Vague reopening rules jeopardize launch of Rock the Park patio series
Preparations for this summer’s modified Rock the Park concert series are in limbo after a call from the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU).
Jones Entertainment Group has sold tickets for 16 events in a field next to Crossings Pub on Hyde Park Road starting July 2.
The grassy field will transform into a patio with 100 seats around physically distanced tables.
Each event will feature a different musical act on a nearby stage including Tim Hicks (July 2,3), The Reklaws (July 16,17) and The Trews (July 21-24).
But the future of the patio series has been thrown into uncertainty.
The health unit advised Jones on Monday that patio rules under the provincial reopening plan do not permit musical performances.
“We’ve got all of our permits and waivers (from city hall), explains Brad Jones. “To have them (MLHU) say no live music, but that karaoke is okay, that’s where I scratch my head.”
Ontario is currently in Step One, but could enter Step Two in time for the first performance.
The health unit points out, however, step two only permits karaoke on patios.
Alternatively, reclassifying the event as ‘outdoor entertainment’ provides little clarity at this time.
In a statement MLHU writes, “Once in Step 2, outdoor live music will be permitted with limits… (however) the Province has not provided details with regards to the capacity limits for outdoor live music performances.”
MLHU Road to Rock the Park statement
MLHU Road to Rock the Park statement
“Saying it’s just the rules as we interpret the vague rules, is b.s.,” says lawyer Phillip Millar who’s law firm is among the event’s sponsors. “And it’s time for people to step up and make the changes to start getting back to normal.”
Jones argues that his patio series is more than just entertainment for pandemic-weary Londoners, it’s a jumpstart for the live entertainment industry.
He’s hoping a provincial announcement in the coming days will offer details of Step Two rules, including the ability to hold the patio concert series.
“I don’t want to call this a karaoke series, I think it’s disrespectful to the world class artists,” Jones adds. “We just want to say Ontario government and health unit, let’s work together.”
Millar is pressing the provincial government to step in.
“There’s a huge role the province could play. To say we’re adopting the science that says outdoor activities organized like this pose no health risk.”
The Rock the Park patio series remains scheduled to start on July 2.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Canada is expected to win 22 medals at the Paris Olympics
Canada is expected to win a total of 22 medals, including six gold, at the Paris Summer Olympics, which open on July 26.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Young New Brunswick songwriter makes appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
Eight-year-old songwriter Zuri Hamilton from Miramichi, N.B., got to show off her talent on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Monday.