EDM events might return to the Exhibition grounds

Just weeks after a ban on electronic music events was put in place on the CNE grounds, there appears to be hope that the decision will be reversed by city council. Originally adopted by the Exhibition Place Board (in a 4-3 vote) after pressure was applied by Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, a new motion to be put before council on May 7 asks that the board of governors be required to reverse its decision. The motion is the work of Councillor Mike Layton, who claims that it's within council's rights to override the Ex board.

The decision to ban EDM events at the CNE has come under considerable scrutiny in the wake of reports that Mayor Rob Ford is friends with Muzik nightclub owner Zlatko Starkovski, who initially pushed for the ban with a hyperbolic rant about protecting children from predatory drug dealers. That line of reasoning doesn't sound particularly convincing after reports that Ford was high on cocaine and vomited in the washroom at Muzik.

And while Starkovski has attempted to distance himself from the beleaguered mayor, the ban he pushed for always seemed backward, which it was a surprise to see it adopted in the first place. Now council will be given a chance to consider the issue more carefully. One suspects that upon doing so, the ban will be reversed.

Photo from the CNE's Facebook page.

by Derek Flack via blogTO