Public Commons

• Bike event at rink

Part of Permits Correspondence Rinks permits

From: Derek Chadbourne
Date: 1/7/2010 1:56 PM

Ms.Brenda Patterson,

General Manager,

Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

Dear Ms.Patterson,

We are writing today in regards to policy changes implemented at the city that will affect our accustomed community programs at Dufferin and Wallace Rinks. We have been informed by staff that we are now required to apply for permits and pay for insurance. This is a first for these winter activities which have always been considered part of the regular programming at the rinks. We have found this out three weeks before the first of our programs is to happen.

We are members of the neighbourhood and frequent park users who have worked with the staff of Dufferin Rink and Wallace Rink for years, to help turn these public rinks into hubs for community activity. Hundreds of people from the neighbourhood and surrounding area have come out to enjoy and participate in the activities that we have helped to put on. In all the years that we have been doing this, we have never had to have permits or insurance. We have always been part of the programming at the Park.

With these added costs our programs may not be viable for the future. Because of our volunteer contributions of time and effort, we require no extra staff and fit with the existing programs of the park.

Please let us know by Monday how we should proceed to ensure the continued success of our work to support our local parks. Time is of the essence as our first of these programs is to be held in the last week of January.

Donald Kerr, Family Skate and Live Music Day, Jan 30, 2010

Deirdre Norman, The Women of Winter Outdoor Shinny Tournament, Feb. 5, 2010

Derek Chadbourne, Icycle (Bikes on Ice), Feb.13, 2010

David Anderson, Puppets on Ice, Feb.27 2010

From: Brenda Patterson <bpatter2@toronto.ca> Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 2:36 PM Subject: Re: Community programs and Dufferin and Wallace Rinks To: Derek Chadbourne
Cc: Malcolm Bromley, Mark Lawson, Nancy Aranha-Martins

Thank you for your email, I will have Nancy Aranha-Martins provide you with information about the process for asking for fees(other than insurance fees) to be waived. I would suggest that you work with our customer service staff on the appropriate permits to ensure that we understand your needs with respect to ice allocations. To that end I will have Mark Lawson Manager of Customer Service discuss the permit requirements. Please provide me with a contact information for all of your groups to assist me in responding to your request.

Brenda Patterson
General Manager
Parks, Forestry and Recreation
bpatter2@toronto.ca
416-392-8182

From: Derek Chadbourne
Cc: Donald Kerr, David Anderson, Jutta Mason, Mark Lawson
To: Brenda Patterson
Cc: Malcolm Bromley, Nancy Aranha-Martins, Adam Councillor Councillor Giambrone, Deirdre Norman

Date: 08/01/2010 1:26:21 PM

Dear Ms.Patterson,

Thank you for your quick response. Your suggestions were very helpful unfortunately you missed the most important point in the email. The permit structure you have now doesn't fit neighbourhood/city staff collaborations like ours at all. Please restore our events to their previous status of city programs run with community help. If the city is unable to help with our request we would love to meet with you at Wallace Rink so you can explain to us why the city cannot and why we think the city should.

Unfortunately one of our members, David Anderson, Puppets on Ice has been forced to cancel his event because of the obstacles that have been placed in front of him by the city. So it is now just the three of us.

Thank you for your time on this matter

Derek Chadbourne
Deirdre Norman
Donald Kerr

Date: Fri, 08 Jan 2010
From: Malcolm Bromley
To: Derek Chadbourne, Donald Kerr, David Anderson, Deirdre Norman cc: Brenda Patterson

I would ask that you connect with Supervisor Tino Decastro about ways to facilitate these events. As the Director of Community Recreation I have not received event proposals from my staff for these events and therefore I believe they are community sponsored. . Still I am sure we can find a way to ensure that the events take place. I believe that Tino has communicated with everyone about this approach and as of this morning he had not heard back from anyone.

From: Jutta Mason To: Derek Chadbourne Date: Jan.23 2010

Derek, I hear someone at the City in the bike network is helping get yours through the hoops?

By the way, we found out today that the Toronto Maple Leafs didn't have to have a permit for their PR skate at Ramsden Rink in December, despite the fact that the prep closed the rink for public use for two days.

I'm guessing that's because the Leafs organization contributed to making the rink better. So do all of you. Maybe a bunch of people can write in saying that these events also make the rinks better, even if they don't involve painting the rink blue and white, with the Maple Leafs logo everywhere: http://cityrinks.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=RamsdenRink.RinkDiary2009-2010

From: Stacey Babb <sbabb@toronto.ca> Date: Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 9:38 AM Subject: Letter of Conditions - Feb 13 2010 @ Dufferin Grove Ice Rink To: service@thebikejoint.com

Good morning,

In reply to your recent Application for a Special Event in a City Park, I am writing to advise that permission is granted for your event as noted above, subject to all the conditions are met listed in the %l newwin%[[http:www.celos.ca/wiki/uploads/Issues/Chadbourne_ Feb13.pdf|attached]] Letter of Conditions.

Please note this is not your final permit.

If you have any questions, please contact Jaime McCaig @ 416-338-2614.

Note: Quoting from the attached letter to Derek (bike race): By way of this letter you are invoiced and required to provide payment to the City of Toronto in the form of a cheque, money order, VISA, MasterCard or American Express,in the amount of $378.53 to cover this Devision’s costs.

This was the cost despite the fact that there was absolutely NO extra costs for the City, associated with this event. It ended up that the City's Bike Network paid the permit fee: ''City'' paying ''City.'' Derek paid the insurance. A month later he declared his candidacy for Ward councillor in the October election, partly because of this experience.