Operators of Vancouver music venues say they can't survive capacity limits much longer
Operators of Vancouver music venues say B.C.'s COVID-19 restrictions are pushing their businesses to the brink of closure.
As of now, live music venues can only be half full, and people in attendance cannot dance and must remain seated.
For the owner of the Fox Cabaret, Darlene Rigo, this means her business can only allow 90 people inside at the moment, down from its regular capacity of 262.
"Were probably making about a quarter or a third of our usual revenues right now," Rigo said.
Rigo says the business relies heavily on the dance floor, and doesn’t have enough seating to even reach the 50 per cent capacity limit.
"We’re almost at the point where we would lose less money if we shuttered the business completely again," she said.
Rigo and other music venue owners, like Rickshaw Theatre owner Mo Tarmohamed. booked shows back in the spring, anticipating that capacity limits would be lifted by the fall. B.C. was initially scheduled to enter Step 4 of its reopening plan in early September, but opted not to do so because infections and hospitalizations remained unacceptably high.
While capacity restrictions were lifted for restaurants and gyms during earlier reopening phases, music venues have been left behind, and now they’re paying the price.
"I've had to cancel eight shows, and five of them were completely sold out at our original capacity," said Tarmohamed.
As of Oct. 24, British Columbians will be required to be fully vaccinated to enter restaurants, gyms, sporting events and concerts.
Rigo is holding out hope that this will prompt the province to finally lift the capacity and dance floor restrictions.
“If we can’t get back to generating the revenue we used to, we may not be able to stay in business, unfortunately,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.