The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Committee works diligently each year to create the best and safest Festival possible for both vendors and visitors. In past years, the number of unlicensed vendors setting up in the downtown core and surrounding areas of Elmira has increased. Pedestrian traffic at the Festival has been negatively impacted, and vendors, agencies and community members have raised safety concerns about unregulated food and goods. The Maple Syrup Festival Committee is working with the Township of Woolwich to implement changes to improve the safety of the Maple Syrup Festival for all involved.
The Township will use revenue from licensing fees to cover the cost of advertising and enforcement. Any remaining revenue will be donated to the Festival Committee to be returned to the community.
Regulation of vendors will ensure fairness among all vendors, will protect the public’s health and safety, and should help to improve pedestrian traffic flow patterns.
Apply for a Vendor Licence
Please submit both the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Vendor Licence application form and the Fire Department Self-Inspection Checklist, along with the required application fee, to the Township's Licensing Officer by 12:00 p.m. on March 1, 2024. The Licensing Officer will inform vendors if their licence application meets the licence requirements and has been approved by the Festival Committee.
Licences will be issued to applicants who meet the requirements of Waterloo Regional Police Services, Woolwich Township Fire Department, Region of Waterloo Public Health, Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), and the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Committee. During the approval process, the Licensing Officer will consider licence applications based on the following: comments received from other organizations, whether vendors have all required inspections (contact information below), whether vendors are in appropriate locations, and whether or not there would be any impacts to pedestrian traffic flow.
Who Requires a Vendor Licence?
Any person or organization who wishes to sell food and/or goods as part of the Maple Syrup Festival in Elmira must be licensed by the Township of Woolwich. There are two exemptions:
- Official vendors of the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. These are vendors who have applied to the Maple Syrup Festival Committee directly to participate as part of the Outdoor Mall in downtown Elmira, or to operate on the property of the Woolwich Memorial Centre at 24 Snyder Avenue North. Please carry your documentation with you on Festival Day.
- Owners or tenants of properties in the Downtown Elmira Business Improvement Area who are selling food and/or merchandise normally sold from the property and who will be selling from inside the store. Store owners may set up exterior tables and displays parallel to their store front as long as the set-up does not extend more than one (1) metre out from the front of the store.
All other persons and organizations must apply to the Township of Woolwich for a Vendor Licence, including vendors invited in by other businesses.
Garage Sales
Garage sales do require a vendor licence, unless the following conditions are met:
- the goods sold are personal effects owned by the private individual(s)
- the sale does not last for more than two (2) days
- no more than two (2) separate sales are held in a calendar year
Any sales events that do not meet the above criteria will require a Vendor Licence. For more information, please see see the Township's Licensing By-law or contact the Township's Licensing Officer.
Inspection Information and Contacts
Vendors can expect to be inspected on Festival Day.
Barbecues used to prepare food for public consumption must be TSSA-certified and may not be set up within 10 metres of a building. Food vendors must have Public Health approval. Electrical hook-ups must have Electrical Inspection Certificates. Please make your request for inspections from the appropriate authority as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please contact the Licensing Officer for more information.
Vendor Licensing Enforcement
On Festival Day, Enforcement Services staff will inspect third-party vendors in the downtown core and surrounding areas to ensure they have licences from the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Committee or the Township of Woolwich. Unlicensed third-party vendors and vendors without the proper Electrical Inspection Certification, Public Health Approval, or Fire Inspections will be fined if they do not cease operating immediately. The fine to operate on municipal or private property without proper licensing is $350 under the Township's Licensing By-law.
