Mission Statement

We respectfully request The City Of Calgary either repeal or amend bylaw #34M2000 to allow us our freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as provided for in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The existing bylaw is discriminatory and provides the Calgary Police Service with arbitrary powers unheard of in a truly democratic society (war time measures aside).

Specifically, we would like the following amendments to bylaw #34M2000:

• The $250.00 application fee reduced to $125.00.
• The application fee waived for events with all proceeds to not-for-profit organizations.
• Change the bylaw exemption attendance from 249 to 499:
  An extended Dance Event Licence is required for all Extended Dance Events which have an Expected Attendance of 500 or more people.
• Change the definition of an "extended dance event":
  "Extended Dance Event' means a gathering of people for the primary purpose of listening to or dancing to music which lasts for more than five (5) hours and includes events which may commonly be referred to as "raves";
  to:
  "Extended Dance Event' means a gathering of people for the primary purpose of dancing to music which lasts for more than six (6) hours;
• Fixed Police/Security and Paramedic/medic/first aid ratios:
  • 1 Paid Duty Officer per 500 attendees.
  • 1 Paramedic per 1500 attendees.
  • 1 Security per 100 attendees.
• The 45 day application period changed to a more realistic 10 day application period.
• Removal of all penalties against goods and service providers who may inadvertently or unknowingly supply goods and services to improperly licensed events.
• In the event The City Of Calgary, The Calgary Fire Department or The Calgary Police Service deny the Extended Dance Event permit application, a written reason must be provided by the end of the application period.
• Replace arbitrary City Of Calgary, Fire Department and Calgary Police Service 'veto' power with a written set of guidelines regarding permit approval and an appeal process if the permit has been denied.
• Specific definition of the event start time as 'Show Time'. This is to avoid any discrepancy between the time the venue's doors open and the time the event starts by the Calgary Police Service.

With these amendments, the bylaw could finally work to everyone's advantage as was originally intended, while respecting the safety of event attendees and the spirit of the event.

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"Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondarily on institutions such as courts of justice and police. "
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)