Item - 2011.PW8.2

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1.         City Council direct the General Managers of Economic Development and Culture, and Transportation Services, to report to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on the outcomes and any concerns related to the 2012 event, if approved and completed, should the proponent apply for similar expressway closures in subsequent years.

2.         City Council endorse a framework for assessing applications to close the F.G. Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway for the staging of private events, comprising the following considerations:

a.         Expressway closures for the purpose of staging a private event generally not be contemplated, unless unique and exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated by the applicant, to the satisfaction of City Council, taking into account the below-noted provisions;

 b.        The General Manager of Economic Development and Culture clearly identify and endorse the positive aspects in terms of the event's potential for significant enhancement or community building effects on Toronto's economy, profile or image, including any significant charitable benefits and the number of participants or  potential for growth of the event;

c.         No expressway closures for an event be permitted during long weekends, Honda Indy, Caribbean Festival, Pride or Marathon weekends, or any other significant events as determined by the General Manager;

d.         Closure for events cannot interfere with planned maintenance work on the expressways;

e.         Closures only between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with Sunday mornings highly preferable;

f.          Closures for Gardiner Expressway only be between the Humber River and the Don Valley Parkway;

g.         Closures of the Don Valley Parkway only be between Gardiner Expressway and York Mills Road;

h.         No scheduled closures of Lake Shore Boulevard, Victoria Park Avenue, Bayview Avenue, Don Mills Road, Leslie Street and The Queensway during an expressway closure for an event;

i.          Application would be subject to all applicable regulations pertaining to street events set out in Municipal Code Chapter 743 – Streets and Sidewalks, Use of; and any other regulation, including proponent paying all costs incurred by the City as a result of the event;

j.          In 2015, all closures of the City's expressways will have their dates reviewed and possibly rescheduled or cancelled due to potential conflicts with the dates of the Pan Am Games from July 10-26; and

k.         City Council acknowledges that the annual Ride for Heart event satisfies these criteria, and its permits will continue to be processed through the usual process of staff seeking Council's authority to issue.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee considered the following recommendation contained in the report (August 19, 2011) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, which lost:

1.         City Council approve the closure of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway, eastbound lanes only, from the Humber River to the Don Valley Parkway, including all ramps, and the Don Valley Parkway, northbound lanes only from the F.G. Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue East, including all ramps, on Sunday, July 22, 2012, from 2:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon), for the 2012 “Ironman 5150” event.

This report is to seek City Council’s authority to close the F.G. Gardiner Expressway eastbound lanes only, from the Humber River to the Don Valley Parkway, including all ramps, and the Don Valley Parkway northbound lanes only from the F.G. Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue East, including all ramps, in order to facilitate the bike race portion of the "Ironman 5150" event for 2012. The run and swim portions of the "Ironman 5150" event will not impact City streets.

It is estimated that the inaugural Toronto 5150 will attract 1,000 to 1,500 participants in July 2012. Based on the experiences of other cities, it is estimated that in 2012, the 5150 will deliver an estimated minimum benefit of $1.5 to $5.0 million in economic impact to Toronto.

This report responds to the request of  Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, at its meeting of September 7, 2011 for further information related to Item PW7.13, titled "F.G. Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway Closure Ironman 5150 Event – 2012". The proponent, Sports Focused Consulting (SFC) International, has requested a closure of the eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway, from the Humber River, and the northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway to Eglinton Avenue East, for an inaugural Toronto event in the international Ironman 5150 series, on Sunday morning, July 22, 2012, to accommodate the bicycle race leg of the competition. 

The aspects referred by the Committee which are addressed in this report include a review of the feasibility of requiring a letter of credit from event organizers of for-profit events to secure their obligations for payment of any City costs incurred, comments on collecting a percentage fee of gross revenues generated by the for-profit organizations, as well as a framework for assessing expressway closure requests for third party events, in an effort to minimize the impact on the public.  In addition, the applicant has provided further information with respect to potential benefits to the City economy.