Community Use of Schools (Rentals)

The person named as the permit holder is responsible for all rules and regulations and additional permit conditions that are provided directly on the permit. Rental groups/organizations are also required to conform to all Regulations of the Province of Ontario and By-Laws of the City of Hamilton. An approved permit for use of space is issued to the named permit holder and is non-transferable.

Top 10 things to remember about Community Use Schools – For Permit Holders

If the permit holder listed is not also the event supervisor, then we require the name(s) and cell phone numbers of those persons who will be in attendance in the role of event supervisor.  Event Supervisors provide critical contact information for Rentals and identify to duty staff the appropriate person to connect with regarding any concerns or information before, during or after a use.

• Adequate adult supervision (hereafter referred to as event supervisor) is required by all rental groups for the entire duration of the rental.
• An adult is a responsible person who is 18 year of age or older.
• The event supervisor must be provided and carry with them a copy of the permit (updated as required owing to revisions)
• When renting multiple spaces in a facility, there must be an event supervisor in charge of each area (i.e. when multiple classrooms are used, there must be a supervisor for each classroom).
• In addition to having reviewed and understood the Permit Rules and Regulations and Permit Conditions, it is the responsibility of the event supervisor to ensure that their participants:
  • Leave the school on, or before, the ending time of the rental permit.
  • The event supervisor must be the first person to enter the facility and the last to leave.

If adequate event supervision is not demonstrated at all times by the permit holder, the permit for use of space will be cancelled and future requests for use will be declined.

General

Smoking or vaping (including holding a lit cigarette – tobacco or cannabis – or activated e-cigarette) is prohibited on all school property (buildings and all outdoor spaces).  Additional information on the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 can be found at www.Ontario.ca.

The room capacity must not exceed the Fire Prevention Division Maximum Occupant Load indicated on the capacity card posted.

Set ups, such as tables and chairs, or holding event related activities (such as designating a hallway/foyer as a holding area for participants) is strictly prohibited in foyers and ways of egress (hallways).  Additional, appropriate spaces to serve those functions must be rented, as available.

No pets. Service Animals are permitted as outlined through HWDSB Student Use of Guide Dogs and Service Animals Procedure

Spaces are rented “as is”, and permitted based on the appropriateness of the requested use. They are to be left in their original condition.

Cafeterias are the only spaces where food and drink are permitted.

Additional staff may be required depending on the type and scale of use. This may include additional caretaking coverage and security guards.

Cafeteria

Rental groups must rent the cafeteria for the consumption of food and/or beverages.

Rental groups must leave the cafeteria clean and as they found it previous to use.

Cooking is an excluded activity in any space.

Parking Lots

Parking must be confined to a facility’s parking lot or street parking.

No parking is allowed on fields or paved playgrounds.

Permit holders are solely responsible and liable for all vehicles and the contents inside vehicles that enter or park on Board property.

HWDSB does not guarantee the availability of parking spaces for rentals at any of our facilities.

Overnight parking is strictly prohibited.

Auditorium

Rental charges do not include the use of school audio-visual equipment or sound system and stage lighting for auditoriums.  Permit applicants will be advised of the availability of equipment for a requested auditorium space and be provided the necessary contact information for making the arrangement directly with the school.

Additional rented spaces may be required, such as change rooms or private spaces for performers/speakers, depending on your event needs.

Auditorium schools may have theatre arts programmes that limit availability and therefore may not be listed as available for community use.

Gymnasium

Non-marking, rubber-soled shoes must be worn at all times for all sports activities in gymnasium spaces.

Appropriate indoor equipment must be used. For example, indoor soccer balls, whiffle balls for baseball, plastic or composite floor hockey equipment.

No high physical contact sports will be permitted such as rugby, football, and lacrosse game play, however skill development programming can be allowed.

Outdoor Spaces

Available Spaces: All permitted activity conducted on exterior spaces of Board property is subject to the same Rules and Regulations governing interior activity and requires a permit.

No access to buildings.

No metal cleats or blades.

No barbeques permitted on Board property.

No glass.

No chewing gum.

Dates and hours or use is dependent upon outdoor space type, season and weather and is determined seasonally.

Field Closures/Rain-Out Policy

See under cancellation.

Unimproved Fields

Season determined bi-annually (May and September), dependent upon weather and condition of the field.

Unimproved Fields used “as is” and size and dimensions vary from facility to facility. Permit applicants are encouraged to visit the requested site and determine suitability for the intended use.

Any dates requested prior to the start date of the season and following the end of the season will be cancelled/removed.

Natural Turf Fields

Available July 1 to August 22 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. – maximum 25 hours per week (all uses combined).

Artificial Turf Fields

Hours of use – April 1 – June 30 (excluding June 19-29), June 30 – August 28 and August 29 to November 30.

Hours of Use – July 1 to August 22:

• Rental groups/organizations are not allowed to store furniture, equipment or materials in any HWDSB facilities. HWDSB holds no responsibility, nor does insurance cover, for any items left by permit holders. Permits include the use of volleyball standards and basketball nets. Sporting equipment such as volleyball nets, ball, floor mats, scoreboards, etc. are not included as part of the rental agreement. Permit holders may use the tables and chairs belonging to a facility if they are available and requested on the permit.

For any after-hours concerns, please contact the After Hours Response Centre at 905-667-3079. If your call is about a matter of public safety or illegal activity, please call 911.

Doors to facilities will remain locked at all times. The caretaker will meet the permit supervisor at the designated door 15 minutes prior to the rental start time. It is the responsibility of the permit supervisor or a designated adult to admit participants.

Doors are NOT to be propped open.

For large, full day events and competitions, HWDSB may require security guards to be employed for the entire duration of permitted use of space. The cost of security guards will be the responsibility of the permit holder.  The role of security guards is limited to ensuring the safety and security of the facility and permitted areas on behalf of HWDSB and not to provide event supervision support on behalf of, or as requested by, the permit holder.

Injury

The permit holder is required to immediately report a critical injury and/or accident to the Caretaker on duty at the facility so that they can secure the space in which the injury and/or accident occurred.

It is the responsibility of all permit holders to report critical injuries and/or accidents that occur while on HWDSB property to:

Sandra Clement – Manager, Purchasing Services
[email protected]

Critically injured means an injury of a serious nature that:

• Places life in jeopardy
• Produces unconsciousness
• Results in substantial loss of blood
• Involves the fracture of a leg or arm, but not a finger or toe
• Involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot, but not a finger or toe
• Consist of burns to a major portion of the body
• Causes the loss of sight in an eye

Fire

The HWDSB’s Approved Fire Safety Plan is applicable at all times when the building is occupied.

Any person detecting smoke or fire must immediately sound the fire alarm by activating the nearest fire alarm pull station and call 911. All fires must be reported to the Fire Department by calling 911.

On hearing the fire alarm signal, all activities are to be stopped and everyone must evacuate the building using the nearest safe exit or alternate exit. Only when it is determined to be safe by the attending Fire Department personnel, will permit holders be allowed to re-enter the facility.

Excluded Activities

HWDSB reserves the right to exclude any requested activity in their sole discretion.  Some examples (but not limited to) of excluded activities include:

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is not permitted in buildings, or on the grounds, of HWDSB.

Inflatables such as jumpers, slides, houses, castles, etc. and dunk tanks are not permitted.

Live animal shows or demonstrations (domestic or exotic) are not permitted.

Pyrotechnics are prohibited in all buildings and properties.

Games of chance, lotteries, bingo games and all other forms of gambling are forbidden on HWDSB property.

HWDSB retains the right to review and assess damages or any additional costs incurred during a permitted use. A revised permit will be provided detailing these costs and financial responsibility is borne by the permit holder in its entirety.

A Facilities Inspection Report is used to review spaces, and details of their use, prior to and after use. Event supervisors are expected to review space(s) rented prior to each and every use, and report deficiencies to caretaking at the outset of a use. Damages and concerns should be identified, as they occur, to ensure that normal wear and tear and communication issues are differentiated from misuse of a space.

Facilities Inspection Report

Cancellations, changes to date(s) and time(s) and additions to approved permits for use of space can be requested through our online system for scheduling community use of schools.

At least five business days notice is required for any change to an existing permit for use of space. Changes and additions to permits less than five business days from the start of the permit use may not be considered. Cancellations less than five business days from the start of the permit, may result in no refund to the permit holder for their cancellation.

When a permit holder does not show for their scheduled use, they will receive one warning from the Rental Administrator. On the second occurrence, the remainder of the permitted uses will be cancelled. In addition, a permit holder who received a space cost subsidy for their permit will be charged the full space cost fees for the ‘No Show’ occurrence.

Use of HWDSB facilities will be automatically cancelled when schools are closed due to inclement weather, strikes, or any other causes beyond the control of HWDSB. When a cancellation occurs, permit holders and Board staff will be notified by email. Closure on a Friday means that schools will not open again until Monday. Therefore, permits for Friday evening, Saturday, and/or Sunday will be cancelled.

Approved permits for use of space may be cancelled, or dates of permits may be changed if the permitted facilities are required by the Board for school activities, or by the government for polling stations. If a rental group is displaced by a school activity or an election, the Rental Administrator will contact the group to revise the existing permit.

Permits may be revoked or cancelled by HWDSB in its sole, absolute and unfettered discretion at any time, with or without cause, and without penalty or any further liability of HWDSB; and the permit holder shall have no claim or right to any reimbursement or costs whatsoever as a result of any losses, damages or expenses incurred by the permit holder in connection with such revocation or cancellation.

Field closure/Rain-out policy

HWDSB mirrors the City of Hamilton’s Sports Field Rain-Out Policy.

It is the permit holder’s responsibility to check the status/condition of a field prior to use.

Fields are considered unplayable and use cancelled if the following conditions exist:

• Visual ponding of water on the surface.
• Water sponging up when the area is walked upon.

If the use of the field is continued under the above listed unplayable/cancelled conditions, Permit Holders will be accountable for:

• Full liability and responsibility for any accidents or injuries.
• Payment for all damages to the field resulting from that use.

*Severe Weather/thunderstorms – Permit holder is expected to determine their own cancellations owing to severe weather/thunderstorms.  These cancellations must be reported on the discussion board of the permit within 48 hours for cancellation and refund.  Please refer to Environment Canada “Lightning Safety and Preparedness Facts Sheet” if you require guidance.

The rental rates represent the cost recovery of use to the board to make the space available on an hourly basis. They are listed as the community hourly rate.

Please review our permit type guide found under the Rental Fees tab of the main community use webpage. Unless the application qualifies as an Authorized Recreation program, there are only two choices Not For Profit – No Subsidy and Enterprise/Commercial.

All applications are reviewed to ensure that applicants have understood the options and provided the opportunity to apply for the correct streaming.

The Ministry of Education provides grants to school boards to reduce rental fees for some community users. Allocations are determined on an annual basis, dependent upon the Ministry of Education grant and the requests for support. Subsidy is limited, and once the grant has been spent, further allocations are not possible. For more information on the Ontario Ministry of Education Community Use of Schools initiative, please visit this website.

Recognition as a not-for-profit or charitable organization is not required for subsidy eligibility, nor is that recognition a guarantee that any particular permit request will be assigned not-for-profit status. Assessment is made on the permit activity and not the applicant. Not-for-profit designations are reserved for those activities which are low cost or no cost for the participant. If you apply and receive the nfp – no subsidy designation, you will receive the benefit of our cost recovery rates. A second assessment then occurs that streams your application for consideration of subsidized rates. Due to the volume of requests for subsidy and limits to the funding, not all not-for-profit permits will receive subsidy.

Preference is given to programming that is offered to youth participants that is free or low cost, inclusive and is promoted widely to the local community.

Permits follow a school year calendar and run from September to June. We accept permit applications for the upcoming school year during the summer and throughout the school year. Each June/July, all active accounts receive an email to their eBase account email address. This email includes important information about rates, subsidy and critical dates for permit submissions. If you receive this email, assume that it contains timely and relevant information intended for you.

Subsidy allocation is assessed as we begin processing the permits in the summer and is distributed to qualifying applications until depleted. Due to high demand, this happens very quickly. To support the equitable and full distribution of available subsidy, we strongly encourage all applicants to submit their permit requests within the time frame noted. Subsidy is not held back, in anticipation of potential applications later in the year.

HWDSB bears no responsibility for missed deadlines or submission requirements, including, but not limited to our communications being blocked or incorrectly streamed by recipient email servers.

If you do not have an active account on our permit application system (eBase), we encourage you to set one up. Copies of mass emails sent to users are also made available on the main eBase login page under “files.” Note these emails are only sent a few times a year to make users aware of changes to the system or key input dates.

Successful permit applications happen when you complete the final screen of the request and select “save and submit”. A successful permit application will be assigned a unique permit number reference and appear under your eBase account under permits.

If you experience any challenges in the submission process or requirements, please do not hesitate to connect with the Rentals department.

Once a permit is reviewed and processed, it will be assigned a permit type. The permit type can be found on the first page of your application. When processing is complete, it will include the addition of any charges for staffing or administration (which are not eligible for subsidy). The costs tab of a permit will outline charges and subsidy, where applicable.

Prior to approval, you will receive a discussion board post (message) indicating the designation the application has received and that the permit is ready for your review and confirmation you wish the permit approved.

Allocation of subsidy to one permit does not indicate allocation to all permits within that year or to future allocations regardless of similarity between uses; nor does denial of one mean denial thereafter.

Subsidy is allocated to a specific permit based on information provided at time of processing. If the use changes in any area that is significant to the determination of how and where the limited subsidy budget is to be distributed, the permit must be reviewed again based on the updated information. Areas that are of significant consideration include but are not limited to different participant fees, different frequency or duration of uses, and youth versus adult designations.

Revisions to location, or day of week based on scheduling are expected adjustments and do not impact a permit designation. If you are unsure of whether your permit has changed in a substantive way, please communicate these changes to rentals. Our goal is to support as many community opportunities as possible and rentals staff is prepared to work with applicants in this effort.

Permit applications are accepted throughout the year. Processing times will vary depending on request volume, with September representing our highest volume time. During processing, your permit request is modified (including but not limited to removal of dates, adjustments to start and end times, addition of staffing costs). Rentals staff may add questions or requests onto the Discussion board that will require the applicant’s response.

A permit is approved once it is fully processed, you have been notified that your review is required and you have confirmation that you wish to proceed. You will receive an eBase notification that your permit has been approved.

At times groups are looking to rent the same space at the same time. When this instance happens, the following order of permit designations will be used to determine who gets the rental space:

• Schools and school-related activities always have first priority for use of their respective facilities
• Partnerships and agreements with Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
• Non-Profit Youth Groups with Subsidy
• Non-Profit Adult Groups with Subsidy
• Non-Profit No Subsidy
• Business Enterprise / Commercial Groups

In each user category, preference for use of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board facilities is given to groups and organizations whose activities, events, programs, and opportunities are:

• Supporting or contributing to student achievement and skill building
• Neighbourhood or community-based and where users are part of the neighbourhoods in which the facility is located to help develop relationships and support neighbourhood community-building
• Using Board space to provide low or no cost opportunities to participants
• Sponsored or funded by the Government of Ontario

You may not receive the space you requested, depending on demand and the distribution of space. However, staff will continue to work with you to find an alternate location. We endeavour to accommodate all user groups when they are requesting space within our schools.

Yes. All permits must have insurance or the permit will not be issued. Your Certificate of Insurance must have a minimum $2 million general liability naming Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board as the additional insured. If you are unable to provide a Certificate of Insurance, you must purchase insurance through HWDSB.

Permit holders are only allowed the use of the tables and chairs, as available. Requests for tables and chairs is made at the time of permit submission under “equipment”.

Permits include the use of volleyball standards and basketball nets. Sporting equipment such as volleyball nets, ball, floor mats, scoreboards, etc. are not included as part of the rental agreement.

Auditoriums are specialized spaces and are only rentable with the inclusion of school equipment. Therefore, auditoriums are only permitted with School stage crew or Board stage technician present. Fees apply for these services and are a direct arrangement between the permit applicant and the school.

Storage is not available.

If the permit holder listed is not also the event supervisor, then we require the name(s) and cell phone numbers of those persons who will be in attendance in the role of event supervisor. Event Supervisors provide critical contact information for Rentals and identify to duty staff the appropriate person to connect with regarding any concerns or information before, during or after a use.

Please review the Rules and Regulations regarding event supervision to ensure that an appropriate person is identified. By listing an event supervisor, you are confirming that the named person(s) meets the requirements, will be provided with a copy of the permit (updated as required owing to revisions), and has reviewed and understood the Permit Conditions and Rules and Regulations regarding use.