Holding an event in the City of Brampton is a huge responsibility. As the Event Organizer of an alcohol-related event, the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario makes you accountable for the actions of all attendees and your Event Workers. It is your responsibility to ensure their safety, not only during the event but also until they have arrived home safely.

This summary of the City of Brampton’s Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) has been designed as a guide to ensure a safe and successful event on City property.

Following the requirements of the MAP will assist you in promoting the safety and enjoyment of your guests, promote low-risk drinking and help protect yourself from potential liability exposure. These requirements are in place to help you avoid violations of the law and potentially dangerous situations.

As an Event Organizer of an alcohol-related event on City property, you must abide by the MAP, as well as the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario.

This website will offer you a step-by-step approach to planning your event by outlining how to:

• Select an appropriate venue;
• Ensure that all required forms are completed;
• Staff your event;
• Serve and sell alcohol safely and legally; and
• Supervise your event to promote everyone’s safety

Step 1 - Decide On a Venue

To hold an event on City-owned property, you need to have a Liquor Licence or obtain a Special Occasion Permit (SOP), which is a short-term, one-time only permit for social events. Most City of Brampton facilities are unlicensed; therefore in most instances a SOP will be required.

Not all City venues are equipped to host an alcohol-related event. The nature of your event, expected duration, anticipated attendance and other factors will be used to determine your requested location’s suitability for an event with alcohol.

Please note that events where the focus is on youth under nineteen (19) years of age, minor sports events (including banquets) and street/block parties are not eligible for the sale, service or consumption of alcohol.

Not sure where to host your event? Have a location in mind but are not sure if it’s suitable? Please contact 905.874.BOOK (2665) to speak to a Customer Service Representative for assistance.

Step 2 - ​Book Your Location

Indoor Venues:

Once you have decided on a venue, you will need to book your space. The availability of your desired location will be determined and your booking details agreed upon with the City of Brampton through the completion of a RENTAL AGREEMENT. At the time of booking, a 20% non-refundable deposit will be required if booking more than thirty (30) days in advance of your event. If your event is less than thirty (30) days in advance, full payment will be required.

At the time of booking, you will also be provided a copy of the EVENT ORGANIZER'S CHECKLIST. This form must be completed and returned to your host location a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to your event.

Once your RENTAL AGREEMENT is in place, you will need to apply for a Special Occasion Permit (SOP) through the LCBO. You will need to provide your completed SOP Application and pay the applicable fee to an LCBO SOP Service Store at the time of submission. It is a requirement of the Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) that the individual named as the Rental Agreement Holder on your RENTAL AGREEMENT be the same person named as the SOP holder. A copy of the SOP must be submitted to your host location a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to your event.

Outdoor Venues:

If you are planning to hold your event at an outdoor location, there may be other requirements that will impact your booking process. For an event with an anticipated attendance of 250 or fewer, please contact the Rentals Unit at 905.874.BOOK (2665). If you are expecting more than 250 guests to attend your event, please contact our Festivals and Special Events Office at CommunityEventRequests@brampton.ca​.

Insurance:

All events taking place on City property must have sufficient liability insurance in place. For events with alcohol, the MAP requires a minimum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) general liability insurance naming the City of Brampton as an additional insured. Coverage must be provided by an accredited insurance company licensed in Ontario and must also include bodily injury, property damage liability and a liquor liability endorsement.

Insurance coverage can be purchased at the time of booking through the City’s Liability Insurance Program or through another insurance broker of your choosing. Proof of appropriate insurance coverage must be provided to your host location a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to your event.

​Step 3 - Ensuring Your Event Has Qualified Workers

As the Event Organizer, you must be nineteen (19) years of age and have been trained in a recognized alcohol server training course such as the Smart Serve® program or another course approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). You are also responsible for arranging reliable and qualified individuals to act as Event Workers at the event. Event Workers must also be nineteen (19) years of age and possess alcohol server training. For further information on obtaining Smart Serve® training, please visit the Smart Serve® Ontario website.

At the time of booking, you will receive the EVENT ORGANIZER'S CHECKLIST. This form is to be used to record the names and Smart Serve® certification numbers of all Event Workers. This form must be completed and submitted to your host location a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to your event.

Bartenders and Servers

Bartenders and Servers accept tickets for the purchase of drinks, serve those drinks, and generally manage the handling and distribution of all alcoholic beverages. They are responsible to monitor guests for intoxication and refusing service when necessary. Bartenders and Servers play a vital role and should maintain communication with you and other Event Workers through the course of the event.

Door Monitors

Door Monitors oversee entrances and exits and perform the key role of checking identification of guests that appear to be under twenty-five (25) years of age. They also ensure that intoxicated or unruly individuals, persons possessing alcohol and those previously turned away from the event are not admitted. Door Monitors are also responsible to monitor for those showing signs of intoxication when leaving the event and, if necessary, arranging safe transportation. The City may require professional Security Workers or paid-duty police officers at the event to compliment this aspect.

Floor Supervisors and Ticket Sellers

Floor Supervisors monitor guest behaviour to ensure everyone abides by the rules and does not become a danger to themselves or others. These individuals respond to any problems or complaints and assist in managing a guest who is refused sale or needs to be removed from the event.

Ticket Sellers help ensure responsible alcohol consumption by limiting the number of drink tickets sold to each guest, monitor for underage drinkers and assist by refusing sale to those who appear to be at or near intoxication.

The number of Event Workers and the associated roles required for your event is dependent on the nature of the event as well as the anticipated attendance. Please refer to the Event Worker Staffing Levels​ document for further details.

Designate Replacement

As the Event Organizer, you are also the Special Occasion Permit Holder and the Rental Agreement Holder. As such, your attendance at the event is mandatory throughout it’s duration. However, in certain situations, you may wish to appoint a responsible designate replacement. Please indicate the name and contact information of your designate when completing the EVENT ORGANIZER'S CHECKLIST. Your designate must also sign the Special Occasion Permit (SOP) agreeing to accept the responsibilities and legal requirements that also apply to you. As the Event Organizer, you must ensure that your designate is informed and fully aware of all their responsibilities outlined in the Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) and all legal requirements. Your designate must be nineteen (19) years of age and possess alcohol server training.

Step 4 - Understanding the Serving of Alcohol

All beer, wine and spirits purchased for the event must be from the LCBO, the Beer Store or a licensed Ontario winery, brewery or distillery store. Your stock should include low-alcohol beverage options and extra strength or fortified beverages are not permitted. Your Special Occasion Permit (SOP) is required at the time of purchase for these items.

Ticket Sales

If you are providing a cash bar for your guests, tickets must be purchased at a designated area separate from the bar and from an assigned Ticket Seller. Ticket sales are limited to a maximum of four (4) per purchase, per person. Any unused alcohol tickets can be redeemed for a full refund at any time during the event and for at least thirty (30) minutes after the bar closes. Guests cannot be required to purchase a minimum number of tickets to enter or remain at the event.

There can be no “last call” announcement.

Standard Drinks

All alcoholic drinks must be served according to the Standard Drink Measure Guidelines. As different types of alcohol vary in strength a standard drink is defined as:

• 12 oz. or 341 ml. of beer with 5% alcohol; or
• 5 oz. or 142 ml. of wine with 12% alcohol; or
• 1.5 oz. or 43 ml. of spirits with 40% alcohol.

Safer Serving Practices

The following identified practices must be in place throughout the event:

• Refrain from alcohol-related contests – raffles or contests that involve buying, drinking or winning alcohol are not permitted.
• Stick to Standard Drinks – serving practices that encourage over-consumption of alcohol are not allowed including oversized drinks, double shots, beer pitchers, drinking contests, free pouring or volume discounts.
• Provide complimentary or low-cost alcohol-free options – non-alcoholic drinks must be available at no charge or at a significantly lower price than alcoholic drinks.
• Think of minors and non-drinkers – a non-alcoholic substitute for wine such as ginger ale or sparking fruit juice should be offered to minors or abstainers at events that serve wine with meals.
• Encourage guests to eat before and while drinking – light meals such as sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers etc. must be available throughout the event. Snack foods such as chips and peanuts are not enough to offset the effects of alcohol.
• Know when to close the bar – ticket sales and alcohol service will cease forty-five (45) minutes prior to the end of the licenced period of the event. All alcohol and its containers must be cleared away by the end of the licenced period as noted on the rental agreement and SOP.

Minors

Persons under the age of nineteen (19) are allowed to attend alcohol-related events such as weddings, anniversaries, significant events and community festivals. However, they are not allowed to consume alcohol or enter outdoor tented or fenced areas set up for alcohol service. Additional requirements such as a wristband system may be required for outdoor, public events where minors may attend.

It is a violation of the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario to serve alcohol to persons under the age of nineteen (19). Those who appear to be under twenty-five (25) must be expected to show their photograph identification at the ticket purchase area and/or the alcohol service area, in a form specified under the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario and the Municipal Alcohol Policy.

Step 5 - Managing Your Event

Event Signage

The following Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) signs, supplied by the City, must be posted where indicated at a prominent location within the licensed/bar area unless otherwise noted:

1. Intoxication, Identification, Ticket Sales & Last Call
2. Accountability (including the name of the Event Organizer, date of the event and location)
3. Designated Consumption Areas – posted at the boundaries of the licensed / bar areas
4. Sandy’s Law
5. Standard Drink Measure Low Risk Drinking Guidelines

It is strongly recommended to also provide a sign indicating beverage prices at the ticket sales counter/table.

The Special Occasion Permit (SOP) along with all levy receipts related to your event must be immediately available upon request by a City Representative, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) Inspector and/or Peel Regional Police Officer.

Event Worker Management

As the Event Organizer, it is strongly recommended that you meet with all Event Workers prior to the start of your event. During this meeting, it is advised that you:

• Clearly outline Event Worker obligations, roles and responsibilities
• Verify the levy receipts with the alcohol stock
• Set up a safe transportation strategy
• Distribute your Event Worker identification (uniform, hat, button, etc.)

No Event Worker, including you and your designated replacement, can consume alcohol while on the premises or be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance before, during, or immediately after the event.

Guest Management

You are responsible for taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of your guests. This can be achieved by practicing the following:

• Monitor conditions and activities carefully
• Ensure all entrances and exits are supervised at all times
• Deny entry to intoxicated or unruly individuals, persons in possession of alcohol and those previously turned away from the event
• Ensure Smart Serve® practices are implemented
• Watch out for intoxicated persons, minors consuming alcohol and violent, unlawful or unsafe activities occurring on the premises

Despite these best efforts, if an intoxicated person is admitted or a guest becomes intoxicated, you must take all reasonable steps to prevent harm to that individual or others. If necessary, seek assistance from the City Representative and/or contact Peel Regional Police to remove that person. Safe transportation options must be provided to individuals who are refused entry or asked to leave the event including those for whom the ejected guest is responsible.

Safe Transportation

You must make every effort to ensure an individual who is suspected of being intoxicated does not drive. You are also responsible for arranging safe transportation home for your guests. Some examples of arranging for safe transportation include:

• Contacting sober friends or relatives of the individual requesting that they be picked up and taken home
• Providing an alternate means of transportation such as a bus or taxi service
• Providing a pre-designated, non-drinking driver to transport the individual home

If an intoxicated guest insists on driving, you or your Event Workers must notify the City Representative and make every attempt to delay the guest’s departure, so as to allow others to contact Peel Regional Police.

Step 6 - ​Learn The Consequences

Policy Violations

As the Event Organizer, you have the duty to immediately report to the City Representative the details of any incident that:

• Violates the Liquor Licence Act or Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP);
• Has resulted in a violation notice issued by an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) inspector;
• Necessitates the need for Peel Regional Police to be called to the premises; and/or
• Involves bodily injury or property damage.

City Representatives have been instructed to report any infraction of this policy to Corporate Security, Peel Regional Police and/or the AGCO whenever they believe such action is required.

If a violation of the MAP is observed, you, and/or an Event Worker must intervene by informing the offending individual(s) of the violation and request that these activities/behaviours cease. If there has been a failure to comply with the Liquor Licence Act, Peel Regional Police and/or an AGCO Inspector have the authority to intervene for enforcement purposes and may terminate the event and revoke the Special Occasion Permit (SOP).

If the infraction involves serious disregard for the MAP, or involves a substantial risk of injury or damage, the City Representative or other City staff have the authority to close the event down and contact Corporate Security and/or Peel Regional Police to enforce compliance.

The City will not be responsible for any refunds, costs or losses incurred by you or your guests if the City Representative or other City staff deems it necessary to close down an event.