Petition calls for Boathouse to remain a live music venue (update)

By CityNews Kitchener Staff

A local musician is petitioning to keep “The Boathouse” in Victoria Park a music venue.

It's been vacant for almost two years now.

Currently, The Boathouse is being leased by the City of Kitchener, but the city is putting out a request for proposals to lease it out.

The petition is looking to keep the Boathouse as a music-based venue, as opposed to anything else that might come up.

It said the City of Kitchener should subsidize the rent of The Boathouse and keep it a music venue.

It also said COVID-19 has hit the live music scene hard, with the closure of some bars that would play live music — and there aren't many options left.

The petition mentioned taxpayers already subsidize the Symphony Orchestra, Centre in the Square, and THE MUSEUM — and that it is time to do the same for The Boathouse.

But, the petition has sparked a response from Ward 7 Councillor Bil Ioannidis. He said on Twitter Tuesday that the city has never changed its commitment to keep the location a music venue. It was simply closed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“So right now, currently because of the pandemic, things have been put on hold,” he said,”[we are] looking for proper partners for the venue so that's why it's sitting in situ right now the way it is. From our last discussion, everyone was committed to continue to support a live music venue. We're just going to wait to see how the pandemic unfolds.”

Ioannidis admitted that the location will go out for a 'Request for Proposal'. 

“It's going to go out for a Request for Proposal and part of that request is going to include it being a music venue. If we don't get any interest in that part as being a music venue, then it could change the terms of whatever that RFP will be. But right now, we're committed to creating a music venue.”

Ioannidis said after he saw the petition, his thoughts were that the city never changed their mind on the intent of what's going to be housed at The Boathouse. 

“We never changed our mind. This is what our goal has been from the beginning and it still is,” he said, “I know for myself and I'm pretty sure the rest of council are still committed to this. We were just waiting for the pandemic to see how the business sector was going to be affected. We all know how the arts community was affected, so I'm pretty sure more than ever, we're going to be more committed to the arts sector with regards to that property.”

You can view the petition here.

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