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The City of Toronto has issued an “order to remedy unsafe building” to Live Nation Canada about the state of Rogers Stadium after the concert venue was damaged by Wednesday’s storm.
The order was issued Thursday after the city inspected the open-air venue in North York that seats 50,000 people.
A sold out concert by AC/DC is scheduled to take place at the stadium, located on the former Downsview Airport lands, on Sept. 16. The show has not been cancelled or rescheduled.
Live Nation Canada, which operates the venue, said late Wednesday that no one was injured by the extreme weather but Rogers Stadium sustained “significant damage.”
“Our teams are continuing to assess the extent of the damage. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” a spokesperson for Live Nation Canada said in an email on Friday.
‘They may not be able to get AC/DC in’: councillor
Coun. James Pasternak, who represents York Centre, said safety must be guaranteed before any crowds can return.
“This stadium collapsed in a major storm event, and the question is, can they reconstruct it and repair it so that it’s satisfactory, so that it’s safe,” he said. “They may not be able to get AC/DC in this year.”
Drone photos of the stadium show bright blue bleachers crumpled and strewn across grandstands that appear to have partially collapsed.
The storm left some serious damage to Rogers Stadium, a 50,000-capacity music venue in the city’s north end. Live Nation said no one was injured and they are assessing the extent of the damage.
According to the order, Live Nation Canada must take immediate steps to secure the site, hire an engineer and repair the damage.
The order describes the damage in detail, saying it included “collapsed sections of the north stadium structure, damaged seating areas, and distorted, displaced, or otherwise compromised structural framing associated with various temporary structures.
“In addition, other structures and equipment within the stadium grounds were impacted by high winds, including overturned viewing stations, tents, and shipping containers.”
The order goes on to say the damage “may pose a risk to the health and safety of persons” due to structural elements that are displaced and the potential for the structure to be unstable.
The city has ordered Live Nation Canada to:
- Prevent access to all damaged structures, temporary structures, and areas affected by the storm.
- Hire a licensed professional engineer to assess all structures, including seating areas, affected by the storm, identify unsafe areas and determine the measures to be taken to address those areas.
- Prepare a report by Sept. 8 identifying the damage, measures to be taken and a schedule for the work.
- Carry out the necessary repairs identified by the engineer.
- Submit another report by Sept. 11 confirming the status of the repairs to be taken and “whether the affected structures are safe and structurally adequate for their intended use and occupancy.”
For at least one fan, however, there is still hope that the show will go on.
Miguel Avila, 61, a Toronto resident, said his tickets for the Sept. 16 show are in the grandstands and he is following the situation closely.
‘We all love AC/DC and we’re willing to wait’
Avila said he hasn’t tried to get a refund yet. If the stadium is deemed not ready for the concert, he said that will not be a problem for him.
“We all love AC/DC and we’re willing to wait. If the organizers decide to rebuild it, reconstruct it, we’re willing to wait.”
But he said the damage does raise concerns.
“It open up questions about the way it was constructed,” he said.
Avila said he started listening to AC/DC when he was a teenager and hopes to see the band perform.
“I was really excited but I’m patient,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”
