The Sound of Recovery: Leveraging the Economic, Social and Cultural Value and Power of Live Music

Dear Chief Medical Officer Moore,

We are writing on behalf of Ontario’s tourism and hospitality industry to express our concern with the government’s plan to pause the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen. The sectors we represent across all regions of Ontario include hotels and accommodations, resorts, restaurants, food and beverage vendors, live events, attractions, recreation, transport operators, and culture and heritage

While Canadians and most businesses will feel like their lives are returning to normal this summer and fall, our sector reflects a very different picture. The punishing impact of closures on the hardest hit sectors, like live music, remains critical: capacity restrictions and social distancing requirements have forced many venues to remain shuttered to prevent even greater financial loss; decisions to cancel concerts, tours and festivals had to be made earlier this year; and regular business travel will be slow to return as Canadians and corporations cautiously resume face-to-face business activity perhaps starting this fall or in early 2022.

More recently, Ontario launched its 3-step Roadmap to Reopening and, in early June 2021, our coalition united to seek clarity and regulatory fairness.

While we were gladdened to have Step 2 modifications that enabled our businesses to prepare for reopening, as other sectors have been afforded for months, we write today to draw your attention to three areas that require urgent attention in the short- and long-term and, most urgently, request a clear and consistent response from the Province of Ontario.