Thank you for providing an example of how this is done in Montreal. We will pass this information along to the appropriate staff to investigate further. The City of Vaughan has a Community Gardens program and one location where residents are allotted a plot of their own is at Sugarbush Heritage Park in Thornhill. Currently, this is the only location with this governance structure, yet it requires no rental fee, disqualifying this program as a revenue source. The City is currently working to expand the number of community gardens in each ward and is open to the potential to fundraise as part of this program.

No. At this time, all the City’s holdings have been acquired for future public use. No commercial leasing opportunities are being explored.

Yes. The City currently has facilities that include retail spaces that generate revenue, such as City Hall and Sports Village. Future opportunities that complement City programming and user experience can be explored. Businesses are encouraged to register as vendors on the City’s Bids and Tenders page to be notified of future opportunity listings. Alternatively, you can submit proposals anytime by emailing procurement@vaughan.ca.

Although the City of Vaughan is a qualified donee according to the Canadian Revenue Agency (an organization/municipality that can issue official donation receipts for gifts it receives from individuals and corporations), the City is not permitted to conduct charitable gaming events, including lotteries, to generate revenue from the public for City events, programs or services, under the regulations of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Any in-kind donations made to the City – whether solicited or unsolicited – in support of food banks, toy drives or animal shelter donations, for example, are accepted when appropriate and allocated to a specific program, event or charity.  

In addition to the Incoming Sponsorship and Donation Policy that outlines programs and events available for sponsorship or accepting donations, the City also has a Naming of City Parks, Open Spaces, Community Facilities and other Municipal Buildings and Properties Policy (PDF) that outlines how residents can submit a name designation in honour of an individual or group for a bench, public park, street, facility, building or property. Through the City’s Parks, Forestry and Horticulture Operations department’s Green Guardians environmental stewardship program, Corporate Tree Planting events and Tree and Bench Dedications generate alternative revenue for the City. 

Donations of public art or art inventoried in the City’s Corporate Art Collection, along with donations of cultural property, including, but not limited to, Vaughan Archives, fall outside of the scope of revenue generation and within an arts and heritage mandate of the City. 

The City’s Sign By-law 140-2018 (PDF) has requirements that regulate how signs like digital billboards can operate and includes restrictions to deter visual distraction. Per the by-law, the digital billboards the City has in operation display static copy (content that remains still as a fixed image for a set period of time). Each message is displayed for 10 seconds at a time, allowing for passing traffic to see only one at a time, on average, with seamless transitions. 

The City’s Sign By-law also includes measures to reduce light pollution. The digital billboards currently in operation are equipped with LED technology, including modern brightness controls and configured with dual redundant photocells, which are capable of sensing ambient light and intuitively managing the output brightness even in the event of a hardware failure. The current digital billboards, and any future ones, must strictly conform to all relevant codes and regulations. For more information, read the Digital Billboard FAQ document.

We can assure you that your comment will be included in the public record alongside feedback collected at the Open Houses. The City of Vaughan is working with an external engagement consultant to collect all the feedback received during the public consultation phase. Public feedback will be captured in a report to Council with suggested recommendations on how to proceed. Vaughan Council will make the final decision informed by this report. If you wish to remain updated on the progress of the program, you can also sign up to receive email updates.

The City doesn’t currently have commercial retail services in our parks and open spaces. However, staff are exploring commercial opportunities, where space allows, to generate revenue in larger parks. The City will post these opportunities on the Bids and Tenders page when available. Businesses are encouraged to register as vendors to be notified when such opportunities arise. Alternatively, you can submit proposals anytime by emailing procurement@vaughan.ca. 

Both! We are seeking public feedback on alternative revenue generation initiatives, including the proposed digital billboards, and welcome additional alternative funding ideas.  

The City has a Street Naming Policy (PDF), which includes Street Naming Procedures outlining how new streets are named. Per the policy, “the gifting or auctioning of a street name is permitted, provided the proposed street name satisfies the Street Naming Procedures for approval.” The policy doesn’t outline a set fee or provide specific guidance on how the money collected may be used to generate alternative revenue for City programs and services.