A Burnaby councillor’s dream for summer car-free day festivals might be screeching to a halt.
There’s a lack of resources to begin with, and the scale of the proposed events would mean paying a lot more money, according to staff.
A staff study found “the funding and resource requirements needed may exceed council’s expectations.”
The study comes after a January motion from Coun. Pietro Calendino, who suggested closing sections of major commercial corridors from mid-May to mid-September at least once a month on a rotating basis.
He said the festival atmosphere would create community connections and the car-free streets would contribute positively to climate change.
But staff estimated costs as high as $750,000 per event (which would mean a proposed program of five events could cost about $3.75 million total).
The estimate was based on actual costs of existing events, like the Heights Merchants Association’s Hats Off Day along Hastings Street.
The estimate also included projections for “significant investments in programming and equipment to reflect the large footprint for the events outlined.”
For example, the city bears the cost of the street closure during Hats Off Day and spent $237,000 last year in staffing, consulting and signage costs from the engineering department and RCMP.
Member businesses of the merchants association assume “a considerable portion of the programming and activation responsibilities,” according to the report, and the city would have to pay for those costs for its own street festival, “particularly along thoroughfares without the concentration of small-scale retail boutiques, restaurants and cafés as found on Hastings Street.”
Staff estimated up to $500,000 in additional funding per event could be needed due to the length of the events proposed.
That would pay for planning and front-line service, advertising, permits, equipment rental, contracts for artists and other entertainment, as well as contingency.
The commercial corridors suggested for Burnaby car-free days included:
- Hastings Street from Boundary Road to Gamma Avenue (may coincide with Hats Off Day)
- Kingsway from Patterson Avenue to Royal Oak Avenue
- Edmonds Street between Kingsway and Canada Way
- Sixth Street between Edmonds Street and 10th Avenue
- Central Boulevard (may coincide with July 1 StreetFest)
Burnaby currently hosts a major street festival for Canada Day, StreetFest on Central Boulevard.
Throughout Metro Vancouver, TransLink sponsors Car Free Days of Summer in partnership with business improvement associations in Vancouver, Surrey, North Van, New West and Port Coquitlam.
Port Moody also holds its own annual Car Free Day.
Staff at capacity
The money isn’t the only issue.
The report states the parks, recreation and culture department has reached its event-hosting limit.
“Additional events at this scale either require a large influx of new resources or necessitate the scaling down of other activities.”
The city’s transportation department said existing staffing levels would make it difficult to support street closures for major special events.
The city already often refers event organizers to contracted traffic management services to plan and manage the events.
Other technical considerations (such as ensuring access to local businesses and residences, impacts on transit, on-street parking changes and emergency response) require case-by-case evaluation, according to the report.
Now what?
Staff say the city’s current processes for festivals and events “are not sufficient to meet council’s vision for growth.”
The parks, recreation and culture department will propose a new branch “dedicated to activating and invigorating public spaces.”
The new branch would combine the current special events team and create a “one-stop shop” for events that would improve customer service and streamline the event-hosting process in Burnaby.
“By consolidating resources and expertise, the aim is to facilitate smoother event planning and execution,” states the report.
Staff will develop recommendations for where to put more resources and how to adjust the organizational structure as part of next year’s budget planning process.
The city’s culture division will continue to study the possibility of car-free days by engaging with residents at Hats Off Day and Edmonds City Fair and with businesses through the Burnaby Board of Trade.
Council will discuss the report at its meeting April 29, and staff will report again to council with recommendations in late 2024.
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