1st MEETING

CANADA DAY COMMITTEE

 

TOWN OF MARKHAM

York Room, Markham Civic Centre

February 20, 2006 – 6:00 P.M.

 

MINUTES

 

ATTENDANCE

 

Members:                                                        

Deputy Mayor Frank Scarpitti             

Councillor Khalid Usman                                 

Javaid Khan                                                    

Ivy Lee                                                

Adam Poon                                                     

James Bush                                                     

 

Staff:

 

Bob Walter, Manager, Street Operations

Steve Matunin, Supervisor, Urban Forestry

Joanne Olson, Assistant to Councillors

Rob Hincks, Working Foreperson – Milne Park

Olivia Bella, Event Management & Outdoor Sport Coordinator

Chris Raynor, Committee Clerk

 

The Canada Day Committee meeting convened at 6:10 p.m. with Councillor Khalid Usman in the Chair.

 

1.            2006 COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

 

It was noted that Regional Councillor J. Heath will not be serving on the Committee.

 

 

2.      DISCUSSION OF CHAIR/CO-CHAIR FOR 2006

 

Councillor K. Usman was approved as Chair of the Committee for 2006. The Co-Chair will be determined at a future meeting.

 

 

3.            COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND NEW MEMBERS

 

It was noted that Shannon Walter will be unable to serve on the 2006 Committee due to a number of prior commitments. There was discussion on whether to recruit one further member and a potential candidate was nominated.

 

 

4.            2006 BUDGET

 

The Committee was provided with a copy of the financial statement for the 2005 event. It was noted that the budget was in surplus. It was suggested that the Committee use the same budget for 2006 but it was stated that the cost of fireworks has increased this year and that the 2006 budget will need to reflect this.

 

 

5.         COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

            a)         Sponsorship

Deputy Mayor Scarpitti and Bob Walter were confirmed as Co-Chairs. Deputy Mayor Scarpitti will contact Bell regarding sponsoring the event. Additionally, Ms. O. Bella advised that if an ad is to be placed in the spring Recreation Guide, it needs to be finalized before the end of March. Ms. Bella agreed to circulate the 2005 ad for comment. There was general discussion on which other publications might be suitable for advertising and there was agreement that there should be a separate mailer close to the time of the event.

 

            b)         Advertising/Posters/Invitations

                        Selection of the Chair was deferred to the next meeting.

 

            c)         Mayor’s Luncheon

Selection of the Chair was deferred to the next meeting. It was agreed that the Luncheon should take place at Milliken Mills Community Centre and that there should be modifications to the menu.

 

d)         Parade

B. Walter, J. Olson and J. Khan were confirmed as Co-Chairs. It was suggested that the organizer of the Santa Claus Parade be contacted in order to obtain a list of potential corporate participants.

 

e)         Fireworks/Permit

S. Matunin and R. Hincks were confirmed as Co-Chairs and the Committee was advised that the contract for the fireworks is signed off at a cost of $30,000.00.

 

f)          Parking

S. Matunin and R. Hincks were confirmed as Co-Chairs. It was suggested that two more light towers might be useful. Additionally, S. Matunin and R. Hincks agreed to act as parking supervisors at the end of the night. There was a suggestion that a shuttle cart from the parking lot to the main stage will be helpful.

 

g)         Transit Arrangements

B. Walter and J. Olsen were confirmed as Co-Chairs. J. Olsen agreed to determine how many buses were *used last year as this number worked well. Councillor K. Usman agreed to contact VIVA regarding the presence of a rapid transit bus in the parade.

 

h)         Stage and Sound

S. Matunin and B. Walter were confirmed as Co-Chairs. The Committee agreed to examine the possibility of renting a portable stage.

 

i)          Children’s Activities

J. Bush and E. D’Souza were confirmed as Co-Chairs. A plan will be presented at the next meeting.

 

j)          Entertainment

J. Olsen was confirmed as Chair. There was general discussion of potential MC’s and headline acts and it was suggested that an Olympic theme might be appropriate. It was agreed that the Veteran’s should be invited.

 

k)         Food Vendors

Selection of the Chair was deferred to the next meeting. It was agreed that the 2005 setup did not work well for the vendors and that alternative arrangements should be made for 2006.

 

l)          Signage

B. Walter was confirmed as Chair and the Committee was advised that signage will be the same as last year.

 

m)        Security

S. Matunin and O. Bella were confirmed as Co-Chairs. O. Bella agreed to report back on the amount of involvement of By-law staff and to get quotes from private security firms. It was agreed that extra police should be hired as in 2005.

 

n)         Volunteers

O. Bella advised that she may not be able to serve as Co-Chair but that she will confirm. The Committee advised that local schools might be a good source of volunteers.

 

 

6.         OTHER

 

            i)          Heritage Grant Request

                        O. Bella confirmed that the application has been sent and received.

 

            ii)         Media Launch

                        June 21, 2006 was suggested as a potential date for the media launch.

 

 

7.         CANADA DAY CAKE

 

There was discussion surrounding the Canada Day Cake. *The Committee agreed to contact local bakeries.

 

 

8.         DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

           

The Committee agreed on the following dates for meetings in 2006, with extra meetings to be scheduled as required:

 

            March 20, 2006

            April 10, 2006

            May 15, 2006, *May 29, 2006

            *June 12, 2006, *June 26, 2006

 

 

9.         ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

 

 

 

 

*Amended by Committee at its meeting on March 20, 2006.