Pubdate: Fri, 09 May 2014
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Elizabeth Church
Page: A12
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raves.htm (Raves)

BAN LIFTED ON EXHIBITION PLACE DANCES

All-ages electronic dance parties are back at Exhibition Place, with 
Toronto council lifting the ban imposed last month by the board of 
the city-owned site.

The 31-4 decision on Thursday follows a high-pitched debate that 
pitted councillors who argue the events are unsafe against those who 
say it is better to have the gatherings, which allow under-age 
participants and attract thousands, on city property where they can 
be regulated.

Councillor Mark Grimes, chair of the Exhibition Place board, urged 
council to keep the ban at least until statistics on emergency 
service calls to the events could be made public, but his efforts to 
defer debate were unsuccessful.

Area councillor Mike Layton, who brought forward the motion to have 
the ban lifted, said there was no need to end the long-held council 
policy to host such events that was developed when raves were popular.

"People were using fear. People were using emotional arguments," he 
said of attempts to prohibit the dance events.

The ban gained added attention because of the role played by the 
owner of the nearby Muzik nightclub, which also operates at 
Exhibition Place. The bar is a favoured destination of Mayor Rob 
Ford, and its owner, Zlatko Starkovski, pushed for the ban, warning 
the Exhibition Place board that the all-ages events are magnets for 
pedophiles and drug dealers. "Eventually, something is going to go 
wrong," he warned board members last month.

Councillor Gord Perks, also a member of the Exhibition Place board, 
said the ban was designed to protect business interests, not the 
people at the dance parties, accusing its supporters of "manufactured 
moral panic."

"It's never been about safety," he said.

Mr. Starkovski holds a 20-year lease to operate his club in the 
former Horticultural Building and is in the midst of a major outdoor 
renovation that includes three pools and space for more than 5,000 
people. He is expected to ask the Exhibition Place board at its next 
meeting to strengthen protection against competition from other venues.

Muzik rents the site from the city for a below-market rate of $10,000 
a month (with possible top-ups if sales hit a certain threshold), 
according to a court document obtained by The Globe and Mail. In the 
same document, a 2010 affidavit, Mr. Starkovski said a real estate 
appraisal revealed a "realistic" rent for the venue was $85,000 a 
month. He said the lower rent was fair, however, because he has 
invested in renovations of the building.

Mr. Starkovski in January wrote to the Exhibition Place board 
expressing concern about the impact of the all-ages dance parties on 
his club. "Each event that occurs further jeopardizes our business 
plan," his letter concluded.

The motion city council passed on Thursday also asks the Exhibition 
Place board to review safety protocols for the dance parties and 
report by July.

It is estimated the events generated about $1-million annually for 
Exhibition Place.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom