City Update: Toronto Extends Cancellation of Major Events and Launches Recovery Program

 City Update: Toronto Extends Cancellation of Major Events and Launches Recovery Program The City of Toronto is extending the cancellation of City-led and City-permitted major festivals and events with attendance of more than 250 people through July 31, and those with attendance of 25,000 or more through August 31. This includes:

• Festivals
• Conferences
• Cultural programs held in facilities managed by the City
• Events held in public locations, such as roads, parks and civic squares managed by the City

 Issued permits are now cancelled and permits that have been applied for will not be issued. Professional sporting events have not been included in this decision.   Major summer events require long-term planning, rely on City supports or permissions, and present higher public health risks given the amount of attendees. This decision follows the cancellation of all such events up to June 30, announced by the City on March 30, and the cancellation of Canada Day events. The City will not issue new permits until further direction on mass gatherings is provided by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. Potential future dates can only be determined once the public health crisis is contained and economic recovery efforts are underway. The decision to extend the cancellation of City-led events and third-party permits has been made in consultation with Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, the Emergency Operations Centre, Toronto Police Service, and major event organizers, and supports the directive that physical distancing is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19. The need to sustain essential services also limits the City's ability to provide support to third-party event organizers to ensure public safety. To mitigate the impacts of these cancellations, the Mayor has announced that the City will reallocate grant funding that was previously approved by City Council, in order to support festivals that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City's Cultural Festivals Recovery Program will provide support to:• mitigate financial losses for festivals that were cancelled due to COVID-19 • assist festival organizers to meet payments due to their suppliers, including artists and small businesses • help festival organizers maintain critical operations to survive this year and prepare for their next festival • support planning and purchases that help improve the public health and safety practices of festival organizers • aid collaborative efforts in areas such as event planning, insurance, volunteer training and marketing Click here for more information about the City's Cultural Festivals Recovery Program. Event organizers are encouraged to contact the relevant City permitting bodies, Toronto Police Service officers/liaisons or [email protected].