Shows cancelled due to safety concerns at theatre near Vancouver encampment
A local funk band says a venue in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside cancelled the booking for an upcoming show because the sidewalk outside has become part of the Hastings Street homeless encampment.
Soulstream drummer Randall Stoll booked their Oct. 8 show at The Imperial back in March, and says MRG Live, the company that manages the venue, emailed him a few days ago to say it could no longer host.
”Imperial contacted me and said because the homelessness and the violence is right on their doorstep, they didn’t feel it was safe for their staff, the artists or the clients coming in, so they stopped having all events,” said Stoll.
There are now multiple tents and needle collection bins just steps from The Imperial's entrance, which is a block from Hastings and Main. Stoll said when he posted about the show’s cancellation on the band’s Facebook page, some fans were relieved.
“They weren’t looking forward to standing out there waiting for a cab and not feeling safe,” said Stoll, who has stopped going to restaurants in the area because the environment has become toxic.
Jeff Guignard with the Alliance of Beverage Licensees says this should serve as a wake-up call for all levels of government.
“No matter what you think about the complex causes of these issues, we really feel that citizens should be seriously concerned for what it means for a place like Vancouver when a business says it can no longer operate safely in the city,” he said.
While The Imperial is the first live venue to close because of safety concerns, Guignard is worried it won’t be the last.
“Our concern is this is the canary in the coal mine, and this is going to expand and we will see more venues doing this,” he said. “From an industry perspective, this is very serious, and it needs to be addressed urgently.”
Soulstream is now looking for a new venue and working on refunding people who bought tickets to the show at the Imperial.
“I think it’s sad for all the artists, all the business, and obviously for the people that are down there suffering,” said Stoll. “It’s a sad story, no matter how you look at it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.