A downtown London resident is accusing city councillors of being out of touch after they voted to extend the permitted time for amplified music at bar and restaurant patios.
The Community and Protective Services Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to recommend allowing amplified music on patios up until 1 a.m. between March 14-17, when the Juno Awards will be hosted in London. Normally, city bylaws dictate that amplified music is only allowed on patios until midnight, but owners of downtown establishments will now be able to apply for the time extension. The decision will still require final approval from city council.
"They basically want to promote the Junos and get the biggest bang for the commerce associated with it," said AnnaMaria Valastro, who lives off of Richmond Row near the Barking Frog nightclub. "And they do it on the backs of people that live in those vicinities."
The amendment to extend the cut-off time for amplified music came as part of a report from city staff, which stated that with multiple events being held across the city during the week of the Junos, it would be "reasonable to provide the general public access to amazing arts and culture... by extending the permitted time."
"Having patios and having sound on them on March 17 in particular, being St. Patrick's Day, makes even more sense because we want to draw people to the patios and away from residential areas," Councillor Mo Salih said during the committee meeting. "Obviously there is going to be residential areas close to businesses but most likely the majority won't be the case. So I think the more we can get people away from streets.. and to the patios makes sense."
The city's by-law enforcement boss Orest Katolyk also noted establishments applying for amplified music permits would be evaluated on a case by case basis.
"For example, a bar that applies until 1 a.m. and is surrounded by single family homes will likely not get permission to play to 1 a.m.," Katolyk told politicians. "Throughout this process when it began last spring we've issued ten applications throughout the city. We know that there is more than ten patios playing live amplified music, but we aren't getting a barrage of neighbourhood complaints."
Valastro, who has been a long-time proponent against the noise that flows from the bar into her 19th century home, said not one councillor lives in the downtown area and "they do not understand the serious health impacts noise has on human health" for the residents who call the downtown core their home.
"They don't get it. They don't live downtown, they don't visit downtown, they're not very urban minded, and to me, it just feels very greedy," she said. "Two days of the Juno's are going to be during the week when people get up and go to work. And then two more are going to be on their weekend, which is their downtime and time to rest... What difference does an hour make to those bar owners? It makes a big difference to residents that are trying to sleep."
Valastro said local residents are now considering hiring an acoustic engineer to determine the decibel levels in the Richmond Row area during peak hours, which are currently regulated to not exceed 70 decibels. She said she has also penned a letter to Juno Awards President and CEO Allan Reid regarding the city's bylaw amendment.
"We appreciate what these sort of environments have to offer, but they have to be livable," she said. "[Councillors] don't understand these neighbourhoods."