Edmonton city council wants to find ways to increase use of Churchill Square, shown here with the new Art Gallery of Alberta in the background. (CBCC)Churchill Square needs more casual events to attract people year-round in addition to the brief summer festival season, Edmonton city council heard Wednesday.

Currently, the square hosts annual events like The Works Arts and Design Festival and A Taste of Edmonton in late June and July and events like the Olympic torch relay which stopped in the city two weeks ago.

But very little happens there the rest of the year to attract foot traffic, said Robert Grozic, an owner of Three Bananas Cafe on Churchill Square.

"That's why Churchill Square is not successful …the whole year is being governed by six weeks of the year," he said. "It's the city's square. Let the city start taking control of it."

Grozic proposed a produce, flower and craft market and a place for people to play ball hockey.

City councillors agreed more needs to be done to attract people outside the summer festival season.

Structural changes like a bandshell for performers and an area for skateboarders are being considered. Councillors believe the city also needs to change some of its own policies.

"One of the things that has perplexed me is that we have a number of rules, for instance, that we can't sell food on the square," said Coun. Ben Henderson. "That there's a number of things where in some ways we're sort of shooting ourselves in the foot."

City councillors asked administration to put some ideas together and report back to council in March.