Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)
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You are on the [Food Costs Correspondence] page of folder [Financial Records]
For the cover page of this folder go to the Food costs 2018 correspondence
July 22, 2019, email to Donna Densmore, recreation supervisor
Subject: 2018 city subsidy for Dufferin Grove food: $207,000++
....in 2018, the food-related programs at Dufferin Grove, which used to make money for the park, were subsidized by the city operating budget for more than $207,000 (actually quite a bit more because that number doesn't count benefits, supervision, or administration}. The page is filed in an obscure spot because it's still in draft.
Two questions:
-- does that number surprise you?
-- do you want to have a talk about it?
....I need to know who knows about this problem already in management, and whether remedies are being suggested.
The neighbourhood around here is not really in need of subsidized food (I imagine you'll agree) --
July 24, 2019, email from Dufferin Grove market manager Anne Freeman:
The market contributed $3,040 ($60/week x 50 + $40 for one very slow day) to food purchasing by the City in 2018, in market bucks, so this money was spent on ingredients purchased only at the market.
We also paid a Special Event permit fee to PF&R for the year which includes $24.78 admin, $532.03 Rental and $545.49 Hydro Access (calculated by number of market days) plus tax, for a total of $1217.73.
August 8, 2019, from Donna Densmore
Market Question - The amount of $3,040 which Anne references is a non-monetary currency known as "market bucks", used by the cook to attain organic ingredients from the market vendors. No money is exchanged so would not be reflected in SAP.
The Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers Market obtains an annual Special Event Permit from the City and that fee goes to the Parks branch.
Dufferin Grove food program subsidy questions should be directed to Jane Arbour, Manager, Public Relations and Issues Management. I have copied her on this email.
Aug.11, 2019, email to Jane Arbour, PFR Public relations and Issues Management
I'm contacting you as suggested by Donna Densmore, to get some more information about the cost of the Dufferin Grove Park rec programs relating to food. Before 2011, when the programs at this park were run as a community/city partnership, the food programs were a relatively small part of the social programming at the park, generating some income that could be used for the park as a whole. Since being re-organized by Recreation, the food programs seem to have become a much larger focus of park staffing. They also seem to require a large subsidy from the city -- an anomaly not seen at any other park that I know of.
I would like to know whether my 2018 cost calculations -- posted here -- match those of your Finance section. It appears that the Dufferin Grove food-related programs required almost 1/4 of a million dollars operating subsidy last year just for the food supplies (groceries) and the food-related staffing (cooking, serving, admin) by part-timers. But the real cost must be higher, since at least one full-time staff is directly involved, plus various central admin functions related to these programs, including management, plus PT staff benefits.
This coming week I'll be working on one of my occasional park newsletters, and I want to include this information. Could you let me know whether my calculations match those of your Finance section, and if not, which details are different?
Sept.4, 2019, email from Jane Arbour
Thank you for your patience with this request.
Part-time staffing costs related to food programs at Dufferin Grove Park in 2018 total $167,900.00. This was determined through the staff scheduling and attendance system and includes staffing costs for food inventory, cooks, bakers, coordinators, snack bar staff, Friday night supper staff and others.
As you know, the food programs at Dufferin Grove Park are well-loved by the community, and the Friday Night Suppers in particular are unique in Toronto. Part of our role as stewards of the city's parks and recreation spaces is to ensure that programs are staffed appropriately in order to support these community building activities.
Please don't hesitate to reach out should you require clarification or additional information.
Sept.18, 2019, email to Jane Arbour
thanks for sending that number. There's quite a difference between the calculation you sent and mine, and I'd like to compare the staffing costs for food inventory, cooks, bakers, coordinators, snack bar staff, Friday night supper staff and others that you reference. Could you send me the breakdown?
Sept.19, 2019, email from Jane Arbour
Thanks for your email. Can you provide more detail on what kind of breakdown you’re looking for? We can look into this next week as I am away from the office tomorrow.
Sept.25, 2019, email to Jane Arbour
From your Sept.4 email it sounds like somebody arrived at a total of $167,900 for staffing costs for food inventory, cooks, bakers, coordinators, snack bar staff, Friday night supper staff and others I need to see the staff schedules your finance person was working from, to compare them to mine which are linked on our financial pages here.
Sept.27, 2019, email from Jane Arbour
When this figure was calculated, staff did not use schedules, but instead pulled the information directly from the staffing and attendance system that shows the actual hours worked in food-related programs.
Sept.28, 2019, email to Jane Arbour
The total PT staffing cost for Dufferin Grove Park listed in the 2018 SAP is $362,229. Your figure of $167,900 for food-related staffing is less than half that. But when you look at the work schedules (linked here), it's evident that more than half of the DG PT jobs are related to food. So I'd like to compare your records of the staffing and attendance system that shows the actual hours worked in food-related programs (your words) with my calculations to see where either of us might have gone wrong. Please send me the weekly totals, with the dates, of the different jobs, e.g. $xx for snack bar attendant, $xx for pizza day etc. If your system doesn't allow that kind breakdown, please let me know the categories that your system uses, so that I can understand how your book-keeping works.
October 16, 2019, email to Jane Arbour
it's been over two weeks since I last wrote to you to ask for clarification, but I haven't heard back. Since I still don't have the details (not just one number) that I asked for from August 11 and after, I'd like to go through FOI instead. I plan to submit the request later today, but thought I'd better check with you this morning in case you have the answers to my questions (see my Sept.28 email below) ready to send.
Oct.18, 2019, email from Jane Arbour
As mentioned, for accuracy this calculation includes actual shifts worked, not shifts scheduled. This was completed using the City’s internal staffing and attendance system.
One example of why there would be a difference between costs for shifts worked vs scheduled would be the delayed start of 16 days to the skate season in November 2018.
As always the Freedom of Information process is available, however if you wish to provide your own calculations and assumptions staff could take a look at them to see if the areas of difference can be further clarified for you.
Oct.24, 2019 Freedom of Information request
Please send me an electronic copy of the city financial records of the staffing and attendance system that shows the actual hours worked in food-related programs at Dufferin Grove Park in 2018. I need the weekly totals, with the dates, of the different jobs, e.g. $xx in wages, $xx in benefits, for snack bar attendants, $xx in wages, $xx in benefits for pizza day, and so on for each food-related recreation worker job at Dufferin Grove Park in 2018. On September 25, 2019, management sent me a single total of $167,900 which was arrived at "through calculation includes actual shifts worked, not shifts scheduled. This was completed using the City?s internal staffing and attendance system." What I need is the weekly totals, with the dates, and broken down by the type of food-related job as noted above: the breakdown, in other words, of the end number that the city arrived at after going through the records.
Nov.29, 2019 paper letter from Freedom of Information (FOI)
Staff of Parks, Forestry and Recreation has advised that in order to respond to your request it is estimated that it would take approximately 28 hours. This record does not currently exist in the format requested. Staff would have to identify and prepare the report by gathering seasonal sign in sheets, staff schedules and use the attendance system to create a record.
Cost of identifying and preparing relevant information 28 hours@$30/hr
Total: $840.00
Dec.7, 2019, CELOS to FOI (email)
I received your letter asking for $840 for the information I requested (2019 - 02436, request submitted Oct.24, 2019). The fee estimate is based on staff creating a new record.
So I would like to clarify my request. What I want to see already exists, in the form described to me by Jane Arbour in her email of Sept.4, 2019: Part-time staffing costs related to food programs at Dufferin Grove Park in 2018 total $167,900.00. This was determined through the staff scheduling and attendance system and includes staffing costs for food inventory, cooks, bakers, coordinators, snack bar staff, Friday night supper staff and others.
As Ms.Arbour's email makes clear, this was the work the staff already did to arrive at their figure of $167,900. What I need to see is the record of their existing calculations that allowed them to arrive at that number.
I note that your PFR response letter says "staff would have to identify and prepare the report by gathering seasonal sign in sheets, staff schedules and use the attendance system to create a record."
It seems evident from Ms. Arbour's e-mail that precisely what I am asked to pay for has been done already. I am happy to amend my question to fit the format stated by Ms.Arbour. I hope this clarification helps.