Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
LICENSING

RECOMMENDATION

If recommendation B is approved, the by-law will be presented for enactment at today’s meeting of Council.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On November 17, 1998, Council endorsed the recommendation that directed the Child and Youth Advocate to work with the appropriate agencies and civic departments to bring forward a report looking at the opportunities and obstacles related to late night social/recreational activities and venues for youth within the City.

PURPOSE

To establish guidelines and regulations for Late Night Dance Events in the City of Vancouver.

BACKGROUND

Late Night Dance Events or ‘Raves’, have become very popular with the 14 to 25 year old age group all over the world. In the past few years, these events have taken place in various jurisdictions throughout the Lower Mainland, usually without the appropriate approvals.

In the early stages, part of the mystique of these events was to keep the location secret until just before the event to prevent closure by the Police or Fire Department. Many of these events have now evolved to pre-arranged parties in legal venues. These have been held in various halls in other cities as well as in Vancouver. Many of these occur in over- crowded halls without appropriate security in place. Police and Fire Departments have moved to prevent some events where it has become apparent that safety has been compromised.

Over the past 6 months, staff from Police, Fire, CSG and Health Board have worked in liaison with the industry in an effort to set up a process for approving such events. This new process has been in place since August 1999. The general feeling is that these events will occur somewhere and an approval process will result in safer events and reduce the events impact. Appendix A shows the staff committee members responsible for evaluating applications and Appendix B is a copy of the application form.

DISCUSSION

Initially, the new application process for Late Night Dance Events has gone relatively smoothly. Applicants, provided they have submitted a complete application, can usually expect to meet with the After Hours Committee within two weeks of their submission date. The committee will provide the applicant with a preliminary decision at the conclusion of this meeting to allow the promoter sufficient lead time to organize the event. All large halls, venues and promoters have been notified of the new procedures. Approvals have been granted for 5 events, two of which have occurred without any major problems; the other three events have not yet taken place.

These events will only be licensed in venues approved for public assembly such as the Plaza of Nations, Pacific National Exhibition, and other licensed halls. Some of the City owned and operated facilities including the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Concourse area of Library Square will likely be used for these events. City staff have met to discuss the conditions under which approval will be granted and to ensure that the appropriate city contracts are in place. Venues such as the City owned facilities are somewhat easier to manage for these events as they have their own security staff and safety plans.

On October 30th, an event proceeded at the Plaza of Nations without City approvals. Police, Fire and Permits and Licenses were challenged by the lack of lead time to ensure theapproval of permits. Concerns were related to the security plan and policing requirements, fire safety plan and the permitted occupancy of the building in relationship to the number of tickets sold. The License By-law was not definitive enough to control events and to provide legal options to stop the event.

The upcoming millennium New Year’s Eve has raised renewed concerns with staff. There will be a large number and variety of events occurring at the same time. It is imperative that the control be in place to ensure safe events and to allow sufficient time to allocate Police resources.

Therefore, staff have moved quickly to review the current by-laws and the powers designated under the Charter. New regulations and proposed by-law amendments have been drafted in order to put the appropriate controls in place. Appendix C contains proposed regulations to govern Late Night Dance Events. If the recommendations in this report are approved these regulations will be included in the License bylaw.

CONCLUSION

There are concerns related to the Late Night Dance Events but it is recognized that this is a legitimate form of entertainment for young people. Staff feel that a cautious approach is required to ensure patron safety and minimum neighbourhood impacts. The recommended by-law amendments will give the City the necessary authority to deal with events that do not meet the safety and operational conditions however, approved safe events will provide an opportunity for late night social activities.

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Appendix A:

AFTER HOURS COMMITTEE

Paul Teichroeb Chief License Inspector P&L 873-7545

Guy Gusdal Permits & Licenses 871-6461

Lynne Rippon Manager, DIAC 873-7550
(Bill Boons) Alternate

Bob Young Vancouver Police Department 717-3082 fax 665-3913

Bill Campbell Events Captain/Fire Prevention 873-7860
(Harry McGuire) Alternate 873-7592

Alfred Guthrie Vancouver/Richmond Health 736-2866 fax 731-8651

Pat Fry Films & Special Events 871-6447

Avy Woo Fire Prevention Engineer/Fire 873-7038 fax 871-6148

Liz Menzies Risk & Emergency Management 873-7737
(Maria Law) Alternate - Manager, Risk

Coralys Cuthbert Office of Cultural Affairs 871-6005

Appendix B: Application Form

City of Vancouver
,

ALL-NIGHT DANCE PARTY

All applications to hold an all-night dance party in Vancouver will be reviewed by the After Hours Committee. This committee is responsible for approving special events in Vancouver and is staffed by members of the following agencies:

All applications should forward a detailed event plan. Included in this plan should be:

At all times during the approval process, public safety will be paramount. All agencies of the After Hours Committee must concur for approval. Applicants are reminded of the following conditions:

Questions may be forwarded to Guy Gusdal, License Coordinator, Permits & Licenses, 871-6461 or Constable Rolfe Fuhrmann, Vancouver Police Department, 717-3082.

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN PERSON TO THE CHIEF LICENSE INSPECTOR AT VANCOUVER CITY HALL, LICENSE OFFICE, 2ND FLOOR - 2675 YUKON ST.

City of Vancouver

APPLICATION FOR ALL-NIGHT DANCE PARTY

PLEASE PRINT

DATE OF EVENT:

Applicant(s) Name
Address:

Telephone No. Business: Residence:
If Incorporated:

Address of Proposed Event:
Will Alcohol be Served at the Event? Yes _ No _
Will minors be admitted? (18 and under) Yes _ No _
Proposed Patron Capacity: Fire Capacity:
Security Company Name: Business License No.

Proposed Hours of Operation:

Have you attached two copies of the complete proposal? Yes _ No _ (These copies are required for processing)
PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
Have you organized an All-night Dance Party before? Yes _ No _

Have you allowed for the cost of Vancouver Police Department presence during the event?

2/

-2-

NOTE: The application must be reviewed by the After Hours Committee.

OFFICE USE ONLY

PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Is the proposed location suitable: YES _ NO _
Are residential uses in close proximity: YES _ NO _
Do you approve of the event? YES _ NO _
Comments/Conditions:

Director of Planning:

FIRE PREVENTION

Maximum Fire Capacity:
Plans Submitted: YES _ NO _
Do you approve of the event? YES _ NO _
Comments/Conditions:

Fire Department Events Captain:

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Maximum Health Capacity:
Temporary Washroom Required: Male: Female:
Health Permit Required: YES _ Permit #
NO _
Do you approve the event?YES _ NO _
Comments/Conditions:
Environmental Health Officer:

VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT

Security Plan Approved YES _ NO _
Do you approve of the event? YES _ NO _
Comments/Conditions:

Inspector i/c Special Events:

PERMITS & LICENSES DEPARTMENT

After Hours Committee Results: APPROVED: _ BUSINESS LICENSE NO.

        DISAPPROVED: _ FEES PAID: YES _ NO _

            CHIEF LICENSE INSPECTOR:

Appendix C: Definitions and Conditions

DEFINITIONS:

“Late Night Dance Event” means an event involving dance or music and any part of which occurs between the 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on any day but does not include an event taking place in a private residence.

“Late Night Dance Event Permit” means a permit issued under section 5 of this By-law.

“Maximum Occupant Load” means the lesser of the number of persons that may be permitted in premises under the provisions of the Fire By-law, the Building By-law, or the Health By-law.

CONDITIONS:

1. No person shall promote, organize, or hold a Late Night Dance Event without having first obtained a Late Night Dance Event Permit from the Inspector.

2. No person shall

3. No person shall permit a Late Night Dance Event to be held on premises owned, operated, or controlled by that person unless a Late Night Dance Event Permit has been issued for the event.

4. A person applying for a Late Night Dance Event Permit must make the application on the form provided by the Inspector and must submit it to the Inspector no less than six weeks before the day the event is to be held.

5. The Inspector may, subject to sections 6 and 7, issue a Late Night Dance Event Permit for a single event which permit shall not be transferable and shall be valid only for the dates, times, and location specified in the permit.

6. The Inspector must not issue a Late Night Dance Event Permit unless the person applying for the permit is licensed under this By-law and has submitted:

7. The Inspector must not issue a Late Night Dance Event Permit if, in the opinion of the Inspector, the event would unreasonably affect a community or the City at large because of

8. Notwithstanding the provisions of this By-law, the Inspector may refuse to issue or may cancel a Late Night Dance Event Permit if

9. Every person applying for a Late Night Dance Event Permit shall pay the prescribed fee upon approval of the application for the permit but before issuance of the permit.

10. The fee for a Late Night Dance Event Permit shall be:

11. All sound amplification equipment and musical instruments used during a Late Night Dance Event must be contained completely within the building or structure described in the permit.

12. The person organizing, promoting, or holding a Late Night Dance Event shall not permit

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