Events are starting to abandon Exhibition Place because of lockout
The lockout at the CNE shows no sign of finishing, and event organizers are starting to react accordingly.
JFL42, the comedy festival by Just For Laughs, has been moved from the Coca-Cola Centre and Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the Exhibition Grounds to the Scotiabank Arena and Winter Garden Theatre, respectively.
Festival organizers said in a press announcement that Ticketmaster will be contacting ticket holders for Joe Rogan's show to work out their new seats in the coming weeks.
Classic Albums Live also announced on Twitter that it will not cross a picket line and therefore, is cancelling its show on the property.
Classic Albums Live does not cross picket lines. So as of right now, we won’t be playing the CNE show. All apologies for any inconvenience.
— Classic Albums Live (@CALrocks) August 16, 2018
IATSE Local 58, the stagehands union, has been locked out for over a month and negotiations with the city don't seem to be moving.
The ongoing lockout is significantly impacting attendance and revenue at the Canadian National Exhibition this year, says CEO in letter to city. Projected to-date losses of $1.5 million. @CBCToronto @LetsGoToTheEX pic.twitter.com/hc71yUz1zy
— Laura Howells (@LauraHowellsNL) August 21, 2018
According to the CNE, the fair is losing a ton of money from the lockout. CEO Virginia Ludy sent a letter to the city urging council to figure out the issue and negotiate with IATSE 58 soon, or risk a ton of revenue for the province and city.
Hoping that @hollerado will follow the lead of @TheCarpetFrogs, @CALrocks, and @JFL42 and not play at @ExPlaceTO. Support for crews would mean a lot. #58LockedOut #Toronto #jobs @iatse58 @IATSECANADA pic.twitter.com/MXTgSrOnKL
— S Berry (@SBerryCamera) August 22, 2018
"While we are not party to this dispute between labour and employer, our event stands to be even more severely impacted if this situation continues," Ludy wrote in the letter.
The city held a closed-door meeting yesterday to determine its next steps. Those details have not been released to the public yet, but Mayor John Tory said the decision needs to be made by Exhibition Place's board of governors.
