MONTREAL - Old Montreal buskers require considerable entertainment flair but they also need to master a demanding set of bureaucratic procedures.
Those who want to perform have to get approved, licensed, sign a contract, phone in the morning and show up and get assigned a spot, all before they get to hear the magic sound of that first coin getting tossed into their cases.
The artists’ resistance to the rules, which were newly-tweaked last month, spilled over recently when juggling busker Stephen Moore scuffled with a police officer attempting to remove him from Place Jacques Cartier for not being in compliance with the myriad rules.
Moore later explained that he has a license but refused to sign the accompanying contract which he feels puts unnecessary restrictions on his performances.
On Friday, six more public performers came forward complaining that the rules are onerous and make their art hard to juggle with their performances.
Their legal representative claimed that the city contract is illegal because, for one, it restricts the buskers from gainfully earning their keep and they want the system redrawn.
Their lawyer Roger Archambault offers one example.
“I may tell you that you may perform your métier three hours from now. You come to the place at 1 p.m. and it starts raining and pouring you will not be able to exercise your métier,” said their legal representative Robert Archambault.
But the Ville Marie borough is standing firm in its defense of the rules.
“The borough doesn't believe that these ordinances violate the fundamental rights of these artists,” said Ville Marie borough representative,” said Ville Marie borough representative Anik de Repentigny.
The rules aim to inject the occasional bit of new blood into the performance scene.
“We also want to give a chance to new permit holders a chance to experiment Place Jacques Cartier,” she said.
But that does not sit well with the veteran street entertainers and the talent has thinned out lately as some days very few performers are present in places where they usual convene in great numbers.
The buskers are exploring the possibility of taking legal action but meanwhile those who appreciate their work, including the nearby merchants, hope the conflict is settled amicably soon, because their shows are an enjoyable part of the Old Montreal experience.
“It adds that little something that people come for,” Raphael Creton, Manager at A l'Aventure.
