For reasons that have left many questioning the logistics of the decision, Canada has raised, considerably, the fee cost for international musicians to enter the country.
Prior to the changes, quietly enacted in July, each member of a band crossing the border was required to pay a one-time fee of $150, and the venues hosting them usually subsidized the fees as a shared cost, which also acted as an incentive to attract the bands to play in Canada. Now, live music venues must pay an additional $275 per bandmate and individual traveling with the band, making it $425 per member of the touring entourage.
This will definitely be a negative hit to smaller venues, and because of it, an outcry against the increase has been established – a petition started on change.org has collected more than 60,000 signatures since yesterday.
To explain the reasoning behind the government’s action, Jason Kenney, Calgary’s Minister of Employment, Social Development & Multiculturalism, tweeted the following:
Response to the tweet has not shown support for the changes, and if the aforementioned petition continues to gather support, a reversal of them is possible.
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