TORONTO – If you’re a bagpipe-playing Vancouverite, you’re out of luck.
After a department review of busking permits, the West Coast city has determined that four instruments are responsible for the majority of noise complaints.
To the dismay of some locals, bagpipes, bongos, drums and tambourines can no longer be picked up and played by buskers according to the new policy.
Kilt-clad Kyle Banta, an award-winning bagpiper, told Postmedia News that he can’t control the volume of his instrument.
“Bagpipes aren’t like a guitar or a flute – bagpipes are already amplified, so there is no way you can turn it down,” he told the Vancouver Province.
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Global News takes a look at five other bans on noise.
1. Vuvuzelas: The Iepatata Mambu plastic horn, which makes a loud monotone note, rose to global fame in the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa. The vuvuzela – inspired by another horn used to summon villages – has become a staple of South African football as spectators packed in stadiums would blare the raucous sound. It can even lead to permanent hearing loss in some cases, which could explain why it was banned at Wimbledon, Yankee Stadium, Ultimate Fighting Championships and the NFL to name a few.
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2. Loud commercials: MP Nina Grewal, also out of the Greater Vancouver Area, is on a crusade to force advertisers to turn down the volume on loud television commercials. She says Canadians are “sick and tired of having to reach for the remote control every time a commercial comes on their TV.” Bill C-621 would make broadcasters ensure commercial volume matches the programs they accompany.
3. Fireworks: They’re too loud and bright for some municipalities in B.C., such as Surrey and Abbotsford. Last year, the regions banned fireworks and noticed a dramatic drop in responding to fires during Halloween celebrations and Diwali. In Vancouver, fireworks are akin to drinking – you have to be 19 to buy them. You also have to pass a test and set them off in the city only on Halloween.
4. Ice cream truck music: The nostalgic whimsy of the ice cream truck’s short but sweet jingle on loop can be as sickening as too much soft serve in some suburbs in New York. It may be the song that signals the arrival of an afternoon treat for kids but for Brooklyn parents, it’s warning bells for ruining supper or throwing a tantrum.
5. Hip-hop music: Artists are infuriated by a ban on all hip-hop and rap music in bars and clubs. The owners of Le Pionnier bar in Pointe Claire say the Regie des alcohols along with Montreal police wouldn’t hand over a liquor license unless the bar agreed to not allow hip-hop music. Musicians and their supporters took to the streets to protest in front of the Montreal courthouse last week to draw attention to the controversy.
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