Regular Meeting of Council

Monday, August 28, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

Agenda Item: Correspondence Requiring Direction from Council

LETTERS - Mayor Lisa Helps dated August 8^*^ andAugust 18, 2017 (Attached)Re: Request to Identify Councillor(s) to participate In City of Victoria Working Group for

McPherson Playhouse and Royal Theatre

Brief Overview:

At the Regular Meeting held May 8, 2017 Victoria Councillor's Madoff and Alto along with therepresentatives on the Royal and McPherson Society, Randy Joynt and Byron Smith provided apowerpoint presentation on the Royal and McPherson Theatres.

The McPherson Playhouse is owned by the City of Victoria with public support solely from theCity of Victoria and the Royal Theatre is owned by the Capital Regional District with publicsupport from Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria.

At that meeting it was asked if Colwood would be interested in making decisions of the futureof the two theatres. Mayor Hamilton indicated at that time that Council would be interested inbeing kept in the conversation.

Overview of August 18. 2017 Letter from City of Victoria:

The City of Victoria has presented to 12 municipal councils as an outreach for the future of theMcPherson Playhouse and Royal Theatre. They are in the process of inviting the municipalitiesto participate in the final phase discussions.

The focus group is comprised of municipal representatives and members of the City of VictoriaWorking Group along with the Royal and McPherson Theatre Society Board of Directors.

The Request is that Colwood consider identity Councillor(s) to participate in the discussions.

Tentative scheduled meeting dates are:Tuesday, September 19^^Tuesday, October andMonday October 18^*^.All meeting commence at 2:00 pm and are expected to last more than two hours

Excerpt May 8. 2017 Regular Meeting of Council

S. PRESENTATIONS

5.1. Presentation - Counciiior Marianne Alto and Councillor Pam Madoff, City ofVictoria and Randy Joynt, Manager of External Affairs Royal and McPhersonTheatre SocietyRe: Royal and McPherson Theatre Society Working Group -

Regular Meeting of Council

Monday, August 28, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.Agenda Item: Correspondence Requiring Direction from Council

Councillor Pam Madoff, City of Victoria, noted that until recently she was the Cityrepresentative on the Royal and McPherson Society. Councillor Madoff introduced CouncillorMarianne Alto, the City of Victoria representative on the Royal and McPherson Society, RandyJoynt, Manager of External Relations, and Byron Smith, Past Board Chair.

Randy Joynt made a powerpoint presentation on the Royal and McPherson Theatres includingthoughts on the direction of the theatres. He provided history, uses and statistics on boththeatres. He explained that the McPherson Playhouse is owned by the City of Victoria withpublic support solely from the City of Victoria and the Royal Theatre is owned by the CapitalRegional District with public support from Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria.

Mr. Joynt provided an overview on the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society. He noted thatin 2016, 8.2% of Colwood residents attended a show at the McPherson and 15.8% of Colwood

residents attended a show at the Royal.

Mr. Joynt stated they are looking at aligning the ownership and funded of the McPherson andthe Royal that would align governance and create a more efficient funding structure.

Councillor Marianne Alto said they are asking whether Colwood would be interested in makingdecisions of the future of the two theatres. What they would like to know is if Colwood wouldlike to be part of the conversation to map out the next steps.Councillor Day noted that the new theatre at the Royal Bay Secondary School, a number oftheatres created through schools and partnerships with schools and a new theatre plan for theCasino. Councillor Day questioned if the Society has considered reaching out other venues.

Councillor Alto responded that the question has come up through previous conversations with

municipalities and it will be considered in the upcoming conversations as it had not beenconsidered at the commencement of the project.

Mayor Hamilton thanked the Society members for the presentation and indicated Council

would be interested in being kept in the conversation.

Options for Consideration by Council:

1. That Colwood Council appoint one or more members of Council to participate In theMcPherson Playhouse/Royal Theatre Working Group; Or

2. That Council send a letter to the City of Victoria advising that the City of Colwood does notwish to participate in Future of the McPherson Playhouse and Royal Theatre

The City of Victoria

Mayor and Council3300 Wishart Road

Victoria, BC V9C IRl

August 18, 2017

Dear Mayor and Council,

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AUG 21 2017

CITY OF COLWOGD

Two weeks ago I shared the compendium ofcomments from the presentations made to 12municipal councils as pait of the City of Victoria's outreach to you on the future of theMcPherson Playhouse, and subsequently the Royal Theatre.

Now I would like to invite you to participate in the next and final phase of ourconversation.

Shortly, a focus group comprised of your representatives and members of the City ofVictoria working group (with Royal and McPherson Theatre Society Board Directors andstaff, my Deputy City manager and staff, and Councillors Pam Madoff and MarianneAlto) will come together to create a specific plan to guide the theatres' governance andoperations

This will take place over six weeks, in three conversations, tentatively scheduled forTuesday September 19, Tuesday October 3, and Monday October 18. All will begin at 2pm, last no more than two hours, and take place at Victoria City Hall.

I invite you to identify, or confirm, the councillor(s) you wish to participate.

My colleague Councilor Alto will follow up with you towards the end of August toconfirm details and answer any questions you may have about these next steps.

Once these conversations are complete, a penultimate report with recommendations willbe shared with you for your feedback, before final recommendations are conveyed to myCouncil and the Capital Regional District.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to add your voice and wisdom to the futuregovernance of these important cultural assets. I thank you, in advance, for yourcontinued consideration and participation.

Yours truly,

Lisa HelpsVictoria Mayor

1 Centennial Square Victoria British Columbia Canada V8W 1P6

Telephone (250) 361-0200 Fax (250) 361-0348 Email mayor@victoria.ca

www.victoria.ca

The City of Victoria

Mayor Carol Hamilton3300 Wishart Road

Victoria, BC V9C IRl

August 8, 2017

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AUG 1 1 2017

CITY OF COLWOOD

Dear Mayor Hamilton,

As you know, the City of Victoria has sought your advice inconsidering the future of theMcPherson Playhouse, and subsequently the Royal Theatre.

In the last four months, members of a working group comprised of Royal and McPhersonTheatre Society (RMTS) Board Directors and staff, my Deputy City manager and staff,and Councillors Pam Madoff and Marianne Alto, have appeared at your Council topresent ideas about the future of the McPherson and Royal Theatres, and ask for yourguidance.

Having heard your questions and counsel, the working group has prepared a compendiumof your comments, which I would like to share with you, and have attached for yourinformation.

In a few weeks, I'll reach out to youagain to invite youto participate in the next round ofthiswork - a small focus group whose taskwill be to create a specific plan to guide thetheatres' future governance and operations. That letter will provide you with details ofthe process, including dates, times, and expectations. I will also ask you to identify orconfirm the Councillors who will participate from your municipality.

I thank you for the time you have already given to this work, and appreciate your futurecontributions.

Thankyou, in advance, for your continued consideration and assistance.

Yours truly.

Lisa HelpsVictoria Mayor

I Centennial Squ.nre Victoria Briti-sh Columbia Canada V8W 1P6

Telephone (250) 361-0200 Fax (250) 361-0348 Email mayor^victoria.ca

www.vicroria.ca

Compendium of Comments from 12 Municipalities on the Future of the Royal & McPherson Theatres

Over the months of April, May and June 2017, Victoria Councilors Marianne Alto and Pam Madoff; andrepresentatives from the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society were delegates at eleven CapitalRegion District Municipalities' Council or Committee meetings. The purpose of these delegations were

to deliver a presentation, which provided information on the region's historic theatres, the McPherson

Playhouse and the Royal Theatre. Each presentation concluded with an offer to take questions and arequest for each municipality to join a conversation about the future of the theatres.

In July, Councillors Alto and Madoff reported on these delegations to Victoria Council.

These notes capture comments, questions and directions from these meetings.

View Roval. Committee of the Whole - April 112017

The committee noted that View Royal is already part of the CRD Arts Development service and asked

the delegation iffunding for the theatres is separate from this. The delegates clarified that funding forthe theatres is separate. Committee members commented that they would like to see additional budgetdetails as the conversation moves forward and that the theatres are beautifully maintained.

At the conclusion of the presentation, View Royal Committee of the Whole agreed that they willparticipate in the conversation about the future of the theatres.

Highlands. Council - April 18 2017

Council members noted that there are other theatres in the region and wondered if the process could

be expanded to include all of regions' theatres. They also commented that the outdoor stage attachedto the McPherson Playhouse creates a problem for sound bleeding into the theatre when there's aperformance on the outdoor stage.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the following motion was passed:

MOTION: 116/2017

MOVED BY: COUNCILLOR GORD BAIRD

SECONDED: COUNCILLOR ROESSINGH

That it be relayed to the delegation that Council is interested in continuing the conversation/discussion regarding the future of the McPherson Theatre. CARRIED

Metchosin. Council - April 24 2017

Council members commented that Metchosin has a very small budget compared to other municipalities

and already participates in the CRD Arts Development service. It was noted that Metchosin may want to

Compendium of Comments from 12 Municipalities on the Future of the Royal & McPherson Theatres

investin their own arts facilities inthe near future. Council commented that public support for theatresis valuable and should be viewed the same way as it is for libraries and recreation centres.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Metchosin Council agreed that they will participate in theconversation about the future of the theatres.

Saanich. Committee of the Whole - Mav 12017

Committee members had a fulsome discussion about the request to participate in a conversation aboutthe future ofthe theatres. Itwas noted that Saanich already hasa representative onthe Royal andMcPherson Theatres Society Board and that Saanich has its own infrastructure to support. Therewas adesire expressedto hear more about the design of the conversation process. Committee memberscommented that there has been no increase in public funding for the theatres for twentyyears and thatSaanich should be a part ofthe conversation as they are already invested through their supportoftheRoyal Theatre.

At the conclusionof the presentation, the followingmotion was passed:

MOTION

MOVED by Councillor Plant and Seconded by Mayor Atwell: "That Council express an initialinterest in discussions with the City of Victoria on the future of the McPherson Playhouse."

MOVED by Councillor Brownoff and Seconded by Councillor Sanders: "That the motion be amendedto add and participation will be considered following the receipt of information from the Royal andMcPherson Theatres Society detailingtheir discussions with other municipalities and futureexpectations."

TheMain Motion, as Amended, was then Putand CARRIED with Councillor Wergeland OPPOSED

Colwood. Council - Mav 8 2017

Council noted that there's a new theatre at Royal Bay High and a new theatre under construction atView Royal Casino, inaddition to facilities in other schools. Council wondered ifthis process wouldinclude these other venues.Thedelegates responded that though this was not envisioned at the outsetofthe process, consideration will be given as to ifthis can be incorporated.

Atthe conclusion of the presentation, Colwood Council agreed that they will participate in theconversation about the future of the theatres.

Compendium of Comments from 12 Municipalities on the Future of the Royal & McPherson Theatres

Langford. Administration and Finance Committee - May 9 2017

Committee members suggested that, as funding for the arts is often a challenge, the theatres couldexplore offering namingrights as an additional revenue source. Itwas also suggested that theatrecapacity for the entire region could be examined. Committee membersexpressed appreciation for thebeauty ofthe two theatres and would like additional detailsabout the nextstage of the process. Thedelegates said that the design of the next stage is underwayand detailswill be finalized once there is asense of how many municipalities will be participating.

At the conclusion of the presentation, LangfordAdministration and Finance committee stated thatthey will recommendto Langford Council that they participate in the conversationabout the future ofthe theatres.

North Saanich. Council - May 15 2017

Council noted that North Saanich is a smaller municipality and they are cognizant of financial andpersonnel capacity limitationsas this process moves forward. Council asked ifother theatres in theregion are to be considered as part of this process. Thedelegates replied that this notion has come up ata number of council meetings and the scope of this process is beingconsidered. Council looks forward toreceiving further details about the design of the conversation.

At the conclusion of the process, the following motions were passed:

Motion 279

MOVED BY: Councillor Gartshore

SECONDED BY: Councillor Stock

279 That the District of North Saanich join with the Cityof Victoria and other municipalities to have aconversation about the future of the facilities.

CARRIED

Motion 280

MOVED BY: Councillor Stock

SECONDED BY:Councillor Thornburgh

That staff be directed to advise the Cityof Victoria of its interest in participating and obtain details ofthe proposed meeting date.CARRIED

Oak Bav. Council - Mav 23 2017

Council noted that Oak Bay is already involved in the conversation byvirtue of their stake in andsupport of the Royal Theatre. Itwas also noted that Oak Bay recently made a sizeable investment inDave Dunnet theatre. Council commented that Oak Bay's citizens attend the theatres in large numbersand they are interested in being part of looking at the business case for the theatres.

Compendium of Comments from 12 Municipalities on the Futureof the Royal &McPherson Theatres

Atthe conclusion of the presentation,the following motion was passed:

MOVED andseconded: That, in response to the presentation bythe City ofVictoria on May 23,2017,Council express interest in participating infuture discussions on aligning the Royal Theatre and theMcPherson Playhouse.

Sidney. Committee of the Whole - June 5 2017

Committee members highlighted thatSidney supports the Mary Wipspear centre in a significant wayandwould be interested in a conversation that looked at all ofthe regions' venues. The committeerecognized that the Royal Theatre andthe McPherson Playhouse are uniquely suited to someperformances, as the Mary Winspear andothervenues are uniquely suited to others. The Committeeasked what the relationship between the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society and the CRD ArtsDevelopment Service. Delegates replied that there is noformal relationship between the two bodies.

Atthe conclusion of the presentation the Committee stated that theywould take the issue forward toCouncil. Thefollowing motion was passedat meetingof Sidney Council on June 26,2017:

Motion

That the Town participate in discussions regarding the future ofthe McPherson Playhouse Theatreand that Councillor B. Fallot be appointed as the Town's representative.

Central Saanich. Council - June 5 2017

Council highlighted thatmuch ofCentral Saanich's land is designated agricultural so the municipality'stax base is quite small. They noted thatthere are number ofschools with theatres in the region andwondered ifschool districts should be part of the conversation. There was a comment that CentralSaanich should bepart ofthe conversation. Recognizing thatthis meeting has a full agenda and therewas interest in further discussion It was suggested that the request for participation in the conversationbereferred to a Committee of the Whole meeting.

Ata Council meetingon June19 2017, the following motion was passed:

Question on Main as Amended:

That (Resolution 411.17) Councillor Paltiel and Councillor Holman beappointed to represent CentralSaanich Council at meetings regarding alignment ofownership funding ofthe Royal Theatre andMcPherson Playhouse.

CARRIED

Opposed: Councillor Paltiel

Compendium of Comments from 12 Municipalities on the Future of the Royal & McPherson Theatres

Esauimalt. Council - June 12 2017

Council had a very full agenda and at the end of the presentation there was no discussion.

At the conclusion of the presentation. Council asked that they receive further information andfeedback from other municipalities to inform their decision if to participate in the conversation aboutthe future of the theatres.

Victoria. Committee of the Whole and Council - July 13 2017

At a morning Committee of the Whole meeting, CouncilorsAltoand Madoff presented a report on thework to date of the process to engage other CRD municipalities Ina conversation about the future of theMcPherson Playhouse and Royal Theatre. Along with the report was a request for Victoria to endorsecontinuing with the second phase of the process; a facilitated conversation about the governance,ownership and funding of the McPherson Playhouse and the Royal theatre with those municipalitiesthat agreed to take part.

The committee expressed their support for the process as the governance, funding and use of theMcPherson Playhouse In particular, has been a concern for some members for a number of years.

The committee shared their appreciation of the work of their colleagues and the project team, whilehighlighting their expectation that the process be concluded by the end of November 2017.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the following Motion was put forward:

That Council endorse the RMTS/City of Victoria Partners Project Phase Two as outlined in this report,and delegate Councilors Alto and Madoff to continue facilitating the Project.

At the evening Council meeting, the Motion was carried unanimously.