Toronto installs signs warning against busking/vending in Yonge-Dundas Square without a permit

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    The City of Toronto has posted some new signage in Yonge-Dundas Square that might indicate the days of artists performing without permits may be numbered. David Zura explains.

    By David Zura

    The City of Toronto may be prepared to start cracking down on un-permitted performances in Yonge-Dundas Square.

    It’s undoubtedly one of the city’s most eclectic intersections, with musicians, buskers, street preachers and a whole host of other performers vying for the attention of tourists and locals milling about the area.

    And in the last few days, the city has installed some new signage pointing out some already-existing rules. One sign reads, “No amplified noise” and the other says “No busking or vending without a permit,” and both reference chapter 313 of the city’s municipal code.

    Keisuke Azuma, an artist and vendor who was in the square Monday afternoon, said he came because the crowd is good, and he sees other artists like him also coming to the area. He’s new in the country and does artwork inspired by Japanese culture.

    “I saw other people selling here, many people work here,” said Azuma.

    Another resident tells CityNews they think buskers are important but doing it with a permit is only fair.

    “I think buskers on the street corners are very important. I think it gives the city character,” explained the resident. “You have a guy here at Dundas Square who pays, I don’t know, a thousand bucks a season in insurance and he can’t perform because all the other buskers who, I don’t know if they have a license or not, but they make so much noise.”

    A spokesperson for Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise said the councillor requested this signage at the request of local residents, the Downtown Yonge BIA, the Yonge-Dundas Square Board, as well as Cadillac Fairview.

    “It is important to note that a vast majority of the busker artists and merchants at the corner have permits and are lawful. The purpose of the signs is to support Bylaw Officers and Toronto Police in enforcing our bylaws regarding amplified sound for those who are constantly at the corner without permits,” a statement read.

    The City of Toronto also confirmed the plan is to move forward on a case-by-case basis.

    “The City monitors the volume of complaints and then deploys bylaw enforcement officers based on a priority response model that takes into account the frequency and persistence of complaints and issues in areas,” read their statement. “The goal of enforcement is to resolve issues and ensure that people are following bylaws. Each issue is addressed on a case-by-case basis.”

    The fee to apply for a permit currently sits at $49.71 and is restricted to those 18 or older, or as young as 16 with parental permission.

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