Ottawa-Carleton District School Board | Community Corner

In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, we are making school space more affordable and accessible in support of healthy, active lifestyles and helping to build vital communities that offer the residents within the District a higher quality of life.

If your association, business or, not-for-profit organization is looking for affordable, flexible meeting options, we have plenty of choices. Available after 6 pm weeknights and Saturday afternoons throughout the school year, our schools offer classrooms, auditoriums and cafeterias that are for ideal for small and medium gatherings. Rates are reasonable and parking is free.

To ensure fair and equitable access to District facilities, community groups seeking the use of school facilities must obtain a permit. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, dependent upon facility availability, custodial staff and/or other District approved personnel. Applicable fees will apply according to the approved user fee schedule.

PROGRAM DEFINITION

The Community Use of Schools department is mandated to promote the concept of community schools by:

	Making District facilities and resources available to communities, through the use of permits and written agreements, as appropriate, with reasonable user fees, where applicable; and
	Cooperating with the City of Ottawa to permit use of District facilities and/or property for the general benefit of the community.

Community Use of Schools – 2008-2009 Applications

Community organizations have the opportunity to apply for the use of facilities for the upcoming school year. Listed below are some of the procedures and regulations permit holders must follow. Please refer to the second page of the application for additional regulations and future reference.

1. APPLICATION FORM: All facility users are required to complete the attached Application for Community Use of Schools OCDSB24A form(s). Please include a first and second choice of schools, day of the week and a beginning and ending date. Completed applications should be reviewed before submitting as incomplete forms will not be processed.

2. PROCESSING: Please submit all applications to the central Community Use of Schools office located at 1645 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa (Nepean), Ontario, K2G 1W2. Please do not contact the schools to book space or for information pertaining to school facility use.

3. AVAILABILITY: While every attempt is made to provide applicants with the space requested, some adjustments are required as a result of the school district’s agreement with the Province. The agreement provides the District with funds to offset the cost of the community’s use of school facilities and make facilities available to more users. This initiative will require adjustment to existing users to allow more users into school facilities.

4. COMPLETING and PROCESSING the APPLICATION: As part of the agreement with the Province, the OCDSB must track the number of people using its facilities. Therefore, applicants must provide the number of expected participants on their application.

5. PAYMENT: Payments may be made by credit card (Visa, Master Card or American Express), certified cheque or money order.

6. ACCESS: To allow the schools appropriate time to reopen and close down for the school year, school space is available from Monday, September 15, 2008 until Friday, May 30, 2009 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM including during the day on Saturdays excluding Christmas Break and March Break. In the event of unforeseen circumstances or circumstances that are outside of our control, the OCDSB reserves the right to cancel any/all permits at a site. Facilities are unavailable during Christmas week (December 15-19, 2008 for elementary schools only) and Education Week (28 Apr. – 2 May 2008).

7. INSURANCE COVERAGE: Please note the clause included on the application pertaining to the permit holder's responsibility to ensure adequate insurance coverage for the activity and participants.

8. SCHOOL EQUIPMENT: Please stipulate on the application any requirements for audio visual or physical education equipment (separate Equipment Fee charges apply).

9. AUDITORIUM USERS: Applicants for the use of auditoriums are required to complete the separate Auditorium Application and Technical Requirement Schedule as well as read the guidelines and user fees pertaining specifically to auditorium use. A fee of $21.00 per hour for security guards at a ratio of 1:200 applies to all auditorium users and will be staffed to the facility capacity. If access to the cafeteria is required along with the Auditorium, an extra security guard will be staffed to ensure space capacity is not exceeded.

10. NON-TRANSFERABLE: Once a permit is issued, it is NOT transferable to anyone else. Permit holders not requiring space or wishing to change space with another group, must contact the Community Use of Schools office to ensure the requested changes are made appropriately.

11. ALLERGY ALERT: Nuts and nut products, shellfish and latex (e.g. balloons) are common allergens and pose a significant health risk to some of our students and community members. Please avoid bringing these materials into OCDSB facilities.

FEES

Fees will be calculated based on the type of group applying, as well as the type of facility requested.

Please Note:
All rates are subject to GST

There is a minimum charge of three hours for weekends and holidays
Additional custodians, technicians, equipment, etc. may be required; applicable fees will be charged and added to the permit invoice.

Please follow the links below to review our user fees.