GDS-012 - Events Calendar Policy_2023
Title: Guidelines for Posting on The City of Saint John Events Calendar
Subject: Events Calendar Category: Policy
Policy No.: GDS-012 M&C Report No.: 2023-172
Effective Date: Next Review Date: (3 years)
Area(s) this policy applies to: Growth and Community Office Responsible for review of this Policy:
Services Growth and Community Services
Related Instruments: Policy Sponsor:
Document Pages: This document consists of 12
pages.
Revision History:
Common Clerk's Annotation for Official Record
Date of Passage of Current Framework: ___July 10, 2023_________
I certify that this Policy (Statement) was adopted by Common Council as
indicated above.
____July 11, 2023________
Common Clerk Date
Date Created: Common Council Approval Contact:
June 29, 2023
Date:
Growth and Community
July 10, 2023 Services
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEFINTIONS
1. POLICY STATEMENT ................................................................................................................. 3
2. PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................. 3
3. CRITERIA FOR POSTING ........................................................................................................... 4
4. GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................................. 5
5. RESPONSIBILITIES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
6. DISCLAIMER ............................................................................................................................ 6
6. APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................. 8
7. APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................... 10
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Definitions
Application is the online form and approval process which includes staff resources and
permission to post.
A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is made up of commercial and industrial property owners
and their non-residential tenants who join together under a volunteer Board of Management
(BIA Board) to carry out improvements and promote economic development within their
designated area.
City refers to the City of Saint John.
City Supported Event is an event to which the City or a Committee or Board of Council has
contributed funding or in-kind services, or an event designated by the City Council as a City
supported event.
Events Calendar means the moderated listing of activities on the City of Saint John website.
Terms of Use means the terms listed in Appendix A which are the conditions upon which third
parties may submit requests to the Events Calendar
Translation refers to the posting requirements to be in both official languages (English and
French). All posts submitted must be sent to translation prior to being added to the Events
Calendar.
1. Policy Statement
The City of Saint John recognizes the benefit to residents of providing a listing of
publicly accessible community events on the City’s website.
The City of Saint John will provide residents a moderated Events Calendar as a
feature on the City of Saint John website which allows the City, and organizations
whose events meet posting criteria, to post events in a common location.
All events on the City’s Events Calendar must be open to the public, contribute to
the vibrancy of the city, and be held in the boundaries of the City of Saint John.
The City will empower staff to approve applications submitted to the City’s Events
Calendar using the criteria outlined in section 3 (Criteria for Posting).
2. Purpose
It is standard practice for municipalities to provide residents access to an online
events calendar facilitated by staff. Though criteria for posting will differ depending
on the scope of events each municipality wishes to promote, the standard practice
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is to list City supported events. This allows residents, and visitors to the city, an
opportunity to engage with events that enrich our cultural, artistic, and recreation-
based lives, while making lasting connections within the community. While other
Saint John based organizations such as the BIAs and Destination Marketing have
calendars featuring activities taking place within the city, their focus is the interest
of their own clientele and would not necessarily capture the events outside their
own scope of programming. With the revisioning of the City of Saint John’s Events
Calendar and its Criteria for Posting, the City will post information regarding
activities, programs, meetings, events, and festivals organized or supported by the
City on its Events Calendar. The City reserves the right to post additional events to
its Calendar of Events if deemed to be in the interest of the community.
3. Criteria for Posting
Members of the public may submit event information for inclusion on the City's
Events Calendar if that event meets the following criteria:
3.1. The event is being held within the City of Saint John.
3.2. The event is open to the general public and does not require membership.
3.3 The event highlights the arts, culture, and recreation experiences of the City of
Saint John. Events that fall outside of these categories would not be included in
the Events Calendar.
3.4 The event has a broad appeal to residents and visitors.
3.5 The event is organized by a group affiliated with the City of Saint John or the
recipient of funding or sponsorship from The City of Saint John.
3.6 Both free and ticketed events are eligible.
3.7 Commercial businesses facilitating events that act as fundraisers for non-profit
organizations may be included.
3.8 Events must be time specific and include a start date and end date.
3.9 Events must be held in a physical location that can be accessed by the public. If
this is not possible due to public health and safety protocols, events that are
typically held in person and must be live streamed may be included.
3.10 Events must follow current provincial health protocols.
3.11 Events shall not promote hatred or derision of any group and shall not
discriminate on any grounds covered by the New Brunswick Human Rights Act,
including but not limited to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin,
citizenship, creed, sexual orientation, gender, religion, marital status, family
status, ability, or political affiliation.
3.12 Events that conflict with any applicable laws, City By-laws, or policies are not
permitted.
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3.13 Retail promotions and events that are commercial in nature are not eligible.
Definitions include events hosted by retail stores, including the advertising of
businesses, sidewalk sales, store sales, and events that attempt to promote or
sell products or services of an individual or a for-profit business.
3.14 Class or camp registration days will not be included.
3.15 Yard sales, garage sales, bottle drives, car washes, and similar events will not be
included.
3.16 If the City becomes aware of any violation of these principles, the event will
immediately be removed from the City of Saint John's Events Calendar without
notice or penalty.
4. Guidelines:
4.1 Events may be submitted by members of the public using the on-line
submission form on the City of Saint John website.
4.2 Event submissions must include the event title, host organization, date and
time, location, a complete and thorough description, cost if applicable, and
contact information. A website link for additional information is encouraged.
4.3 All events will be reviewed by staff using the Criteria for Posting and if accepted
will be posted within 2-4 weeks.
4.4 The City of Saint John Events Calendar is provided as a community service to
Saint John citizens and community organizations. Though the calendar is
moderated for posting acceptable events, the City of Saint John does not
endorse nor verify the information included.
4.5 The City of Saint John is not responsible for the accuracy of event postings, and
it is the responsibility of the organizer to inform the City of Saint John of
changes to the information submitted. All additions and corrections should be
emailed to specialevents@saintjohn.ca . Changes may take 2-4 weeks.
4.6 The City of Saint John does not endorse any information contained herein by
parties not affiliated with the City of Saint John. Furthermore, the City of Saint
John provides the information contained on all pages without warranty,
guarantee, or further obligation. The City is not liable for any consequences or
damages any individual may incur because of misrepresented, misquoted, or
mistaken information.
4.7 The information provided on the Events Calendar site is for informational
purposes only.
4.8 The Events Calendar is not meant to be an authoritative guide and will not in
any circumstances override any decisions or standards made or set by any
representative or agent of the City of Saint John
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4.9 The City of Saint John reserves the right to accept, revise, or reject, in whole or
part, any event at its discretion.
5. Responsibilities
5.1 Growth and Community Services will be the lead Department and will oversee
the implementation and execution of the Event Calendar Policy. This
department will be responsible for assigning roles, ensuring workflow, and
maintaining the Events Calendar.
5.2 Customer Service will correspond with applicants who call or visit with requests
to access the Event Calendar, either to apply to have an event listed or to
access the public listings. Customer Service will direct applicants to the
website.
5.3 Growth and Community Services staff will review the applications once/week
using the internal protocol listed in Appendix B. If necessary, staff will liaise
with other departments or the applicant for further information. Staff would
then approve or deny the listing. The listing will then be sent to a translation
company. An email will be sent to the applicant informing them of their
eligibility.
6. Disclaimer
The following statement shall be included on the website where the Events Calendar is
hosted:
6.1 The City of Saint John Events Calendar is provided as a community service to
Saint John citizens and community organizations. Though the calendar is
moderated for posting acceptable events, the City of Saint John does not
endorse nor verify the information included.
6.2 The City of Saint John is not responsible for the accuracy of event postings, and
it is the responsibility of the organizer to inform the City of Saint John of
changes to the information submitted. All additions and corrections should be
emailed to specialevents@saintjohn.ca . Changes may take 2-4 weeks
6.3 The City of Saint John does not endorse any information by parties not
affiliated with the City of Saint John. Furthermore, the City of Saint John
provides the information contained on all pages without warranty, guarantee,
or further obligation.
6.4 The City is not liable for any consequences or damage any individual may incur
as a result of misrepresented, misquoted, or mistaken information or from
attending an event listed on the Events Calendar.
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6.5 The information provided on the Events Calendar site is for informational
purposes only.
6.6 The City of Saint John’s Events Calendar is not meant to be an authoritative
guide and will not in any circumstances override any decisions or standards
made or set by any representative or agent of the City of Saint John.
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Appendix A:
Terms of Use
To proceed with the application for registration of an event on the City of Saint John's
Events Calendar, residents must read and consent to the Terms of Use:
By using the City of Saint John’s website to apply for registration of your event
on the City of Saint John's Events Calendar (the 'Site'), you agree to the current
version of these Terms of Use (the 'Terms'). The City of Saint John (the 'City')
may change the Terms at any time without notice. The changed Terms will be
posted on the Site, and you should read them before using the Site.
The City operates the Site as a service to anyone wishing to post their event or
festival on the City of Saint John Events Calendar. The City makes every effort
to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information on the Site but
does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness. You agree to accept the
information found on the Site "as is" and, if you rely on the information, it is at
your own risk.
The Site may have links to external sites and the City is not responsible for the
information found there. External sites may have their own terms of use that
you must follow. The City's privacy statement does not apply to external sites.
If you gain access to external sites through links on the Site, you do so at your
own risk. The City does not endorse sites found through links on the Site and is
not necessarily associated with those sites.
The Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the 'Act') applies to all
information collected by the City. The information will only be collected, used,
and disclosed in accordance with the Act. Please refer to the City's privacy and
security policy for more information.
I agree that by submitting the application for registration of an event on the
City of Saint John's Events Calendar, I am giving the City permission to
reproduce, for the purpose of the Calendar, any text and/or photographs I have
submitted as part of the application. I represent and warrant that I have the
authority to give this permission and that giving this permission does not
infringe any other person's rights in the text and/or the photographs. I agree to
indemnify, defend, and hold the City and its officials, employees, agents, and
representatives harmless from any liability, loss, claim, and expense, including
reasonable lawyer's fees, any of them suffers as a result of a breach of such
representation or warranty.
To use the Site, you also agree to the following terms:
• You will not change any information or material found on the Site
including any information posted by other users;
• You will not violate (or try to violate) the security of the Site
by hacking, cracking, mail bombing, mounting a denial-of-
service attack, breaching of netiquette, or any other similar
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malicious, careless, or negligent acts;
• You will not impersonate any other person or entity
or make any misrepresentations.
• You will not upload any content that is unlawful, harmful,
threatening, vulgar, obscene, libelous, or otherwise objectionable
and that may invade another's right of privacy;
• You agree that the City is not responsible for any loss, damage, or
injury that you may experience as a result of using the Site
including, but not limited to, situations caused by viruses or other
technical problems;
• You agree to be bound by Provincial laws in your
use of the Site and you agree that any court
proceedings relating to your use of the Site will take
place in New Brunswick; and
• You agree that even if the City does not insist on or
enforce an item in the Terms, the City still has the
right to insist on and enforce that item.
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Appendix B:
Internal Protocol
Prior to approving an event on the City of Saint John Calendar of Events, staff will
review the following:
Events must fall into the following categories:
Supported by the City of Saint John via Committee (Santa Claus Parade, Canada
Day, etc.), direct funding (Community Arts Funding or Community Grants), or
other City support- this will be captured in the application, and staff can refer
to updated files listing grant recipients if necessary.
Held within the boundaries of the City of Saint John
Open to the public (free or ticketed)
Highlights one or more of the following:
• Arts
• Culture
• Recreation
• Festivals
• Fairs
• Community events
• Music
• Live theatre
• Dance
• History
• Heritage
• Children
• Seniors
• Families
• Ethno Cultural events
• Science
• Nature
• Visual Arts
A broad appeal to visitors and residents
Time Specific (start date and end date)
Held in a physical location (or pivoted to online due to health mandates)
Events that are ineligible:
Events that have not received City support.
Retail promotions, commercial events, store sales
Yard sales, garage sale, bottle drives, car washes, or similar events
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Events that promote for-profit businesses
Events that promote hatred or derision of any group or discriminate on any
grounds covered by the New Brunswick Human Rights Act, including but not
limited to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship,
creed, sexual orientation, gender, religion, marital status, family status, ability,
or political affiliation.
Events that are in conflict with any applicable laws, City By-laws or policies
Events that break current provincial health mandates
Political or religious rallies
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