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Redevelopment plans for a downtown Toronto property that houses a beloved bar and live music venue have been withdrawn, much to the joy of community members.
The application to redevelop Sneaky Dee’s was “bungled” after the property next door, owned by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), was included in the plan, unbeknownst to the financial institution, says Coun. Josh Matlow (Toronto-St. Paul’s). He says “uproar” from the community could have also played a factor in the decision.
“It’s a cultural icon. It’s not just a bar,” he said. “For generations Torontonians have been going to Sneaky Dee’s, not only for a fun night out, but there are communities that see [the bar] as a cultural centre.”
Matlow says “an organized effort” by the community to fight back against the decision would’ve added a lot of pressure on the property owner and developers.
“Sneaky Dee’s will live to see another day,” he told CBC Toronto Saturday.
CBC Toronto has reached out to the owners of Sneaky Dee’s for confirmation.
At the end of May, regulars of the beloved bar and music venue spoke out against the plans at council. Wearing white “Save Sneaky Dee’s” pins, several speakers told councillors that redeveloping the plot at College and Bathurst streets into a 16-storey building would be a crushing blow to Toronto’s cultural scene.
At the time, a representative for a developer working on the project, Goldberg Group, told the meeting that space in the new building would be earmarked for Sneaky Dee’s. Clay Janzen also said the company would help the bar find an interim location in the area when work on the development starts, which she said is years away.
Community member Monika Baird said some regulars have been visiting the bar for nearly 40 years and that it’s a safe space for people to be their “authentic selves.” ((CBC))
Seeing the community coming together, with people as far as Yellowknife and Australia reaching out to support, gave patrons hope and optimism that the redevelopment decision could be reversed, said Toronto resident Monika Baird.
She said some regulars have been visiting the bar for nearly 40 years and that it’s a safe space for people to be their “authentic selves.”
“We knew the community would come together to do everything possible to keep this place from closing,” she said. “That type of community doesn’t happen out of nowhere, that is years and years and years of love and appreciation for what this bar does.”
CBC Toronto reached out to Coun. Dianne Saxe (University-Rosedale) for comment.
RBC spoke out against property redevelopment
In a letter to the Toronto and East York Community Council, RBC retail transactions director Johanna Oakley urged councillors to reject the redevelopment. She said RBC was not part of any plans on the property, nor was it aware of the application.
“RBC operates a retail bank branch at this site and intends to carry on with this use,” she said in the letter.
Oakley also spoke on the bank’s years-long relationship with neighbour Sneaky Dee’s, adding that the branch “would be entirely content to see that relationship continue.”
Matlow said shortly after, council received a letter from the applicants withdrawing the redevelopment plans.
CBC Toronto reached out to the Goldberg Group for comment.
Sneaky Dee’s was a home, safe space for many
Matlow said dozens of people had reached out to council to speak against redevelopment, but the withdrawal has evoked “a hallelujah type of cry” from the community.
“There was elation,” he said.
Lily Ruble, who worked as a server at Sneaky Dee’s for three years, said the venue is like a home to many Torontonians.
In an industry that sees a lot of turnover in ownership and staff, she says Sneaky Dee’s has been an outlier, with the same family running the place and workers that have been there for decades.
Martin Perez, who along with Baird is an organizer of a campaign to save Sneaky Dee’s, said the bar is a nightlife staple for so many in the city.
“This really became kind of a community centre for me,” he said. “I’ve met friends that I’ve had for my whole life basically since I moved to Canada.”
He said the group, while celebrating the win, will continue to look into “extra protections” for the venue to ensure other redevelopment plans aren’t made.