Event Planning

• Writing an access statement for your organization.
• Allocate resources (money and staff) to ensuring equality.
• Take time with your team to consider practical barriers to participation that could be easily addressed.
• Go on a site tour and consider any physical barriers your attendees may face.
• Consider having large print versions of your materials on hand.
• Ensure there is accessible parking and transportation to and from your event.
• Can you change the lighting or acoustics to suit people who may have a tough time hearing or seeing?
• Never assume – the simplest way to help is to ask people “may I help you.”  
• Put a plan in place to ensure that everyone in your municipality knows about, and feels welcome at your event.

SOP Costs:
No Sale: $35.00 per each day of event
Sale: $150.00 per each day of event

This applies to all event types.

Insurance
Tents
Food Vendors 

Technical Standards and Safety Association (TSSA)

Phone: 1-877-682-TSSA (8772)
Email: customerservices@tssa.org
Website: TSSA Regulated Amusement Devices

To determine the requirements for City of Orillia property please contact the Recreation Policy and Permitting Supervisor.  

Insurance 

Renting City Property 

For information on how to apply please refer to the Grants Committee website, where you will find Policy 4.2.2.1 – Partnership Program for Cultural Festivals and Events.

Here you will also find the Festival and Event Grants Application Form.  

The below is a list of other forms of funding you may want to consider.  This is not an exhaustive list but for your reference:

RT07

Simcoe County

Celebrate Ontario

Government of Ontario

Ontario Arts Council

Canadian Heritage

Canada Council for the Arts

Community Foundation - Orillia

• Recreation and Youth Services Department – assists with planning and events in parks, recreation, and cultural facilities.
• Orillia Economic Development Office – assists with tourism, marketing, and business investment.
• Orillia Chamber of Commerce – assists with tourism, marketing, and local commerce.
• Information Orillia – oversees information network and volunteer database.
• Community Development Corp (Orillia CDC) – professional development opportunities and information resource on local organizations, events, business etc.
• Orillia & Lake Country Tourism – regional destination marketing organization.
• Downtown Orillia Management Board – BIA assists with downtown events.

• RT07 – Provincial tourism development body, assists with planning, customer service training, and grants.
• Simcoe County Tourism Partner Resources – Offers funding, workshops, marketing opportunities and partnerships for tourism initiatives in Simcoe County. 
• Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport – Provincial ministry providing leadership within the arts and culture community, provide funding support and advice.   

• Creative Cities Network Canada - a national non-profit organization made up of municipalities, arts organizations and individuals who work to support cultural development in their communities. CCNC facilitates knowledge sharing professional development in the field of local cultural policy, planning and research.
• Event Safety Alliance - its mission is to provide high quality health and safety learning opportunities to Canadian arts, entertainment and live event communities; share expertise, solutions and reasonable practices based on Canadian needs and legislation; with the goal of helping events prevent injuries and incidents, and protect both people and events.

For assistance please contact Jacqueline Surette, Manager of Culture.

To upload your event, you will need to create an account.  Visit the Festival and Events Calendar page, click “submit an event” and follow the instructions.

Events will be reviewed by a calendar administrator before appearing on the website.   

The following is an excerpt from the City of Orillia Policy Manual 6.1.2.1:  
 

“THAT all firework displays within the City of Orillia adhere to the following conditions:

1. A qualified fireworks supervisor shall make application to the Orillia Fire Department that is to include:
   

   a)      Name of the supervisor, associated firework certificate number (including expiry date), and level of qualification

   b)      Event sponsor, including name, address and contact information

   c)      Proposed location, date and time of display

   d)      Site plan, and

   e)      Proof of insurance

2. All aspects of the fireworks display shall be approved and monitored by the Fire Chief or his designate(s).
3. Individuals responsible for the set-up, operation, dismantling, clean up, storage and transportation of display fireworks for an approved event shall be certified in conformance with the latest edition of the Display Fire Works Manual.
4. The operation of the display shall be in conformance with Chapter 3 of the most current edition of the Display Fire Works Manual.
5. All other activities associated with a fireworks display shall be in conformance with the most current edition of the Display Fire Works Manual.”
   
   For more, see the City of Orillia Policy Manual

Ensure you have multiple, well stocked first aid kits on-site, and keep a thorough log of anything that is used.

Let people know which  staff and volunteers are first-aid certified, and to have copies of their first aid certificates saved in a personnel binder. 

Your event’s first aid may vary from a simple desk or tent for a small event, to an on-site ambulance or first aid station in the field for large events.

Dependent on your event size, there may be costs associated with First Aid.  

For more information or to book St. John Ambulance visit their website. 

• Opioids toolkit

• Drug Use During Festival Season 

For more information or assistance with regards to food and beverage permits please contact the Recreation Policy and Permitting Supervisor or call 705-325-2035.

The recommended timeline for obtaining proper approval for your event is as follows: 

Receipt of written request at least one month in advance of the event.  

Vending fee payment received by the Parks, Recreation & Culture Department a minimum of one week in advance of the event.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit also requires that their application be submitted 30 days prior to the event.

The City of Orillia's vendor fee is $140.56 per day, per location.

 Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit - Food Safety for Special Events

Mayor and Council Enquiries can be directed to mayor@orillia.ca or by calling 705-326-1177.

For a full list of requests that can be made visit the Office of Mayor Services webpage.  This page includes links to:

-       Request a certificate

-       Request a proclamation

-       Request Tag Days and

-       Send an email directly to the Mayor’s office to request a message.

Forms can be filled out directly on the website to request any of the above.

Certificates of Insurance - must be provided to the appropriate City of Orillia department and the venue designate (Manage of Culture, Facility Permit Supervisor, DOMB staff, etc) 30 days prior to the issuance of any Festival or Event Permit.  The limit of Commercial General Liability required is no less than two million dollars ($2,000,000) and depending on the nature of the festival or event (including special effects) is subject to review as deemed necessary by the City of Orillia.

The festival or event organizer must provide an original copy of a Certificate of Insurance completed only by the insurer or its authorized representative.

The festival or event organizer will be asked to confirm that all activity providers to the festival or event have appropriate and adequate insurance coverage to meet the requirements as determined by the City.

Volunteers should ensure that they have adequate property insurance as well as insurance for disabilities either through their employment or otherwise if self-employed.

Volunteer drivers must be insured by an insurance company of their choice and must carry a minimum of one million dollars in Third Party Liability Insurance in order to transport passengers and/or equipment.   

Certificates must be given to the City of Orillia for your event permit to be approved no less than 30 days prior to your event.  Ensure you are aware of the length of time it will take to obtain a certificate from your insurer.    

There is no cost to be paid to the City of Orillia however there will be a cost associated with the insurance provider.

Visit the One Call website for more information or call 1-800-400-2255. 

If you are staking ground on municipal property discuss locates with the appropriate contact such as the Building Permit Supervisor or Facility Permit Supervisor at City Hall.

The City of Orillia is a member of Ontario One Call which is a private, not-for-profit corporation that has a large call centre which takes down the necessary information regarding any excavation work - large or small - and notifies its members with underground facilities in the area.

Ontario One Call can be contacted online (www.on1call.com) or by telephone (1-800-400-2255) to advise of a project you are planning that involves any digging.  This is a free service and there is no charge to you to have your services located and marked.

Once they have obtained all relevant information, they will call and notify their member companies of your project. Members then determine if their buried network is near the site you plan to dig and, if necessary, will locate and mark their facilities before you dig.

For more details please visit the City of Orillia Locates webpage.  

Donna Cardinell, Deputy Lottery Licensing Officer

City of Orillia - Clerk's Department
50 Andrew Street South, Suite 300, Orillia, ON L3V 7T5
T. 705-325-7974
Email: dcardinell@orillia.ca

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the specific lottery license. There are four types of licenses: raffle, break-open ticket, Nevada, and Bazaar Lotteries. Each are detailed on the Lottery Licensing Webpage.

 Timelines

It normally takes 2 to 3 weeks to process an application and issue a license, provided it contains all of the required documentation.

For more information or assistance in obtaining a noise exemption permit please contact the Clerks Department or call 705-325-2313.  You can also visit the Communication with Council page of our website.  

Exemptions may be approved under Chapter 938 of the Municipal Code - Noise for special events on municipal property. Exemptions may be granted to 12:00 a.m.

The following is an excerpt from the Municipal Code: 

938.3.2             Application to Council - conditions

"Notwithstanding anything contained in this Chapter, any person may make application to Council to be granted an exemption from any of the provisions of this Chapter with respect to any source of sound or vibration for which he or she might be prosecuted and Council, by resolution, may refuse to grant any exemption or may grant the exemption applied for or any exemption of lesser effect and any exemption granted shall specify the time period during which it is effective and may contain such terms and conditions as Council sees fit." 

For assistance with the noise bylaw process please contact the key contacts above.  

It may take two or more months to have your deputation accepted; therefore it is imperative that your request for deputation be submitted as soon as possible in advance of your event.

If a deputation request is granted, all presentation materials must be submitted to the Clerk's Office by 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting date.

Part of the noise bylaw exemption process will be to fill out the Deputation Request Form.  

For all questions with regards to your policing requirements, please contact:

Municipal Administrative Sergeant     
Ontario Provincial Police – Orillia Detachment
66 Peter Street South, Orillia, Ontario, L3V 5B1
Phone: (705) 326-3536
Fax: (705) 325-7725

For questions relating to your parade permit application, please contact:

Kristine Preston, Executive Assistant
Orillia Police Services Board
50 Andrew Street South, Suite 300,
Orillia, Ontario, L3V 7T5
Phone: (705) 325-2125
Fax: (705) 325-5178

If you believe the above definition applies to your event, please read the following By-Law, and proceed to the Parade Permit Application and Guidelines.

Dependent on your parade you may also need to hire Paid Duty Officers via the Ontario Provincial Police.  

Event permits are required for all bookings on municipal property. Depending on the scope and size of your event, there may also be additional requirements. 

To book a facility or park, a written request must be submitted using the rental request form or by emailing the Permitting Clerk. 

This written request must include your full name, address with postal code, a day-time and evening telephone number, and the date, times and facility/park being requested.

Once your request has been received, if available, a permit will be created in our booking system. You will be contacted by the Department when your permit is ready to be signed. If you would like, the permit can be emailed, faxed, mailed or left for pick up (depending on the timeline of your booking). 

Payment will be due immediately at the time of signing of the permit. This will be discussed with you after your request has been received.

Please follow the guidelines above as to whether your road closure is outside of, or within the downtown.

Once your road closure is accepted, Public Works will need to be informed, and the closure would be approved by the Director, and then a fee associated with barriers, delivery, etc may be applied.

Some road closures may require police assistance. Please contact the Orillia O.P.P Detachment for information regarding Paid Duty officers at 705-326-3536.

You will also want to alert both the Orillia Fire Department at (705) 325-5201, and the Simcoe County Ambulance Services at 705‑726‑9300 of the date, time and length of your closure.  

It may take two or more months to have your deputation accepted; therefore, it is imperative that your request for deputation be submitted as soon as possible in advance of your event.

If a deputation request is granted, all presentation materials must be submitted to the Clerk's Office by 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting date.

There are no fees associated with deputations to Council. However, if the road closure request is granted fees may be associated with barriers, deliveries, and staff costs regarding the specific road closure.

Deputation Request Form

In order to construct a tent you will need to fill out two separate forms: the Permit Application Procedure for Tents, and the Application to Construct or Demolish. 

If alcohol is served in the tent, you will require fire extinguishers and a fire safety plan.  Click here for an example of a fire safety plan.

While there are no set timelines for applications, it is a good rule of thumb to submit your permit 30 days prior to your event particularly during busier periods such as the summer months.