Mayor Tory says Toronto needs to support the arts with more than money

WATCH: Dave Trafford has the details on Mayor Tory’s trip to Austin, Texas to attend SXSW.

TORONTO – Mayor John Tory says his two-day trip to Austin, Texas will be followed up by measurable action. Something, he said, did not happen after Rob Ford’s initial trip which set up the Austin-Toronto music-city alliance in 2013.

The 2-day trip is meant to make the world’s first music-city alliance between Toronto and Austin originally set up by Ford, a tangible benefit for the city of Toronto.

“Because I’m going to come back after the trip and I’m going to devote myself… to actually define a list of things to do that include promotion here at home, include getting out of the way sometimes, and include an action plan that will be measurable,” Tory said.

WATCH: Toronto Mayor John Tory revealed more details about his Austin-Toronto music business mission 

Ford held a similar mission in the fall of 2013 with the goal of positioning Toronto as a leading live music tourist destination.

A number of Toronto music industry representatives will be joining the mayor in Austin, Texas including a prominent venue owners and promoters.

Councillor Josh Colle, who went with Rob Ford during the initial trip in 2013, said Toronto has seen marked growth in the music industry since.

WATCH: John Tory stresses importance of music industry in Toronto

“We’ve seen the industry unified in a way in Toronto that it’s never been before,” he said. “We’ve got the infrastructure, more live venues, more artists and musicians living in the city of Toronto.”

The city is getting close to $25 per capita funding of the arts industry in Toronto – a benchmark set as a goal across Canada, and exceeded in some cities including Montreal.

WATCH: What are the benefits of the Toronto-Austin music mission?

But, Tory said, supporting the music industry is about more than just increasing funding.

“It’s about having a government, a city government that embraces the industry and embraces the musicians,” Tory said.

He said the city needs to support the industry by getting rid of “red tape”, responding to noise concerns, building more outdoor venues.

The business mission takes places March 18 and 19.