Freedom isn't free! By JOE WARMINGTON As they say, freedom isn't free.
Turns out, in Toronto neither is playing your music on the sidewalk. The City of Toronto takes its cut.
And if you don't pay up? See ya!
The music licence assassins, more undercover but just as efficient with the service as their parking assassin cousins, will send you packing.
If you have been down around Yonge-Dundas Square, you may have noticed some seriously talented Caribbean-style percussionists putting on a heck of an uplifting show along the northwest corner -- at the bus shelter next to the Sears store. I mean, these guys are worth the price of admission -- as in free, unless you want to throw them a coin.
It's fun, and adds -- in my view -- to the urban downtown buzz. Well, not anymore.
Just this week, I was walking along there when a couple of polite and professional bylaw officers (just doing their jobs) found the percussionists didn't have the appropriate permit and moved them along.
The same did not happen with the guy urinating across the street on the newspaper boxes -- or the dozen or so grubby panhandlers. It seems there is no permit for any of these forms of artistic expressions.
"Why is that man sleeping on the sidewalk?" a little girl asked her mom, who uncomfortably answered, "I am not sure but maybe it's because he's really tired."
He is not the only one.
"Terrorism is alive and well in Toronto, man," said one of the drummers in perfect, polite and poetic patois. "Could we stay if we were Tamils, man?"
The fee for a permit to play music or draw chalk on the sidewalk or be your own special kind of mime is $35.09. If you want to play across on Yonge-Dundas Square itself, you would need a second permit of $150 for a year or $50 for visitors -- only the guy handing out chocolate bar samples said he didn't pay it because "I am staying on the sidewalk."
Those Caribbean drummers were on the sidewalk, too, but unlike the beautiful and quieter Angel mime on the same corner, did not have a permit because, they tell me, it's more of a spontaneous thing and they are not a business or entity or even organized-- and they would need nine or 10 permits because they don't always play together. It just happens.
Perhaps there would have been less of a problem had they moved their act to University Ave. Or even better, take it on the road on up to the Gardiner Expressway where they don't check for permits.
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I was thinking about selling plastic bags on the street for 4 cents cents to undercut Chairman Miller's price. Interesting how we now have to pay for the plastic bags for our groceries but the city can use paper and plastic -- and our cash -- to display ads all over the subway saying, "We're breaking new ground for Transit City thanks to the recent investment from Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Government's Move2020 initiative."
Yeah, thanks Dalton. He sure is generous. I am sure the taxpayer had nothing to do with this so-called investment or the ad campaign, either.
Somebody get me a bag. I want to be sick. But make it a paper one, because I am not paying 5 cents cents.
As the great city-spending watchdog Sue-Anne Levy said in her column this week, I have got to get all my criticisms in before council enacts the new muzzle law that will have you forking over for the legal bill to allow members of council to sue for libel those they feel have slighted them. In case they do manage to shut me up, I have already started to save up my $35.09 so I can sing my criticisms at Dundas Square at the top of my lungs. If you have heard me sing, you'll begging them to cite me for noise pollution.
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Not everybody is by the book in this town. Special thanks to cabbie Muhammad Jamal, who showed me that when he drove me to the Sun this week for free -- thanks to me forgetting my wallet. "Don't worry about it," he says with a smile.
I owe you one ($10 actually), Jamal, but you reminded me that not everything in this town is zero-tolerence.
If any members of council are back from Whistler or Vienna, maybe they'll drop by 929 Mount Pleasant for Jack Ilios of Broadway Cleaners' 14th annual barbecue at noon today to raise money for Bayview Community Services, which helps so many people with mental-health issues. Way to go, Jack!
Have you ever seen Paradise? I have. Her name is Paradise Hendrickson -- a Sherrida model, singer and actress who I met out on Dundas Square this week working with cameraman Ed Hawk for CHIN TV and for Caribbean Connections TV. She is a former Miss St. Vincent and the Grenadines and someone you may soon see on an upcoming TV series. Scrawler loves discovering new talent.
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Speaking of talent, how about that Justin Hines -- the hot new singer who turned a lot of heads in the Tourism Ontario commercial. So many people asked me when can they see him perform. Here are some dates:
- June 14, Walmart's Walk For Miracles Coronation Park, Toronto 9:15 a.m.
- June 26, Welland Canal Festival, Merrit Park.
- June 27, Oakville Waterfront Festival, Coronation Park.
- July 4, Peterbourough Festival of Lights.
- July 23, First Canadian Place, Waterfall Stage 12:15 p.m.
Check out his video on http://swyw.inmusic.ca. In addition, his new single Say What You Will from his album Chasing Silver came out this week and was first on iTunes and second in sales, behind only Dave Matthews, at Walmart. Who says dreams don't come true. Go get 'em, Justin.
And the rest of you. Have a great weekend enjoying our free city. Scrawler out!
JOE.WARMINGTON@SUNMEDIA.CA
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