Marathons. Music festivals. Street parties. Parades. Movie shoots. Cranes.Toronto has no shortage of events and signs that herald a vibrant global city, yet, they come with traffic, crowd control and public safety challenges.A hefty price tag for paid-duty policing and a limited supply of officers is straining the limits of both police and event organizers, according to a city report that warns it will only become more challenging as the city continues to grow.The report — the result of a unanimously-endorsed motion by Toronto city council in March to direct the city manager to meet with police to discuss the issue — was presented at the city’s executive committee Thursday, just as the city reaches the height of the summer festival season.It landed short of expectations. The committee sent the report back to city staff for more work, including a survey of business improvement areas (BIAs), event organizers and other stakeholders on issues associated with putting on events, as well as identify factors that have driven up costs.The original motion, put forward by Councillor Ana Bailao, had asked for a report on paid-duty policing and street festivals, many of which are organized by BIAs, but the report identifies other stakeholders in need of security, such as event planners and the film industry all affected by what it called a “significant” city issue. The Toronto Police Service uses a “risk-based” approach to assessing security requirements, the report said. “Based on this assessment,” states the report, “enhanced security requirements, such as an increase in police presence and other barriers, are often requested by either the (the police service) and/or event organizers.”The result, the report states, has police, the city and organizers “facing planning, resource (people and equipment) and funding pressures.”The report did not set out how these risk assessments are done. “Nobo ...
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