Busking in Nanaimo

[queen of the waterfront]

TH
they are not so lenient with buskers.
i have had my guitar for 30 years. i can lose it tomorrow if someone makes a bogus complaint.i am not sure if piper can post the injunction, but I know that if we are found to be in violation of any statute of the bylaw we can lose our instruments and go to jail.
every time we play we live in fear. An anonymous complaint.playing on the wrong colored spot,or having one member at the bathroom when a bylaw officer comes along can mean a two thousand dollar fine or worse.
Some times I dream that we do violate the bylaws and video tape the proceeding , and when I do they break my arm because I am resisting arrest. I dont know if i am brave enough but because I have post traumatic stress disorder sometimes i think i migjht be stupid enough.
my heart breaks for Pipers luittle boy who just loved the music and has had to see the police and the Port Authority guys.
My heart breaks for me because i am afraid. EVERYDAY I PRAY THAT I WILL FIND THE COURAGE TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF AND IN DEMOCRACY

[queen of the waterfront]

BAlance is when everything is on an even keel . when all the rules are above board and equal.Not so with the bylaws . every day the playing field has something new. now the Port Authority has apparently got a special events licence. Why dont they tell the buskers who pay for a locence.Why dont they make the game open to every one?

[queen of the waterfront]

you should be on the next busking bylaw review. you know what it is like to be there and do that.
Because of what happened to me last Friday I believe the city must review the bylaw I want people like you who have walked the walk to do the talking
I love Nanaimo i believe in Nanaimo I want the best for Nanaimo look at halifax Edmonton and Edinburgh
millions of dollars are generated by busking festivals. We have location, location location
I see money money money

[kickidee]

And for the hird time true. I am off to my day job wich is not my druthers at all times though I'm lucky enough to like it and pay the bills. This is the sad truth about art. Only the most ambitious make it, and because art dosnt come from the same place as dollars and cents savvy few are. I should so love to paint my days away but who knows maybe I'd grow to look at that as a grind if I put in the ammount of full time hours the job demands! Still a little less day job and a little more art time would be nice. This is why I take the busker issues so seriously, It's an art form that could find it's way to evryones benifit. That is untill some artists enemy in the world of power decides its too easy simple. or wants to controll it.
And the band? I was completely amazed at what my girls band teacher was able to do with more than 100 novice musicians in the course of three months. My daughter just lives for the band. Thankfully she also has a big interest in becoming a pipe fitter. Just like you said....balance.

[queen of the waterfront]

Kickadee we just figured out what all the kafuffle is about.
perhaps we have to put this on the corruption thread.

piper went to the courthouse and found out that the reason Nanaimo city hall didnt sue us for costs and damages after the injunction was put in place is

BECAUSE tHE INJUNCTION IS PROBABLY NOT VALID IN THE FIRST PLACE.

FOR FIVE YEARS THE CITY HAS BEEN USING THIS INJUNCTION AS A BASEBALL BAT TO INTIMIDATE BUSKERS EVEN ARRESTING AND JAILING YOUNG ADAM BAKER.

PIPER WILL BE POSTING WHAT HE FOUND TODAY ON THE FORUM.

city bylaws do not apply to Port property and yet we were given tickets on Port Property for protesting the bylaw. When we disputed the tickets the City Of Nanaimo went directly to the Injunction process.
I have the forms for a human rights complaint but we sure could use a good lawyer.
If this is not corruption I dont know what is!

[Smokey©]

Well Queen and Piper and other buskers, I sympathize with you and your trials you are facing with regards to the busking bylaw. Unfortunately, you have becomes victim of the bylaws officers and the mixed jurisdiction of harbour commission lands and city lands, as well as the enforcement of harbour commission personnel.

Corruption is the act of a person getting a personal benefit (usually momentary or a promise of position following a performance). Neither the City of Nanaimo, nor the Harbour Commission or even John Ruttan or Gary Korpan have anything to gain from your interpretation of their actions. You may feel that you are being picked on by them and the law and with that I agree, however to bring corruption into the equation is not only inaccurate but unfair.

PS: I am not disputing your interpretation

[Smokey©]

OOPS . . . The Harbour Commission is actually The Nanaimo Port Authority!

Their Charter between the Port Authority and the City of Nanaimo which covers the bylaws and policing enforcement can be found HERE (.doc file)

[queen of the waterfront]

Thankyou Smokey and welcome back

i had no idea there was such a thing.Spent most of the afternoon with bylaws and they never mentioned it.
how curious!

[kickidee]

And this has been my point all along. How do we know why this was done? Someone had to have got something out of it or there was no point in doing it was there? This is my question the one at the back of my mind all along. Why are they doing this? Why would anyone create a false or invalid injunction? What purpose is served? Why do they care so much? After five years? What are they hiding? Someone in that pack of big boys must be getting something from it and I'd think along the lines of a position, the approval of some big wig kill joy who perhaps owns waterfront property and dosnt care for the music. How do we know there was no payoff? We have no answers here except this definately needs to be challenged. We need the transcript on this fellow arrested and jailed, and how did that happen under a false injunction? Hey Smokey thanks for the link. Before I open my mouth too wide I'd better get a bit more education. One thing I know is I know nothing but that I am very intuitive and I'd love to be in on finding the rat in this pile!!

[kickidee]

To me this charter generally illustrates that the port Authority and the City of Nanaimo work together on issues that are of mutual interest to both parties. O.K. Explains why the mayor has his nose in there. He's an incredibly sensitive fellow, suing people for stating or making public their oppinions. Is he suffering from a lack of a sense of humor or does the truth hurt? Now I know nothing of our mayor, being as he is certainly not as happy and personable as the last one, but I am admittedly one who trusts no politician, so this is merely my oppinion. I don't/can't blame Queen for her corruption suspician. Almost every politician needs some of it or they'd have a hard time getting elected. This charter points to the fact that one just butters up the other. There may be some danger in having two authoritive bodies agreeing to agree with each other. What if one is corrupted? Who is left to oppose or police them?