Highway Events Bylaw, the general manager of Public Works and the ward councillor can approve the closure of an arterial road or major collector between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays for events.

Protests

The City of Ottawa is also introducing new rules for demonstrations, no longer requiring organizers to obtain a special event permit. The new rules would require “voluntary notification” to the city ahead of a planned demonstration or event.