Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s promise of financial aid to revive the Taste of the Danforth festival was treated with cautious optimism at Toronto City Hall.
On the one hand, it was a welcome break for an iconic street festival that has struggled to recover from the pandemic. On the other, the pledge sounded like a one-time offer.
“We want to see investments so that we can have this vibrant economy and continue to contribute to the bottom line of the federal and provincial governments,” Coun. Alejandra Bravo said.
Over the course of a year, the City of Toronto hosts around 300 festivals, ranging from food to culture and music. The largest festivals shut down entire blocks, attracting vendors from across the city and the province.
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While those festivals may bring neighbourhoods to life, Toronto is currently worrying about the cost of putting them on in the long term.
The city collects permit fees from festivals, and police can charge paid duty overtime, but spending at festivals results in sales taxes that go to other levels of government.
A recent council report found that Toronto’s contributions to festivals had increased, while federal money had decreased in recent years. Funds from Queen’s Park had also increased, though staff said they were harder to access.
“So the big-C city bears all of the cost of ensuring they’re sustainable and safe, but we don’t capture a commensurate amount of the revenue,” Pat Tobin, head of economic development and culture, said.
Pride Toronto, for example, said its costs are increasing, and the money it receives from different levels of government is failing to keep up.
Faced with those growing concerns, Toronto is working on a new five-year festival strategy. It aims to keep Toronto a destination for people to enjoy festivals, and keep access to them free — or less than $5.
Councillors are now pushing that plan forward, hoping to see more support from other levels of government.
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