Sneaky Dee's, the iconic live music venue at College and Bathurst Streets in Toronto, will avoid demolition after the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) confirmed it owns the property and does not support the proposed redevelopment. The about-face came just before a Toronto city council meeting, following weeks of grassroots campaigning.
RBC's letter changes course
In a letter addressed to Toronto city council prior to last Wednesday's meeting, RBC stated: "It is worth noting that the recent news coverage was focused on the dislocation of our neighbour, Sneaky Dees, a popular community music venue. We believe that it is worth pointing out here that our business has co-existed with the Sneaky Dees use for many years and we would be entirely content to see that relationship continue."
Johanna Oakley, director of retail transactions at RBC, clarified in a separate letter: "This letter is to make absolutely clear that the parcel at 429 College Street is under RBC ownership and not the numbered company who has submitted the above-mentioned development application. The present development scheme cannot proceed in the absence of proponent ownership of the 429 College Street parcel."
Developer withdraws application
Following RBC's notice, Michael J. Goldberg, founding principal of the Goldberg Group, formally withdrew the development application. In a letter to city council, he wrote: "I have been instructed by the president of my client’s companies to formally withdraw the subject application, which this email is doing. With this formal action taken by the owner, this withdrawn application should also be withdrawn from the agenda of the July 8 Community Council meeting."
The proposed development was a 16-storey mixed-use building with 130 one-bedroom units, 52 two-bedroom units, and 21 three-bedroom units. It also included 1,235 square metres of non-residential space comprising two retail units and one music venue space on the ground floor and basement level.
History of the battle
According to the Save Sneaky Dee's website, the fight for this parcel of land began in November 2020 when the Toronto and East York community council received the original application for a 13-storey mixed-use building. The battle has been on and off ever since.
Sneaky Dee's has been a fixture of Toronto's alternative music scene since 1987, providing a launching pad for bands like the Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene, Feist, and Arcade Fire. The venue is also known for its heaping piles of nachos.
Community and political support
The campaign to save the venue drew support from Councillor Josh Matlow. "For generations, Sneaky Dee’s has been a special place for so many Torontonians," Matlow wrote on X. "The delicious burros, the music and most importantly, the community. It’s more than a bar — it’s part of our city’s cultural scene. Supporting more housing should not have to come at the expense of ensuring that we also have schools, social services, parks, infrastructure and, yes, the iconic places that we love and value. May Sneaks continue to make our city a more fun and happy place — and where people feel they belong."
