Toronto festival organizers want city’s support in addressing security needs

Thestar.com
July 10, 2019
Rahul Gupta

The need to provide policing at street festivals and other large-scale public events has organizers concerned about escalating costs and the competence of private security to supplement paid officer numbers.

The mayor’s executive committee was scheduled to debate a report at a meeting July 4 on what the city can do to ensure that neighbourhood street festivals, which pay tens of thousands for security costs alone, can remain viable.

While festival organizers would like to see support from the city in addressing security costs, which they say have been steadily increasing year after year, the staff report recommends working with Toronto Police Services on existing measures to steadily reduce the need for expensive uniformed officers, replaced by private security.

That disappoints Dundas West Fest festival producer Alex Bordokas, who during an interview last week called into question the effectiveness of replacing paid duty officers with private security. This year he said the festival paid more than $29,000 in policing costs, as well as more than $9,000 for private security --representing around 20 per cent of the overall budget.

Following the festival, which closed down Dundas St. W. between Ossington and Lansdowne Aves. last month, Bordokas said the private security hired wasn’t trained properly, and did not do a competent job.

“Frankly, I thought they were absolutely useless,” said Bordokas, who declined to name the firm contracted by the festival to provide security.

According to Bordokas, an estimated 150,000 people turned out to take in the weekend street festival held June 7 and 8; to meet the demand, Bordokas had requested 14 paid duty officers for both days of the festival.

However, the number of officers asked for, and paid for in advance, wasn’t available --Dundas West Fest’s first night coincided with Game 4 of the NBA Finals, resulting in massive public gatherings throughout the city in support of the Raptors --so the festival had to rely on security guards to supplement policing.

But those individuals, according to Bordokas, fell far short of what was needed.

“They were checking their phones more than the crowds,” he said. “I’d rather have had my staff, who know the area, the road closures, the festival vendors, to take care of (security needs).”

Bordokas, who was among several festival organizers calling for better city support earlier this year, said relying on private security to handle the lion’s share of policing just isn’t practical.

“In reality, they’re not well-trained enough,” he said.

Toronto city Coun. Ana Bailao (Ward 18, Davenport) was critical of the report’s recommendation to work with police on the issue rather than come up with new measures to help festivals shoulder the burden of security.

“It’s disappointing,” said Bailao, who also sits on the executive committee and in the past has called on the city to address how to alleviate financial pressures facing festival organizers. “None of the issues I’ve learned about from organizers were seriously addressed.”

With organizers claiming ballooning costs for policing are making some street festivals too expensive to continue to put on, Bailao said it’s important to compile of an “inventory of concerns” to find out how the city can help.

“We really need to understand the impacts, and I’m concerned we’re not moving fast enough,” she said.

Policing costs for paid duty officers continue to rise, in part because the Toronto Police Association (TPA) has raised hourly rates, as well as fees for equipment and vehicle rentals.

In addition to those costs, which have to be paid up front, a 15 per cent administrative fee is assessed. As the report indicates, the TPA most recently increased hourly rates for paid duty officers as of June 1 this year.

TPA president Mike McCormack defended the increases, saying they were necessary to satisfy the “overdemand” of paid duties for large-scale public events.

“You get what you pay for, and the reality is people want more uniformed officers,” said McCormack during a telephone conversation last week.

While a police constable will make $73 per hour during a minimum three-hour shift to act as a paid duty officer, $92 an hour for a staff sergeant, there’s actually been a lack of interest from the membership in taking on the roles, McCormack said.

“We’re seeing 25 per cent less officers signing up for paid duty work,” he said. “The reality is the use of (paid duty officers) has reduced dramatically.”