Good news: The Federal Government has eliminated the international musician fee!

Today is a good day for Canadian promoters and venues from across the nation as the Federal Government has "quietly" done away with the international musician fee. Here's the summary by 1310 News: 

"The removal of a work permit requirement for foreign musical acts, part of the government’s overhaul of the controversial temporary foreign worker program, went largely unnoticed amid a spate of other measures announced last week.

Last summer, in their zeal to start cracking down on temporary foreign workers in the face of mounting criticism, the Conservatives added a $275 processing fee on top of a $150 work permit for each member of a musical act from outside the country who were hired to play small Canadian venues.

The government said at the time the fee was aimed at helping to cover the costs of determining whether a Canadian should be hired instead of a temporary foreign worker in the music sector."

As we all know, there are a substantial number of global electronic dance music acts that travel to Canada every year to play to adoring fans. With the levy now lifted, this will allow even more acts to be booked in the future as the saving on the $275 processing fee is vital, especially for smaller venues and promoters in Canada. 

To read the full story, click here.