Item - 2019.EC9.3

The Economic and Community Development Committee:

1.  Requested the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, CreateTO, and other relevant city staff, to report to the Toronto Music Advisory Committee and Economic and Community Development Committee in February 2020, with principles, potential operating models, and an initial assessment of opportunities for a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) venues in city-owned spaces.

"DIY" event organizers neither own nor have regular access to physical space for events.

Instead, they create cultural events (often blending music, visual art, and other art forms) in

temporary locations.

DIY events, and those who organize and perform at them, are vital to the artistic lifeblood of

Toronto's music community. These events very often provide performance opportunities to

artists working in marginalized, non-mainstream genres (i.e., the types of music not often heard in mainstream bricks-and-mortar venues). It's these artists and events, and the communities that build up around them, that give rise to new, vibrant music and emerging stars. Ultimately, it's these artists that will shape the future of Toronto's music scene and maintain our reputation as a global music centre.

DIY events create welcoming spaces for diverse communities, including performers and fans

that might not feel comfortable in mainstream spaces. Toronto's incredible cultural and artistic diversity makes it necessary to support the existence of spaces for every kind of artistic and cultural community to gather and create art.

Currently, DIY locations might include empty storefronts, condo presentation centres,

community centres, churches, industrial buildings, City-owned buildings, or outdoor spaces.

Together, these locations are also termed "alternative" spaces.

As we work to support the diversity of Toronto's music scene, we must explore our capacity to support DIY events through the potential of providing city-owned space for this critical form of cultural animation.