The Gallery at Victoria Hall

September 5th, 2017

REFERENCE: VICTORIA HALL / GALLERY BOOKING POLICY

Victoria Hall is Westmount’s community centre and home to the Community Events Division. This division is responsible for the operation of the building, including the Gallery at Victoria Hall, and for the coordination of local City organized events.

Victoria Hall is used for Council events, cultural presentations and recreation courses offered by the City of Westmount.

The Gallery was designed and built to promote and encourage Westmount artists (you must be a Westmount resident in order to exhibit at the gallery). It is managed and curated by the City of Westmount. The artists who show at the gallery are selected yearly by the Gallery Selection Committee.

OBJECTIVE: The City receives many requests for the use of Victoria Hall. In keeping this building’s mandate as a community centre, Council has established the following guidelines to ensure the facility is used exclusively for not-for-profit, community-based public events that are of interest and of benefit to the community.

These rules also ensure the smooth running of regular City programmes and the opportunity to accommodate Council events and special public events organized by City departments and by local groups and individuals.

POLICY: Rooms in Victoria Hall including the Gallery are not available for rent. The City does not consider proposals for:

• 1. private events;
• 2. members-only events (except planning meetings for public events);
• 3. for-profit or commercial activities and events;
• 4. non-city organized fundraisers;
• 5. partisan political or religious events;
• 6. gallery exhibitions by non-residents.

PRIORITY USE OF ROOMS

• 1. Municipal elections or events held by the City’s municipal council;
• 2. Sports, recreation, Library and Community Events Department activities and events;
• 3. Activities organized by other city departments, including meetings, training sessions and public events;
• 4. Events and activities that are not prohibited by this policy, which are organized and presented by Westmount-based not-for-profit organizations with a minimum of 50% Westmount resident membership.
• 5. Events and activities organized and presented by Westmount residents that are not prohibited by this policy;
• 6. Activities dealing with local or regional political matters are permitted if put on by Westmount-based groups, provided they are not partisan, lobbyist, or to do with a single issue. Any provincial or federal elected or civil servant may give non-partisan talks or lectures on strictly local or regional matters; however, multiparty events of a broader scope occurring during a formal electoral campaign are permitted.

Notes:

• Activities 1, 2, & 3 have the highest priority in that order;
• Activities 4, 5 & 6 are considered equally on a first-come, first-served basis;
• Reservations will not be accepted more than 12 months in advance of the event;
• When scheduling permits, the City will approve the use of Victoria Hall for memorial events for Westmounters, but cannot cancel previously-planned events for this purpose.

 

GUIDELINES FOR CITY EVENTS

All events must be:

• 1. Final responsibility for City events resides with the Sports, recreation, Library Departments and Community Events Division or any other Department that presents the event;
• 2. Public events will be publicized locally via the City’s web site, the Culture, Sports and Recreation Activities Guide, the Westmount Page, social media and local media;
• 3. Funding will be solely from the City, except for the occasional participation of local businesses;
• 4. City departments should include volunteer participation in the planning and delivery of the events.

GUIDELINES FOR CITY-APPROVED, COMMUNITY-ORGANIZED EVENTS

All events must be:

• Organized by and open to all Westmount residents;
• Free or with a nominal admission charge to cover expenses;
• Cultural or educational in nature and of interest and benefit to the community;
• Advertised and promoted locally.

Notes:

• The responsibility for the organization, delivery and information related to the event remains with the group of individual proposing it;
• Some events may receive financial or logistical support from the City and/or local businesses.

APPROVAL OF EVENTS

• 1. The Community events office will manage the room bookings and accept events that meet all of the guidelines or have received prior approval from City Council;
• 2. When approved events take place outside of the normal operating hours of Victoria Hall, they will incur a charge based on the going rate, per hour, per staff person.

Notes:

• Some restrictions may apply to certain rooms at Victoria Hall (e.g., no food or drink in the Lodge Room; no use of the Ward Room for non-dance activities);
• Some additional equipment (e.g. projector, coffee percolators) can be made available, but will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.