Some Calgary bar owners are calling for the city to extend noise bylaw exemptions to them, just as it has for the Cowboys Music Festival over the course of the Stampede.
On Thursday, Penny Lane Entertainment, which operates Cowboys, won its appeal with the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board to play amplified music after midnight and stay open until 2 a.m.
“Now all of a sudden one player gets to extend their outdoor venue and we don’t,” said Stuart Allan of Bottlescrew Bill’s pub.
“Whether we’re a tent or a patio it seems unfair.”
Stuart says he emailed Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi asking him to intervene to level the playing field for small, local businesses.
Thomas McDonald owns Knoxville’s Tavern, which also hosts a special event tent, and says he also plans to meet with city officials as soon as possible.
“I can’t comment on anybody’s business but my own, but Calgary is a modern city and they won’t arbitrarily apply bylaws to one business versus another,” he said.
“We are qualified just as much as others.”
At the same time, residents of The Guardian condo building across the street from the Cowboys tent location on 12th Avenue, where the historic Enoch House once stood, say they have mixed feelings about exemption.
“The noise had changed in direction. They’re promising to come up with really good technology not to make the experience any worse for us, we’ll see if that works,” said Geoff Granville, president of the condo board association.
“And so you have more noise, more potential for safety issues so that has to be looked at carefully.”
Cowboys Music Festival was forced to change locations because of the expansion construction project ongoing at the BMO Centre on the Stampede grounds.
In a statement to CTV News, Cowboys says, “we are dedicated and committed to continue our community dialogue and resolving any concerns brought to our attention. One of our top priorities is to continue to be good neighbours in this community and entertainment district.”
