Guelph musician fined $1,500 for hosting driveway concert
A Guelph musician was fined $1,500 by officials after performing for neighbours in his driveway this past weekend.
Monty Greig and his band, Monty and the Crew, played on his Leacock Avenue driveway on June 19.
“On the last song they came and gave me my tickets when we were already done,” Greig said.
The performer received two tickets: one for hosting a "nuisance party" and another for failing to comply with a Section 7.02 Order under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Scott Green, the City of Guelph's manager of corporate and community safety, said they received reports of a concert being held on a front lawn.
“Obviously someone’s been offended. It was reported to us,” Green said.
Greig said he feels disheartened by the fines, adding he was just trying to bring joy to his street.
“It’s good to see people out enjoying themselves and smiling and forgetting about the pandemic for a while,” said neighbour Len Bridgeman, who watched the performance across the street, on a lawn chair, while on his driveway.
“The little kids dancing. It’s worth every penny if I have to pay,” said Greig. “I’m going to fight it and go to court if I have to, to make sure that they do go away.”
Greig claimed most people were watching from their own properties. He said no one was on his driveway other than his fellow band members. He said there were residents on the sideway, street and boulevard.
Only ten people are allowed to gather outdoors during Step 1 of the province's pandemic reopening plan.
“He’s a catalyst of that. He is attracting these people there whether they were on his front lawn or not,” said Green.
Greig said the mid-afternoon performance was family-friendly.
“It’s not like there was a university party going on or anything like that,” Greig said.
Bylaw believed they responded appropriately and said they acted as they would have in any part of the city.
“There’s a report of alcohol being consumed. There’s reports of people on the street and on the sidewalk going back-and-forth between homes,” said Green.
Greig said he tried to contact bylaw in advance to ask about a noise exemption. The city said they are not allowed to give people permission to break bylaws.
“I was lead to believe that it was going to be okay,” Greig said.
Greig performed a similar driveway show without his band around Christmas without incident.
Bylaw said they only attend residences if they receive a complaint.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
Tesla recalling nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks because accelerator pedal can get stuck
Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
A couple lost their wedding rings during the ceremony. Two strangers found a fitting solution
Every good wedding has to have one teensy, tiny crisis.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.