Film exec ‘cautiously optimistic’ after ACC proposes changes to accessible seating

WATCH ABOVE: Paul Bronfman says MLSE officials are committed to improving concert viewing from lower level accessible seating. Mark Carcasole reports.

TORONTO — A Toronto film mogul says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the proposed changes to accessible seating at the Air Canada Centre, in order to develop a better viewing experience for people with disabilities.

Paul Bronfman, chairman and CEO of the Comweb Group, William F. White International Inc. and chairman of Pinewood Toronto Studios, says he’s glad to see Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment stepping up to do something about improving the sight lines for the accessible seating section after he went public with his complaints.

READ MORE: Film mogul outraged over accessible seating view at Air Canada Centre

He says after a meeting with an MLSE official yesterday, the ACC has pledged to no longer sell tickets for seats in the rows directly in front of the accessible section and will now include a ramp that is raised eight inches in order for those in the section to see over the heads of other concertgoers.

“It will help. I won’t know until I go to the next show because you can’t really tell until you’re on the vantage point. However, it is a gesture, it’s a good gesture I have to give them credit,” says Bronfman.

“So we’ll see what happens. You know, words are cheap. I want to go to the next concert, I want to see that those seats are empty and that they’re cordoned off because of course when concertgoers see empty seats they’re going to grab them.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So we'll see what happens. You know, words are cheap. I want to go to the next concert, I want to see that those seats are empty and that they're cordoned off because of course when concertgoers see empty seats they're going to grab them."

Bronfman says he has had many bad experiences with trying to view events at the ACC, but the issue hit a boiling point for him last week at a U2 concert in Toronto where he says fans stood up in front of the accessible seating section and blocked his view.

“So I’m cautiously optimistic that we will get some action from these folk at MLSE,” he says.

“But they also know that they’re not going to be able to do nothing, [because] they’re going to continue to hear from me.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "But they also know that they're not going to be able to do nothing, [because] they're going to continue to hear from me."

A spokesman for MLSE says they are continue to work on the issue to find a resolution for concertgoers in the accessible section, but Bronfman says Toronto Maple Leaf games will still be an issue because season ticket holders can’t be asked to move from the rows directly in front of the accessible section.

“Delivering the very best experience we can for every fan, at every event we host, is our constant priority,” a statement from MLSE states.

“We have been working diligently to address the issue raised by Mr. Bronfman and have presented a solution to him that we believe will improve the experience for all fans in the lower level accessible section, particularly for concerts where fans stand throughout the show.”

But Bronfman says MLSE will have to relocate season ticket holders for Leafs games, or the issue will continue to be a point of contention.

“They know they have a problem, it’s going to require them removing some sections and really redesigning quite a bit of the accessible areas,” he says.

“But they’ve got the money I would assume. I haven’t seen their financial statements but MLSE I think make a few bucks so they can afford it.”

James Glasbergen says he has faced the same issue as Bronfman, but has gotten nowhere trying to raise the issue with MLSE over the past decade.

“No changes have ever been made and for the last 10 years they keep promising that they’re working on a solution, they’re looking into it, they assure me that it’s important to them but nothing ever changes,” he said.

“We all know that they have the money to do it, it’s not a hard fix, it just seems to me like they’re unwilling to do it and I don’t know why — it’s too bad.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We all know that they have the money to do it, it's not a hard fix, it just seems to me like they're unwilling to do it and I don't know why — it's too bad."

Glasbergen says he’s angry because of the fact that he doesn’t pay discounted prices for tickets in the accessible section and his view is often obscured.

“When I go to a concert I’m constantly moving around trying to see between a shoulder here and there, hopefully I have an aisle seat so that I can look straight down the aisle,” he says.

“But it’s ridiculous, people are paying hundreds of dollars for concerts and not being able to see anything — it’s wrong, it’s unfair and it’s unjust.”

Bronfman says he and Glasbergen have experienced the same type of “lip service” from MLSE for years, but that he’s happy to see others in the community speaking out.

“It really bothers me when a private corporation with the financial means doesn’t do the right thing,” Bronfman said.

“All they needed was quite a push, now they’re going to get one.”

With files from Mark Carcasole