Rogers Stadium is in the spotlight at Thursday’s City Council meeting, but not for its upcoming concert lineup.
Coun. James Pasternak, who represents the Downsview Park area, is introducing a motion calling on venue operator Live Nation to hire a third-party sound expert in the wake of continued noise complaints from surrounding neighbourhoods.
Pasternak’s motion calls on Live Nation to identify any capital improvements, acoustical enhancements, and technologies that will mitigate sound dispersion into the neighbouring communities, as well as to build a sound barrier berm along the edge of the west Allen East District.
“We want someone on board very quickly. We want someone to be able to look at the stadium during the concert season. We don’t want to wait until September when the concerts are all over, and it’s really hard to get in there and see what’s going on,” said Pasternak.
The entertainment company has said none of its shows this year have exceeded sound level limits, adding that independent Municipal Licensing Officers have been onsite and in surrounding communities to ensure compliance with permitted limits.
However, residents as far away as York Region and Vaughan have complained about the noise levels this year.
“Willowdale is miles away from the stadium, and we hear the thumps. I can hear it in my bedroom, and my kids can actually feel the vibration in our home,” said Coun. Lily Cheng. “I hear from residents every time there’s a concert because that sound is travelling such a distance. …this is not what people signed up for.”
The stadium attracted an estimated 700,000 people in its first season, and it’s expected to host more than one million people this year.
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