![Montréal does not intend to bill the order service at festivals” /></p>
<p> Valérian Mazataud Le Devoir “For us, there is no question of adding an economic burden to our major cultural events and our festivals, which are important” , said Mayor Valérie Plante on Wednesday. “And what’s more, we don’t want to compromise the security of these events. » </p>
<p>The City of Montreal does not intend to follow up on the suggestion of the director of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Fady Dagher, to send the organizers of festivals and cultural events the bill for order service.</p>
<p>“For us, there is no question of adding an economic burden to our major cultural events and our festivals, which are important,” said Mayor Valérie Plante on Wednesday, at a press briefing at city hall. “And what’s more, we don’t want to compromise the security of these events. »</p>
<p>Other solutions will have to be found to the financial problems of the Police Service, she added.</p>
<p>On Monday, Fady Dagher maintained that the SPVM was examining the possibility of charging organizers of festivals and large events for costs related to security, as is done in other Canadian cities, including Toronto and Vancouver. Since the start of 2023, police presence during various events and demonstrations taking place in the metropolis has cost the SPVM nearly $10 million in overtime, so the SPVM is looking for ways to reduce this financial burden.</p>
<p>Valérie Plante describes the optimization exercise undertaken by the SPVM as “healthy”, in the context where the City has asked all its services to review their ways of doing things in order to generate savings. </p>
<p>Asked about the possibility of charging promoters of events with significant financial resources, such as the Canadian Grand Prix, for security services, the mayor remained cautious. “We are very far from being able to tell you whether there are going to be festivals which will be privileged or not. Generally speaking, we don't want there to be more costs for [organizers of] large events, but we will have to find solutions at the financial level in a more global way. »</p>
<p>The tourism and events industry welcomed the idea launched by Fady Dagher with concern, affirming that this proposal, if implemented, risked threatening the financial health of several organizations.</p>
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By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116