Facility Rental Information

Your rental includes the use of the entire building with the exception of the Box Office, the Audio Visual Booth, and Town of Ajax space.

Specific areas/items included with your rental include:

• Ontario Power Generation Atrium – glass atrium lobby with accessible washrooms.
  • 1 coat rack with hangers
  • Stage (piano remains on stage for all rentals, however, you may request to have it moved to the backstage area or stage wings if needed).
    • Video screen
    • White cyclorama stage curtain (separating main stage from rear stage)
    • Black stage curtain (separating main stage from rear stage)
    • Use of 150 occupancy theatre seating or you may request the theatre seating unit to be retracted to allow for banquet-style seating with tables and chairs.
      • 10 – 5’ (60”) round tables
      • 5 – 8’ (96”) rectangular tables
      • 2 – 6’ (72”) rectangular tables
      • Folding chairs
      • Ajax Downs Refreshment Counter
      • Caterer’s kitchen (basement) with large refrigerator, hot hold appliance, microwave, sink, and preparation space.
      • 2 dressing rooms (basement) with 5 chairs in each
      • 2 separate dressing room washrooms (basement)
      • 4 lockers for personal storage – must provide own lock (basement) 

Excluded from standard rental:

• Heintzman Standard Grand Performance Piano (available for additional rental fee – see fee chart below)
• Audio Visual (AV) Technicians (available for additional rental fee – see fee chart below)

*Please contact staff for information on the audio visual equipment available at the facility, your particular audio visual needs, and the appropriate number of AV Technicians required to successfully deliver your event.

The St. Francis Centre offers rental opportunities at affordable rates. All facility rental fees and other applicable charges are resident fees and are contained in the Town of Ajax Fees and Charges By-Law approved each year by Ajax Town Council. Rental fees listed below are effective January 1 to December 31, 2024.

Fees do not include tax, mandatory insurance, and music fees (SOCAN/Re:Sound), if applicable.

Individual/Business/Commercial Schedule

Community Group/Not-for-Profit Rate Schedule

Additional Fees

Payment can be made by:

• Cash
• Debit
• Credit Card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express)
• Cheque – made payable to the Town of Ajax (only accepted if more than 21 days prior to the event date)

Complete Rental Terms and Conditions will be provided at time of confirmed rental.

Some general rental rules to consider:

• Permit start and end times include any set-up and clean-up done by the permit holder.
• Permit covers the indoor space only.
• Permit holder must be a minimum of 18 years of age and is responsible for all persons admitted/attending the rental.
• Permit holder is responsible for leaving the facility in the condition they found it.
• Confetti, confetti canons, glitter, rice, silly string, are NOT permitted.

Cancellation Policy 

The Town of Ajax reserves the right to cancel/refund or amend permits for the following COVID-19 instances:

• Changes to Provincial, Regional, or Public Health COVID-19 regulations, measures, and requirements that may result in the review and cancellation of permits (i.e. changes to gathering sizes, physical distancing, etc.).
• Limit or refuse use of a facility at the discretion of the Town’s Municipal Emergency Control Group and/or the Director of Recreation, Culture and Community Development. 

Refunds will NOT be provided in the event of a COVID-19 positive case amongst the user/permit holder group.

St. Francis Centre Permit

All initial payments are non-refundable.  Written requests for cancellation received less than 21 days prior to the rental date will only receive the insurance and music fees (SOCAN/Re:Sound) refunded.

Transfer Policy

A rental date, time, or location may be transferred once per permit to another date, time, or location based on availability and at a cost of $10.30 + HST Administrative Fee, with 21 days written notice. Transfers must be booked within a calendar year from the original date booked. The difference in fees as a result of the transfer, if any, will either be charged or refunded.

Permit Holders shall not assign or transfer their permit to another user whatsoever.

All functions/events booked in Town of Ajax facilities or on Town property require general liability insurance. Insurance fees are in addition to the facility rental fee and are required.

Rates vary and could depend on the type of event, length of time, number of attendees, whether alcohol is being served, etc., and the Town reserves the right to determine or amend the insurance requirements based on, but not limited to, risk assessment and event size.

An SOP is issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and is mandatory for all functions serving alcohol, including beer and wine.

Please refer to the MAP Planning Guide, which will be provided at the time of inquiry, for full details and all requirements related to serving alcohol in Town of Ajax facilities. For all AGCO functions, certified “Smart Serve” bartenders must be utilized. The bar must close no later than 1 a.m. according to the SOP.

Permit Holders for all functions and facility rentals using and/or playing music are required to pay Music Fees (SOCAN/Re:Sound) in addition to any other rental fees. SOCAN represents songwriters, lyric authors, composers, and music publishers, while Re:Sound represents performers who played on recordings and record companies that produced those recordings.

Music Fees are based on room capacity size and whether there is dancing or not.

Music Fees with Dancing

Music Fees without Dancing

The Town of Ajax adheres to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the Durham Region Smoke-Free By-Law, and as such, does not allow anyone to smoke tobacco/cannabis-type substances, or vape any substance, in any Building or on Town property where a Town building is located.

The Town strictly prohibits any edible cannabis, or any cannabis infused products, from being brought into or consumed on any Town property or in any Town building.