Electric Island, a large 2 day-electronic music festival with an estimated capacity of 5000 attendees, was first held at the Fort York Grounds on the Labour Day long weekend in August 2023. There were countless noise and other complaints made to 311 and to Councillor Ausma Malik's office during and after this event but despite neighbourhood objections and complaints, ELECTRIC ISLAND IS NOW COMING BACK TO FORT YORK FOR NOT ONE BUT TWO LONG WEEKEND DATES IN 2024 (May Long weekend and Labour Day Long weekend).

A news story and investigation by CityNews addressing resident concern around the Electric Island Music Festival can be viewed using this link: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/05/07/fort-york-residents-say-no-to-electronic-music-festival/  

Some concerns around this large music festival include:

 1. Losing access to public green space over a long weekend: The primary dwelling in Fort York/Liberty Village consists of condominiums, so having access to outdoor green space is vital for the emotional and physical health of neighbourhood residents. Loss of access to parts of the Fort York green space is not limited to the two days the music festival actually takes place, but begins 3 days prior for event setup and follows with 2 days for event teardown. In total, the event space is closed for approx. one week leading into and out of a long weekend so Electric Island can use the space. 

2) Condition of the grounds following the Electric Island music festival: The grounds of Fort York that were part of the Labour day 2023 music festival were completely flattened and destroyed. There was also a large amount of garbage that was left behind including cigarette butts, water bottle caps, and zip ties which were fastened to the privacy fence surrounding the event grounds. As of May 2024, piles of cigarette butts and hundreds of zip ties still littered the Fort York grounds. Multiple complaints from neighbourhood residents to arrange cleanup of this garbage was largely ignored by event organizers. The grass in some areas of Fort York also never recovered, reduced to a permanent dust/mud pit while the grass in other areas was just beginning to regrow and regenerate after intervention by City of Toronto parks staff in spring 2024.

3) Noise: The Electronic Music Amplification (Bass) was deafening and pounded the walls and windows of neighbouring residential units for hours well into the night over the 2-day music festival in August 2023. The vibrations and sound/bass were so loud that windows and walls at the 30 Ordnance street building (the closest building to the event) was shaking and rattling. A CityTV reporter investigated resident concerns around this event in April 2024, and discovered that Councillor Ausma Malik's office approved noise exemption permits for both the labour day 2023 event, as well as the two event dates in 2024 (May long weekend and Labour Day long weekend). Link: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/05/07/fort-york-residents-say-no-to-electronic-music-festival/ 

4) Capacity and footprint of events: Electric Island publishes there is a 5000 ticket capacity limit for each event. In addition to festival attendees damaging/flattening the grass, there are not sufficient portable washrooms facilities available for an event of this size. People were witnessed urinating and defecating in the surrounding parks during the Labour Day 2023 festival, and the same is expected for this year's event dates, despite the installation of additional portable washrooms. This contributes to an unnecessary health and hygiene risk, when there are other far more suitable venues which can accommodate for this type of event, including Downsview Park, Woodbine Park, or the Exhibition grounds. The Canada Day long weekend 2024 event is already scheduled to be held at Downsview park confirming that an alternative venue is readily available for Electric Island to use. 

5) Infrastructure limitations and Accessibility restrictions: The infrastructure in Fort York/Liberty Village cannot support the numbers of people or vehicles on a normal day let alone on days bringing in an influx of 5000 people into the area. Electric Island also features a two-stage layout, resulting in the closure of the only path connecting the Garrison bridge to the Bentway/Liberty Village. This path is the single access point connecting Garrison/Liberty Village to the Bentway/Fort York, and it's closure forces all bike and foot traffic to the Strachan bridge, which is already overflowing with cars and people on weekends. 

The density of the population of Fort York and Garrison/Liberty Village has increased dramatically the last 5-10 years. The city is collecting huge property tax revenues from residents of Fort York and Liberty Village, but not addressing concerns from residents about noise, infrastructure limitations, and disruptive events. There seems to be no consideration for residents' emotional and physical well-being, and rights to a peaceful long weekend. 

Sign this petition to prevent Electric Island from becoming a permanent fixture during future long weekends in Fort York, and to send a message that enough is enough with dumping large events on neighbourhood residents without proper consultation and notice. 

CityNews addressing resident around the Electric Island Music Festival can be viewed using this link: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/05/07/fort-york-residents-say-no-to-electronic-music-festival/