From naloxone kits to earplugs: A Saskatoon music venue's plan to make concerts safer and more welcoming
Amigos Cantina, a restaurant and music venue in Saskatoon, is implementing several changes for its guests after conducting a community consultation survey in October.
The venue has been open since 1988, hosts two to three concerts a week and can hold up to 300 people.
According to Amigo Cantina’s Facebook page, it said some guests didn’t always feel safe and wanted to do something about it.
“We didn’t realize all the barriers that certain groups may face while they go out to have a nice time or just go out,” owner and manager Jim Clarke told CTV News.
Several hundred people filled out the “lengthy survey” and some changes have already been implemented, Clarke said.
Gender neutral bathrooms, sound panels to control volume, expanded seating and earlier show times are the ideas that concertgoers will already notice.
Clarke says the venue plans on developing a safe space policy, having naloxone trained staff, designing a mocktail menu and having staff walk concert goers to their car for safety.
The venue also plans to make earplugs available to concertgoers.
Anna Haverstock is a singer and guitarist and has been performing at Amigos Cantina for nearly eight years. She says the new changes will make patrons, artists and other guests feel safer.
“It makes me really happy and feel like there’s a good future for all of us that like to attend or play shows,” Haverstock said.
Haverstock participated in the survey and says the new measures will go a long way.
DeAnn Mercier, executive director of Broadway Business Improvement District, says the venue is taking leadership by posting the changes it's making on social media so the public can hold them accountable.
“So it’s not just saying ‘these are the missions and values’ but actually saying ‘these are the steps operationally that we are going to do that are going to create change,’” Mercier said.
Mercier says the changes are an opportunity for other businesses to follow suit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.