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
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to quash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Manitoba Court of Appeal dismisses Peter Nygard's appeal of extradition order
The Manitoba Court of Appeal has dismissed Peter Nygard's application for a judicial review of an order to extradite the former fashion mogul to the United States, where he faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer's disease
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
B.C. court date set for 3 accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.