matter. The results of a poll must be confirmed and ratified at the next public meeting of Coun cil”.

Discussion:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the entertainment business, affecting the ability of musical artists to perform live as their source of income. Many municipalities across Ontario are exploring and approving live performance opportunities with prospective entrepreneurs to support the livelihood of artists, including drive-in performance dates that adhere to pandemic regulations and restrictions. The province of Ontario has allowed these types of drive-in events to occur in Stages 2 and 3. Recently, Council has approved supporting similar style public viewings at Riverfront Festival Plaza in support of the Windsor International Film Fest and the arts community.

AEP Events Inc. is an entertainment production service and has supported festivals in Windsor for many years, and is locally-owned by businessman Sean Atkins. AEP Events Inc. is a well-known production and tech service for many national and international music artists and events. To support local musicians and provide employment opportunities for artists, AEP Events Inc. is proposing to host a series of drive-in live performances at Riverfront Festival Plaza by providing video enhanced productions. Their budget consists of staff overhead which would be recovered in entrance fees to the patron, while all equipment gear will be donated in support of the artists. The Special Events Resource Team (SERT) and the Windsor Essex County Health Unit have no objections provided the applicant adheres to the safety precautions and health guidelines for the Stage that Windsor is in at that time.

The applicant has requested the use of the plaza for six weekends, starting the weekend of August 14th. He is aware of the approved booking of WIFF for Drive-in movies and is proposing to work around those dates (before and after). The applicant is requesting a waiver of fees to use the plaza for these concerts similar to WIFF. There is a strong possibility that there will be other organizations that will also request waivers of fees as part of recovery efforts from COVID-19. Should that be the case, Administration will continue to review and bring forward for consideration as required.

Following are the dates he is requesting: