Tall Ships on distant horizon

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There are several tall ships on Brockville’s horizon, less than a year away, and City Hall wants to be ready.

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Brockville was successful in its bid to be a port of call during the 2025 Tall Ships tour, scheduled for June 19-21, 2025, notes a report to the city council’s general committee. The city applied last fall to be a Canadian port on the 2025 Tall Ships route.

The good news means that Brockville will host the fifth Tall Ships Festival in a row since the majestic ships began coming here in 2013. Brockville has subsequently hosted the Tall Ships Tournaments in 2016, 2019 and 2022.

The general committee is scheduled to discuss the positive development at its meeting Tuesday afternoon and, more pressingly, vote on recommendations to hire a festival and events coordinator to oversee it, at a cost of about $50,000, forming at the same time a volunteer for citizens. Committee.

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The committee meets on Tuesday at 4.30pm in the main council chamber.

One of the two recommendations is to hire a part-time festival and events co-ordinator as a contract position for 15 hours per week from 1 August to 31 July “to lead on the organisation” of next year’s festival, with the post funded by the proceeds of previous high-vessel festivals.

The report, by tourism development coordinator Kelly Brintnell and city clerk Sheena Earl, notes that the Tall Ships Festival brings about 40,000 visitors to Brockville.

“The event is organized with significant community involvement, relying on a citizen’s committee of local volunteers and in partnership with businesses and organizations,” he adds.

The recommendation is to form a citizens’ committee from September 1 “to help organise, develop the program and deliver the Tall Ships Festival 2025”.

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“A dedicated group will provide the manpower needed to plan, organize and execute the event, while encouraging a
sense of ownership and pride in the event, increasing overall community engagement and participation,” the report adds.

“Over the past few festivals, past committee members have gained valuable experience, adding continuity and year-on-year improvement.”

The part-time festival and events co-ordinator would be funded from the reserve created from the 2019 and 2022 festivals.

“Coordinating the event requires approximately 1,500 hours of staff time, not including time spent at the three-day event, and has previously been a priority of economic development department staff,” notes a separate report by Brintnell and senior staff. resource manager Lindsay Armstrong.

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“In August 2023, a report to the general committee outlined the staffing pressures experienced by Economic and Development Services staff in preparation for the 2022 Tall Ships Festival and noted a recommendation to employ a festival coordinator on a fixed-term contract basis brief to organize and deliver any subsequent Tall Ships festival.”

The new employee “will serve as the primary point of contact for any outside agencies, contractors, vendors, etc. The position will also oversee the Tall Ships Festival Committee, should it be re-established, and work with city department staff to ensure everyone is on top of event logistics,” the report continues.

The 12-month contract would cost the city about $50,000 in wages and benefits, it adds, while the previous two festivals saw a surplus of $158,724 now held in a reserve.

If the committee supports the recommendations, they will go to the full council for a final vote next week.

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