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Death of Clubland (aka: Is Adam Vaughan trying to kill the Club District?)

You may find my post caustic, but you should also at least acknowledge the fact that some people here are stating that Vaughan should be removed from office solely on the basis of the issue of clubs.

That being said, why should Vaughan make any promise to you to not to close any clubs? First off, he just can't just close a club with the snap of his fingers. Things don't work like that. Many of the clubs that have closed have done so because the owners and managers have failed to live up to their licensing and operating responsibilities. Second of all, Vaughan has a responsibility to the people who live in his ward. If you come from outside the area and demand that he keep clubs open to suit your needs, you shouldn't be too surprised about receiving a negative answer.

The area will probably always have nightclubs - just not as many as now. The ones that persist will probably be smaller, well-run and capable of putting in the effort to make sure that they are not a nuisance to their residential neighbours or other nearby businesses.
 
Hydrogen said:
The area will probably always have nightclubs - just not as many as now. The ones that persist will probably be smaller, well-run and capable of putting in the effort to make sure that they are not a nuisance to their residential neighbours or other nearby businesses.
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Im not a clubber but all this to have the clubs downsize and run according to your neighbours lifestyle and (you forgot) politicians,you might as well close them.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Im not a clubber but all this to have the clubs downsize and run according to your neighbours lifestyle and (you forgot) politicians,you might as well close them.
Click to expand...

All this what? You are failing to see that this part of the city is rapidly evolving. As for the politician, he was elected by the residents of the ward. And as for you not being a clubber, you appear to be way more on side for supporting this activity than the residents who live there.

Concerning your remarks about clubs being run according to lifestyle, it's actually an issue about the clubs being run according to the laws of both the city and the province. Again, you fail to recognize that fact.

I get a very strong sense from your posts that you really don't know much about this part of town, so maybe you should consider putting a little thought into that short-coming before you sound off about what ought to be happening in this neighbourhood - according to you. As for myself, I live and work in the area in question. Because of its proximity, both the Entertainment district and Fashion district are under intense development pressure, and that development (including your fave highrises) will all have a significant impact on the number and size of clubs that will remain in the area.
 
Not for a minute do I think Adam Vaughan should be removed. He was elected fairly......sorry if I ever implied that. If you live in the area, than yes, I can see why you are worried by the volume of clubs, and I've already said I agree that so many should not be located in one area.
 
Hydrogen said:
All this what? You are failing to see that this part of the city is rapidly evolving. As for the politician, he was elected by the residents of the ward. And as for you not being a clubber, you appear to be way more on side for supporting this activity than the residents who live there.

Concerning your remarks about clubs being run according to lifestyle, it's actually an issue about the clubs being run according to the laws of both the city and the province. Again, you fail to recognize that fact.

I get a very strong sense from your posts that you really don't know much about this part of town, so maybe you should consider putting a little thought into that short-coming before you sound off about what ought to be happening in this neighbourhood - according to you. As for myself, I live and work in the area in question. Because of its proximity, both the Entertainment district and Fashion district are under intense development pressure, and that development (including your fave highrises) will all have a significant impact on the number and size of clubs that will remain in the area.
Click to expand...

I know this area very well and i also know that in the 80s every second building had a For Lease sign with no takers. At the time it was very hard to lease any commercial space in these wonderful but unfinished warehouse buildings. As much as 60-65% of these buildings remained empty. Meeting building codes was an issue with many of these structures. Along came the 90s when some club owners, fashion designers and artists decided to lease and invest big money into some of these large spaces. The area being close to the Royal Alex, Roy Thompson Hall, Citytv and the financial core developed quickly into a trendy club and fashion district, thus attracting many people to the area (I have to admit at the time you could be 30 and walk into these clubs which is not the case nowadays)

Regarding these dance/night clubs, lets not just eliminate or downsize these long time and legitimate establishments in this diverse part of downtown, just cause some yuppie condo dwellers are moving in, or because certain individuals at city hall are pressured to say so. Let’s find a way to improve safety and standards on these premises that have invested big money. Lets also make sure that they follow the licensing bylaws accordingly, regulate them and keep them.

Recently you have many large hi-rise condo proposals (aprox.12-15) that are trying to fit into the neighbourhood with brick facades, retail, height downsize, etc. These developers know very well that this is a neighbourhood in walking distance to the fashion and club districts, plus the existing Rogers Centre, Air Canada Complex, and near future Bell Lightbox, also all other entertainment venues nearby including three new 5 star hotels.

This part of town has had lots of interesting developments built throughout the past decade thus making it a great area for people to work and reside. Locals and future residents must also understand that with all this action going down,this area will never be the quiet place it used to be.

I don’t doubt at all that Adam Vaughan is the right politician to make this a dynamic mixed neighbourhood. I may not like some of his socialist views, but Mr.Vaughan puts his heart and soul into his ward.

I myself have close ties to the Toronto real-estate industry and have been told that the Entertainment and Fashion district is one of the few areas in Toronto that will still be able to sell a substantial amount of condo units in these hard economic times.

But again we must not forget how this diverse area and neighbourhood of Toronto became to be and not just wash it out with bleach.
 
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Automation Gallery said:
I don’t doubt at all that Adam Vaughan is the right politician to make this a dynamic mixed neighbourhood. I may not like some of his socialist views, but Mr.Vaughan puts his heart and soul into his ward.
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Funny thing is, given how he defeated the designated NDP standard-bearer successor to Olivia Chow, a lot of people evidently voted for him as an *antidote* to "socialist views"...
 
Automation Gallery said:
I know this area very well and i also know that in the 80s every second building had a For Lease sign with no takers. At the time it was very hard to lease any commercial space in these wonderful but unfinished warehouse buildings. As much as 60-65% of these buildings remained empty. Meeting building codes was an issue with many of these structures. Along came the 90s when some club owners, fashion designers and artists decided to lease and invest big money into some of these large spaces. The area being close to the Royal Alex, Roy Thompson Hall, Citytv and the financial core developed quickly into a trendy club and fashion district, thus attracting many people to the area (I have to admit at the time you could be 30 and walk into these clubs which is not the case nowadays)

Regarding these dance/night clubs, lets not just eliminate or downsize these long time and legitimate establishments in this diverse part of downtown, just cause some yuppie condo dwellers are moving in, or because certain individuals at city hall are pressured to say so. Let’s find a way to improve safety and standards on these premises that have invested big money. Lets also make sure that they follow the licensing bylaws accordingly, regulate them and keep them.

Recently you have many large hi-rise condo proposals (aprox.12-15) that are trying to fit into the neighbourhood with brick facades, retail, height downsize, etc. These developers know very well that this is a neighbourhood in walking distance to the fashion and club districts, plus the existing Rogers Centre, Air Canada Complex, and near future Bell Lightbox, also all other entertainment venues nearby including three new 5 star hotels.

This part of town has had lots of interesting developments built throughout the past decade thus making it a great area for people to work and reside. Locals and future residents must also understand that with all this action going down,this area will never be the quiet place it used to be.

I don’t doubt at all that Adam Vaughan is the right politician to make this a dynamic mixed neighbourhood. I may not like some of his socialist views, but Mr.Vaughan puts his heart and soul into his ward.

I myself have close ties to the Toronto real-estate industry and have been told that the Entertainment and Fashion district is one of the few areas in Toronto that will still be able to sell a substantial amount of condo units in these hard economic times.

But again we must not forget how this diverse area and neighbourhood of Toronto became to be and not just wash it out with bleach.
Click to expand...

nice post AoD ... funny enough though I have known a few people who have had similar viewpoints to yours that have actually managed to talk to Adam Vaughn directly. They got a somewhat different sense afterwords ... he's not trying to get rid of every single club - but at the same rate he wants the area to be more "controlled". I agree we need a comprise in the middle but I don't think Adam is the worse person for the job. Also he has to throw on that I hate all clubs face for those that elected him I believe.

We'll have to see. I have really high hopes for this area in the future. It has beautiful architecture + horrible streetscapes ... but that can be fixed.
 
Also, do we really want to be throwning people out of work in times of economic trouble? I don't have a reliable source as to how many people are actually employed by the club industry, but it must be a significant number.
 
If people are going to lose their jobs at a club, it might in fact be due to the slowing economy.

Also, employees who lose their jobs when clubs are closed by the city or the province can blame the owners or managers. Such closures happen when the laws are not respected. As I stated earlier, it takes multiple complaints to get a club closed and to have its licenses pulled.

More clubs will also close due to economic development - such as condo building. For example, I walk by the incredible thumping of Century Room on the weekends and know that its days are numbered. No one on the west side of Fashion House will want to put up with that pounding until three in the morning.
 
Toronto nightclub sues city for harassment

A Toronto nightclub linked to the drug overdose death of a patron - The Comfort Zone - is suing the City of Toronto and Councillor Adam Vaughan for $11-million over what it alleges is a systematic harassment campaign aimed at putting it out of business. The lawsuit also asks the Superior Court of Justice to order the city and police to put a stop to constant inspections, searches and attempts to intimidate the club's owners, staff and patrons.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/story.cfm?content=168440
 
Considering that the city (and the province) grant the licenses for these establishments to operate, write the laws that define how they can operate and have both the responsibility and right to carry out surprise inspections as defined by the law, the operators will lose in court.
 
Hydrogen said:
Considering that the city (and the province) grant the licenses for these establishments to operate, write the laws that define how they can operate and have both the responsibility and right to carry out surprise inspections as defined by the law, the operators will lose in court.
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Lets wait and see. I dont think we are living in a police state yet, or are we?
 
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Having seen what I've seen and from what I've heard Adam Vaughan say in public with regards to his intention of closing down the clubs, I think there are probable grounds for a class action lawsuit against the city and the councillor.

These are legal businesses. Vaughan has gone way overboard. I think he'll be a one term councillor, or a broke one.
 
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