A local councillor wants the company operating Toronto’s largest purpose-built outdoor concert venue to foot the bill for a list of changes he thinks would mitigate noise levels from the facility.
The Rogers Stadium on the former Downsview Airport runway has generated criticism from some local residents who say that on concert nights they can hear — and sometimes feel — the booming music from inside their homes — some as far as 10 kilometres away in Thornhill. This is despite the operator, Live Nation, installing soundproof cladding on the stadium.
“We have tried to find a balance between supporting a thriving music industry and a tourism industry and the concertgoers and businesses that prosper with this stadium,” said Coun. James Pasternak, whose motion on the stadium is up at city council next week.
“At the same time, we owe a duty to the local residents who feel that their peace and enjoyment of their home is being disturbed.”
The open-air venue, which can host up to 50,000 attendees, opened last June to offset pressure from other venues that host Live Nation events, particularly the Rogers Centre, and came at a time when the city is witnessing a surge in demand for live entertainment.
Pasternak’s motion includes asking the city manager to work with Live Nation to retain a “mutually agreeable third party acoustics engineer firm and/or sound expert” to examine Rogers Stadium’s physical layout and identify improvements.
It also wants Live Nation and city staff to explore the option of building a sound barrier berm on the edge of the west Allen East District and any other nearby property affected, plus seasonal “stationary noise monitoring” at locations with a history of noise complaints.
The motion recommends that the cost of any changes be paid for by the entertainment company, which is currently fighting a $900 fine issued by the city for blowing past the noise curfew at Rogers Stadium last summer.
“I don’t think we really should be subsidizing a multinational, multibillion-dollar organization,” Pasternak said.
Live Nation did not immediately return requests for comment.
“It’s an investment with a very good rate of return for Live Nation,” Pasternak said. “Because they don’t need this grief of the hundreds of complaints that come up each concert season.”
Pasternak acknowledged not every resident will be happy “because some of (the noise) is out of our control,” since sound moves based on wind direction, wind velocity and cloud cover.
But, he said, it’s worth exploring whether the city and the company can make design changes to further mitigate noise.
