Toronto launches new live music initiative for patios
Live music will soon be coming to patios in select Toronto neighbourhoods as part of a pilot project aimed at bringing vibrancy back to main streets while supporting two industries that have struggled throughout the pandemic.
Mayor John Tory held a news conference outside a Danforth Avenue patio on Thursday afternoon to highlight the new initiative, which was actually approved by city council during their June meeting.
As part of the program, bars and restaurants with temporary CaféTO patios in three Toronto wards – Beaches East York, Toronto-Danforth and Davenport – will be permitted to have live, amplified music during select hours from now until Oct. 31.
The city is also offering $100,000 grants to Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in the wards to help them promote the program and stage music programming in some small parks to further animate the neighbourhoods.
“We're hard at the battle to finish COVID-19 off once and for all and that really does involve you getting fully vaccinated but in the meantime we've got to keep bringing the city back to life and keep giving opportunities to people who really struggled during the pandemic and that's what this program is all about,” Tory said.
“Live music on patios is going to bring energy, it's going to bring vitality, but to be frank most of all it is going to bring some paid work to people who really deserve it.”
Patios at bars and restaurants across the city reopened on June 11 once Ontario entered step one of its reopening plan.
The launch of the new pilot project comes as the city rolls out several initiatives to support bars and restaurants that struggled during Ontario’s successive lockdowns, including a new prix fixe promotion called “DineTOgether.”
Tory said that as part of the new live music initiative bars and restaurants who want to book mucisians can receive advice on logistics through the city’s music office.
He said that the office can also help to put bars and restaurants who have not previously hosted live music in touch with performers.
“Anybody who says there aren't any musicians around to perform that's not a good excuse. We've got a database with 1,000 Toronto artists on it who would happily come out and perform, many of them probably on a moment's notice,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Case against ex-Mountie charged with helping China can go ahead in Quebec, judge says
A Quebec court judge has ruled that the case against a former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference can go ahead in the province.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.