The City of Summerside is taking a public flogging after being allegedly duped by a shady entertainment outfit from California. The city transferred two payments of $650k to producers who claimed to be lining up a star-studded Michael Jackson tribute concert. We all know the details at this point; you can read the lawsuit yourself.
I wish Summerside good luck in recovering the lost money, and I don’t want to add to the storm of criticism they’re facing. But in defending their own actions, Summerside officials have drawn parallels to events that have been hosted in Charlottetown. So let me just state a few facts for clarification.
When I was first elected to Charlottetown city council I became vice-chair of a committee responsible for event attraction. In that role I spent a great deal of time dealing with the promoter who brought the Aerosmith concert to Charlottetown. Never, in any discussions with the promoter, was the city asked to put up the kind of cash Summerside did. Our sole contribution was police and fire services in-kind, which we estimated at a maximum value of $25,000. The city provides the same type of services, in the interest of public safety, for many large public events such as the Gold Cup & Saucer Parade, for example. The concert promoter took all the risks; he secured the artists and paid for the entire production, with his own money and with money from wealthy US investors he persuaded to share the risk with him.
Likewise with Tourism Charlottetown’s Cirque du Soleil shows last summer. TCI is an independent, non-profit organization. The city pays TCI about $125k/year for a range of specific services like leisure tourism marketing/advertising, and small operations like the Confederation Players troupe. Our contribution to the Cirque shows was again emergency services in-kind, and a small sponsorship fee of $10k. For TCI, the Cirque shows were not a financial success, but they were certainly great entertainment for thousands of people.
The amounts we contributed to these events was tiny compared to Summerside’s investment in their no-show event. Mega-concerts are great fun and welcome entertainment but the City of Charlottetown is not in the business of producing and promoting entertainment events and has never assumed the massive financial risks that come with them.
A front page story in the Guardian today requires a correction. Although I only read the online version, which was updated this morning after I spoke to the reporter, I can only assume the print edition repeats the same mistake: that the City will be paying police officers for off duty work performed for third-party clients. This work is known as Paid Duty, or Extra Duty. The story strongly implied that the cost of this work would be a new expense and that taxpayers would be subsidizing security for private businesses.
Not true. Members of the Charlottetown Police Service will continue to perform Extra Duty, but clients will be invoiced for the service and payment will be through the Police’s regular payroll. User pays — not the taxpayer. Big difference.
I’ve been hearing from members of the Upton Farm Preservation Network since 7am this morning about the front page article in the Guardian concerning the sewer and water extension to Poplar Island for the new Cows Ice Cream factory.
Despite the perception created by some of the unfortunate quotes in the article, the city’s position has not changed with respect to Upton Farms; Council fully supports keeping the Farm green. At least two other Councillors and the Mayor have been in touch with Network members to clarify.
The developer is paying the city’s share for the extension down to Poplar Island, and the city is installing a small amount of supporting infrastructure to accommodate any future growth in demand in the area. That’s all. The city pays virtually nothing for the expansion and reaps the benefit of a substantial property tax bill payable by the factory well into the future. It is in no way related to Canada Lands’ shelved plan to develop a portion of Upton Farm.
Today’s secondary editorial in The Guardian picks up on a short aside I made in my previous post; the granting of a variance for the deck on Olde Brighton Lane sets a very bad precedent, and will make enforcement of our bylaws more difficult in the future. Why bother getting a building permit if you can just go ahead with your project and get it rubber stamped by council after the fact? I’m confident this variance would not have been granted if the application had been received prior to construction. The deck extends to within one foot of the neighbouring property, where the bylaw requires almost ten feet. The rear set back is also exceeded. The residents of the area clearly opposed this. Council simply did not have the stomach to order the deck removed (or corrected) once it was in place. It’s worth pointing out The Guardian editorial is inaccurate on at least one important point:
Melanie MacDonald had requested a side-yard variance to permit a deck at her home at 15 Olde Brighton Lane. However, before the permit was granted, construction proceeded, to the objection of area residents.
MacDonald did not apply for a permit prior to beginning construction. The deck was in place for at least a month before a city planning officer noticed it and forced her to seek approval.
I was quite amused last night with the whole council discussion about Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger’s repeated use of the “F-bomb” during the band’s performance at the Festival of Lights on June 30th. Let me just say for the record; I was not offended by the bands language, I was offended by their music! I was certain they were playing the same song over and over, except when they covered Elton John’s Saturday Night and I could actually distinguish a melody. My wife and I left halfway through.
At the time, Kroeger’s constant cursing and sexual innuendo struck me as a very lame and deliberate performance to fulfil a bad-boy rock star cliche. What I didn’t know then was that the organizers of the event had actually asked the band not to swear during their performance. I think we should all be able to draw upon forty-odd years of historical experience with rock bands who were asked NOT to do something. It always backfires, and I think we’re just lucky Nickelback didn’t go back to their hotel room and toss the furniture out the window. Lesson learned.
I’ve been to many, many large rock concerts with louder and lewder and more outrageous behaviour than Nickelback’s, and I don’t personally have a problem with profanity, but Tourism Charlottetown should not promote an event as “family friendly”, if indeed they did, when the headliners are very well known not to be. I believe, as I’m quoted in the paper, “it was a mistake to ask the band here in the first place if the city is concerned about providing family entertainment.”
I should say, however, that Tourism Charlottetown — poor choice of entertainment aside — deserves credit for a very well organized and successful event. The Charlottetown Police should also be congratulated for keeping a lid on things, as much as was possible under the circumstances.
Judging by the comments on the Guardian’s website, there appears to be some confusion over this decision. Council has not banned the sale of bottled water in Charlottetown as some apparently believe. We couldn’t possibly do that. We have simply decided the city corporation will stop purchasing bottled water, for a number of very good reasons. The city is in the business of providing clean, safe drinking water. To have city council and staff drinking from bottles of commercially purchased water is analogous to Coke executives sitting around the boardroom table drinking Pepsi. We are simply endorsing our product, not to mention saving money, and doing our part to discourage the commodification of a resource that is a fundamental human right.
Last night council unanimously agreed to accept a recommendation from the Parks & Recreation committee to deny access to Victoria Park for the 2007 Jack Frost Children’s Winterfest. I was very impressed with the whole council, and the Parks & Rec Manager, for putting the protection of the park as the number one priority. Preventing damage was the overriding concern, and presented with the long term weather forecast our decision was not difficult. The organizers need to start building the festival site as soon as possible and there’s a lot of heavy machinery involved. The lack of snow cover, shallow ground frost, and predictions of unseasonal weather ahead all sealed the venue’s fate. The outdoor location has been relocated to the Confederation Landing Park. If the trend of milder winters continues, I think it would be prudent to plan the event for Confederation Landing Park as a rule, and move to Victoria Park only as exceptionally “frosty” circumstances permit.
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