It just got a whole lot more expensive to cross the border.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/enterta...759/story.html
What was once a one-time fee of $150, is now $425 per artist/roadie/tech/etc per venue. Yet, it doesn't apply to big tours and festivals... So only small venues and bars have to pay it.
This is f***ing ridiculous. I don't understand why our government is bent on putting more pressure on our already suffering small club owners. I can't even count how many clubs have shut down in the last 5 years in Toronto alone, and this isn't going to help. Most promoters already avoid hiring full bands due to the cost difference vs. hiring a DJ/MC... but this is going to ensure that it just stops happening altogether.
Not sure if this will make a difference, but for anyone interested, there is a change.org petition set up with 15k+ signatures so far.
https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitio...1-time-150-fee