'Ontario is closed for business': Concert, theatre organizers face new COVID-19 hurdles
Upcoming concerts headlined by Billie Eilish and Elton John are hanging in the balance as Ontario's plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions hands a tougher set of rules to live shows than other entertainment events.
Advocates for the province's live music and theatre industries say they're being treated unfairly as new rules go into effect on Jan. 31 that hold their venues at 50-per cent capacity until at least mid-March.
Meanwhile, other entertainment venues including cinemas, casinos and restaurants have been told to expect the ability to host a full house by Feb. 21.
Erin Benjamin, head of the Canadian Live Music Association, says it's the latest setback for live venues and their owners who are once again confused by policies that deem it safe to eat maskless in a restaurant but unsafe to gather masked for a concert.
She worries the ever-changing rules could squelch a raft of upcoming concerts, from big-ticket shows led by international superstars to smaller club events by U.S. artists, all of them who may decide it's not worth the cost of entering Canada to play a half-full arena.
Eilish is slated to play Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 16 while John has two dates on March 12 and 13. All of the shows are on the calendar before full capacity is permitted on March 14.
Neither artist had postponed nor cancelled their shows as of Tuesday morning.
Benjamin says the province's constantly changing rules seem to have no clear science behind them and she fears it sends the message that "Ontario is closed for business."
"The idea of doing business in Ontario is so uncertain that folks are just not interested in constantly trying to navigate the rules," she says.
"We're hearing things like outright cancellations and conversations (on future tour dates) being paused until 2023 in some cases."
Some big names have already moved upcoming Canadian tour dates away from the first half of the year, including Dua Lipa who was slated to play Montreal and Toronto in February. Those dates have been rescheduled to July 25 and 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.