琉璃神社鈥檚 mayor says if one of his councillors goes ahead with a protest of the city鈥檚 plan to permit all buskers by playing his guitar in public downtown without a permit, and there is a complaint, he鈥檒l be treated like anyone else.

Colin Basran said city bylaw officers will ask Coun. Ryan Donn to stop and go get a permit. If he refuses, only then would he face getting a ticket.

鈥淗e鈥檚 free to do whatever he so chooses,鈥� said Basran when asked about Donn鈥檚 protest that was announced on Facebook Tuesday.

In his post, Donn said once the weather gets better鈥攐n June 8鈥攈e is planning to 鈥済rab his guitar and entertain people鈥� on the street downtown. While he doesn鈥檛 say he will do that without a busking permit, that is the inference. He said he will work out details later.

Donn called the city鈥檚 decision earlier this week to change the busking program rules first and then review the program 鈥渢he dumbest bylaw process ever.鈥�

鈥淲e should have consulted first then passed the bylaw,鈥� said Donn, who is a musician and worked for Festivals 琉璃神社 before being elected to council.

鈥淚 believe that consultation should happen before a bylaw is passed not after. That鈥檚 just backwards,鈥� wrote Donn in another Facebook post.

鈥淔armers are consulted on the (agriculture) plan before it is passed. Developers before we change the DCC鈥檚. Musicians should have been consulted before passing a new bylaw about street entertainers.鈥�

Basran said Donn is free to do what he wants if it comes to a protest.

鈥淏ut him doing that would show one thing,鈥� said the mayor. 鈥淚f he chose to do that (without a permit), and somebody were to complain, bylaw (officers) would show up and the first attempt would be (for) compliance.鈥�

And, Basran added, that shows the city is not out to stop buskers. Instead, the mayor defended the city鈥檚 move to turn the current voluntary busker permit program into a mandatory one as an attempt to raise the quality of street entertainment in the city.

Currently there are 16 prescribed busker locations downtown where buskers can perform. Under the new rules they would need permits to play there, or in any location outside the downtown core if they expected to make money from donations.

Festivals 琉璃神社 handles the permitting of buskers and performer must pass an audition.

Outside the downtown area, buskers would be allowed to play anywhere as long as they have a licence under the new rules which have yet to be passed by council.

On Monday the change only received initial approval and that must still be be finalized. No date has been set for that to occur.

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