Concerts at small venues like Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern, above, have surged in price for visiting bands under new Canadian rules. (Aaron Harris/for the Toronto Star)

By: Karissa Donkin GTA, Published on Thu Aug 29 2013

Small concert promoters are slamming a new government fee for every foreign musician who wants to play in a Canadian bar, pub or restaurant, saying it could keep small American bands out of Canadian venues.

More than 68,000 people have signed an online petition asking Employment, Social Development and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney to exempt musicians from a new $275 fee that came into effect on July 31.

Every international musician hired to play at a bar, pub or restaurant in Canada must apply for a work permit. That application costs $150 and hasn’t changed.

What has changed is that each “employer,” usually the venue or the promoter depending on the agreement, now must also pay an extra $275 processing fee for each musician. The fee is for a labour market opinion, which looks at whether an employer could be hiring a Canadian instead of a temporary foreign worker.

Full story at: [www.thestar.com]

Palomino Smokehouse booker Spencer Brown says he is quite upset about the new changes to laws for hiring workers from outside Canada which will adversely affect small clubs and bars that bring in bands from the States or overseas. (Colleen De Neve/Calgary Herald)

New fees for international touring musicians threaten smaller clubs and live venues across Canada

By Mike Bell, Calgary Herald, August 28, 2013

Many bar owners, booking agents and promoters are bemoaning changes to the federal regulations surrounding foreign workers entering Canada which will see them hit with heavier financial burdens that could deal a crippling blow to live music at the club level.

The new rules, which quietly came into effect July 31, will double, triple or even quadruple the cost of bringing in international artists to perform in bars, restaurants or coffee shops, affecting such local venues for music lovers as The Palomino, Ironwood, Broken City, Blues Can, and the Ship & Anchor, and their counterparts across the country.

The regulations require that any venue with a primary business other than music but which also books bands or performers must now pay an application fee of $275 per musician and those travelling with the band (tour manager, sound person, guitar tech, etc.) when it applies for a Labour Market Opinion, or LMO, to allow those outside workers to perform and work in their establishment. That’s also in addition to an extra $150 for each approved musician and crew member’s work permit.

Prior to the changes, the fee was simply $150 per band member, maxing out at $450, and that was a one-time fee for them to simply enter the country, which allowed venue owners across Canada to share the nominal cost or book them separately at no extra charge.

Spencer Brown, the longtime booker for downtown venue The Palomino — which hosts a mix of local, national and out-of-country acts — was surprised by the changes, saying there was “no consultation, no warning, nothing of the sort,” and only learned of them when an agency he works with “called him in a panic” at the beginning of the month in regards to an upcoming show.

He calls the new regulations, which Minister of Employment, Social Development & Multiculturalism Jason Kenney announced on Aug. 7, “anti arts and culture” and “anti small business.”

Full story at: [www.calgaryherald.com]

A new federal levy is creating big problems for talent bookers like Sam Smith of the Windsor Hotel, who fear the high cost of bringing in international musicians could silence small venues. (Phil Hossack/Winnipeg Free Press)

'Tour tax' makes cost of hiring international musicians prohibitive to small venues

By: Jen Zoratti
Posted: 09/5/2013 1:00 AM

Changes to Canada's temporary foreign workers program are hitting a sour note with musicians, booking agents and promoters.

The changes, which went into effect on July 31, will dramatically increase the cost of bringing in international touring acts for Canadian bars, restaurants, coffee shops and other venues whose primary business is not music.

Dubbed the "tour tax" by its critics, a non-refundable application fee of $275 per non-Canadian performing artist and crew member is required for every performance at these venues, plus a $150 processing fee for work permits.

That means it will now cost a booker or club $2,125 to bring in a four-piece non-Canadian touring band travelling with one crew member -- a baseline expense that could effectively cripple a small venue.

Touring acts playing several Canadian tour dates, festivals or busking are exempt from the new application fee provided they do not perform in bars or restaurants.


Booking a large group such as the Rebirth Brass Band, which played the Windsor last year, may prove too expensive for small venues. (The Times-Picayune)

Full story at: [www.winnipegfreepress.com]

OUTRAGE OVER STEEP TOURING TAX FOR INTERNATIONAL MUSICIANS PLAYING IN CANADA

The federal government has put up a major barrier for international musicians and artists through changes to the federally mandated Temporary Foreign Workers program. The new fees to bring in international artists have exponentially increased and will likely make it too expensive for many up and coming international acts and their touring staff to play in Canada.

Story at: [www.vancitybuzz.com]

Bar owners decry new 'tour tax' for international musicians

Bar and club owners say a new “tour tax” for non-Canadian musicians quietly introduced by the federal government may force them to cancel shows and ultimately go out of business.

Story at: [www.ctvnews.ca]

Booking some touring musicians is now more than twice as expensive for small venues
New federal rules impose steep fees for hosting shows, but only for the little guys

Many bar owners, booking agents and promoters are bemoaning changes to the federal regulations surrounding foreign workers entering Canada which will see them hit with heavier financial burdens that could deal a crippling blow to live music at the club level.

The new rules, which quietly came into effect July 31, will double, triple or even quadruple the cost of bringing in international artists to perform in bars, restaurants or coffee shops across the country.

Story at: [o.canada.com]

Canadian Foreign Workers Fee For Musicians Could Cripple Venues

Bars and clubs across Canada have always booked domestic musicians in their venues, but American and other international acts are crucial to their viability. However, a recent change in how the federal government views those "foreign workers" has many club owners, concert promoters and booking agents wondering how they'll be able to cope with what could be anywhere from a 200 to 400 per cent increase in the cost of bringing in foreign talent from abroad.

Story at: [www.huffingtonpost.ca]

And I intended to say only nice things about my adopted-city today!

Rules like these may be rooted with good intentions, but by the time all of the ramifications trickle down there is no telling how much massive damage will really inflicted.

Yes, and also one has to wonder whether other countries will adopt similar measures. Right now, the small club concert circuit is one of the few alternatives for finding quality new music outside of the mainstream.

If rules such as these are adopted more universally, it will make live performance a matter of big business at every level and will hurt opportunities for emerging acts.

It's an abomination. And big bands like the Stones incur no such fee, only the ones who can't afford it. It has caused quite a stir here but the Conservative gov't. who came up with this tax have remained steadfast and refused to budge, of course.This is the same government who introduced stiffer penalties for marijuana possession. The argument that this gives local acts a better shake is absurd. Everyone is affected adversely, from the bar owners and promoters who still (for now) book live music to the local bands who will no longer have the opportunity to open for a bigger touring act. I despise our current government on every level (sorry, political).

WIll this mean more opportunities for local/Canadian acts?

No.

It will mean less live venues to play at.

Asinine.

[thepowergoats.com]

ridiculous. and this comes under a conservative government...no bloody wonder, Harper doesn't like rock'n'roll.

seriously!

[thepowergoats.com]

From my understanding it was a not well thought out response to companies, specifically a major Canadian bank, that was bringing in foreign wokers, having them trained by Canadians who then were going to lose their jobs to these same offshoreworkers when they went back to their home countries. Also Chinese mining companies setting up shop in Canada and claiming they couldn't find Canadians to fill the mining positions, and bringing in Chinese workers, when one of their employment requirements was an ability to speak Mandarin. The banking episode, which was in Toronto, created such an uproar, that the government, which had created the whole temporary foreign workers program (fiasco), wanted to look like it was doing something about Canadian jobs going to foreign workers coming into Canada and taking jobs from Canadians. Hence the canonball aproach to shooting a fly. Back to the drawing board I would suggest!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-09-09 15:01 by KatieGirl.

That's exactly my understanding as well, KatieGirl. They just don't have a clue.

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andrewm
That's exactly my understanding as well, KatieGirl. They just don't have a clue.

Glad somebody could follow my train of thought! Wasn't sure how coherent I was being.

Canada is a little different, eh?

That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

You guys do say it though. I'm up there quite a bit visiting family and it's definitely there. I think you guys just don't hear it anymore. I know some people around here in Texas who say the same thing about "y'all", they say it though. I don't even realize I say it until I'm out of Texas and people crack up.

Somebody just posted an interview on here the other day from the Stones in Canada back in the 60's, and the interviewer let out the most stereotypical "eh", like straight outta Strang Brew "eh", and I cracked up, because I was thinking of all my Canadian friends/family who are always saying "we don't say that", then say it 5 minutes later.

Trust me, as an outsider who listens to Canadians talk a lot (family, friends, watching CBC/TSN broadcasts of hockey games, etc) it's more common than you'd think. You might not say it, and I'm not saying every Canadian says it, but Canadians in general do say it.

Oh, okay, eh.

"Oh no, forget it eh"

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-28 17:08 by camper88.

Can't bring myself to watch it. Feel unclean, ashamed.

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

I have relatives in Canada. They say it plenty.

I say it much more than I care to admit. Can't help it eh.

Wow, this will hurt the music scene in Toronto. An exception should be made for the performing arts in this law. Sounds like it would be simple to do...but nothing is simple with any legislation.

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crholmstrom

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

I have relatives in Canada. They say it plenty.

Not to be divisive but I think this is more of an eastern/central Canada thing than Western.

The relatives are from Ottawa. It fits.

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treaclefingers

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crholmstrom

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

I have relatives in Canada. They say it plenty.

Not to be divisive but I think this is more of an eastern/central Canada thing than Western.

I don't know anybody in Western Canada. So you may be right there. All my relatives are in Ontario and Newfoundland. The accent and amount of "eh"'s I get seem to get thicker the further East I go. As soon as I get to Newfoundland it's like that old joke about the Canadian alphabet: A=Eh, B=Eh, ...

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NoCode0680

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treaclefingers

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crholmstrom

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

I have relatives in Canada. They say it plenty.

Not to be divisive but I think this is more of an eastern/central Canada thing than Western.

I don't know anybody in Western Canada. So you may be right there. All my relatives are in Ontario and Newfoundland. The accent and amount of "eh"'s I get seem to get thicker the further East I go. As soon as I get to Newfoundland it's like that old joke about the Canadian alphabet: A=Eh, B=Eh, ...

The 'teens' here overuse the word "Like" so I think there's more in common with California-speak on the West Coast.

Still, we maintain that Canadian sensibility.

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treaclefingers

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NoCode0680

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treaclefingers

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crholmstrom

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andrewm
That "eh" thing is so played out. I don't think I've ever said that in my life. Well, maybe once or twice.

I have relatives in Canada. They say it plenty.

Not to be divisive but I think this is more of an eastern/central Canada thing than Western.

I don't know anybody in Western Canada. So you may be right there. All my relatives are in Ontario and Newfoundland. The accent and amount of "eh"'s I get seem to get thicker the further East I go. As soon as I get to Newfoundland it's like that old joke about the Canadian alphabet: A=Eh, B=Eh, ...

The 'teens' here overuse the word "Like" so I think there's more in common with California-speak on the West Coast.

Still, we maintain that Canadian sensibility.

With a little Detroit sensibility thrown in...





Sorry, had to. ><

Good one Nocode!!!