Item - 2023.CA8.5

During the review of the Order Paper on October 11, 2023, City Council adopted a procedural motion to remove this Item from the jurisdiction of the Civic Appointments Committee and bring it forward for consideration by City Council.

Candidates' biographies:

Paul Banwatt

Paul Banwatt is the drummer for the rock band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and a partner at the law firm, Gilbert's LLP. Paul also serves as a board member of the Long Winter Music and Arts Festival. Paul has been nominated for a Juno, won CBC and Galaxie Rising Stars music awards, made several appearances on the US and Canadian Billboard charts, played the Coachella Music Festival, and been featured in numerous publications such as Spin, New Musical Express, Playboy Magazine, and The New York Times.

Shaun Bowring

Shaun Bowring is the founder, owner/operator of Toronto live music venues The Garrison (350 cap) and The Baby G (150 cap) and concert promotion company Transmit Presents. Shaun is long time board member of the Little Portugal Business Improvement Area and a co-founder of the Dundas West Fest annual street Festival. In addition to being a musician and entrepreneur, Shaun is an active advocate for the live music industry and night economy.

Melissa Bubb-Clarke

In her current role as Senior Vice President, Music and Live Events at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Melissa Bubb-Clarke oversees Live Entertainment. The portfolio includes oversight of Live Nation Canada's award winning Corporate Partnerships agency and live event programming and production for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment venues, driving associated revenue. Melissa sits on the Board of Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and Musicounts. Past board positions include Unison and the Canadian Live Music Association. Melissa lives in Toronto with her husband John and children Anna and Oliver.

Jonathan Bunce

Jonathan Bunce (a.k.a. Jonny Dovercourt) is a music writer, researcher, and concert presenter. He is co-founder and Artistic/Executive Director of Wavelength Music, a non-profit indie music organization for over 20 years, and has programmed and curated events for the Music Gallery and the Images Festival. His first book, Any Night of the Week: A DIY History of Toronto Music 1957-2001, was published in 2020 and adapted as a podcast by the Toronto International Festival of Authors.

Charlotte Cornfield

Charlotte Cornfield (she/her) is a Polaris long-listed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and curator from Toronto. She has released 5 albums, toured internationally, and in 2022 Rolling Stone called her "Canada's Best-Kept Secret." From 2014-2019 she was the artistic director and booker of Burdock Music Hall in Toronto's west end, where she put on hundreds of shows across a wide array of musical genres. She is passionate about Toronto's music scene and has been a Toronto Media Arts Centre member since 2019.

Brighid Fry

Brighid Fry is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, performing musician and aspiring producer who at 20 years old has released five EPs on her own and with bands Kingdom of Birds and Housewife (formerly Moscow Apartment). Brighid co-produced her critically acclaimed sophomore EP, Better Daughter, released in July 2020 which resulted in a global record deal with Hazel Street Records/Sony Music. She has won a Canadian Folk Music Award and a Toronto Independent Music Award.

Kristyn Gelfand

Kristyn Gelfand is a Toronto-based curator, arts administrator, producer, and activator with over two decades of experience creating spaces for music and expression. From her early start in the vibrant techno scene of the late 90s, she has sought to create fun, liminal, and meaningful events, bringing audiences together to enjoy music from around the globe. Since 2012, she has worked with Uma Nota Culture as hosting events uniting dancefloor-centred music by live bands and DJs.

Umair Jaffar

Umair Jaffar brings two decades of experience working in the arts, heritage and culture sector. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Small World Music, one of Toronto's most significant presenters of culturally-diverse music and also the producers of the Global Toronto Showcase and Music Conference. He is a fellow at Toronto Art Council's Cultural Leaders Lab and Business/Arts Executive Leadership program. He has a Master of Business Administration from University of Adelaide and a Master of Science in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford.

Sarah Jarvis

Sarah Jarvis, Director of Community Engagement at Destination Toronto, is responsible for sector product development with a focus on arts and culture, and culinary, and oversees the Community Engagement plan, helping industry stakeholders benefit from the region's visitor economy. Sarah, a trained musician, has had a long career in the arts and culture sector, working for organizations such as Luminato, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Endeavour Marketing and the Canadian Opera Company.

Tracy Jenkins

Tracy Jenkins is Executive and Co-Artistic Director of Lula Music and Arts Centre, providing year-round programming for the Toronto live music venue Lula Lounge, with a focus on Latin, Brazilian and global roots music. She has produced 15 editions of the annual Lulaworld festival as well as Women in Percussion and Toronto International Samba Reggae Festivals. In addition to managing the Juno winning Lulaworld record label, Tracy oversees Lula's educational and artist development initiatives.

Jeremy Kesten

Jeremy Kesten is a founder/partner of Platform Entertainment, co-presenter of the Electric Island music series, and is also the owner of a retail digital print business called Park Agency Print Shop in Parkdale Toronto. As a web developer, he has managed the website and online marketing for Electric Island and The BPM Festival and more. Jeremy worked at GRIP Limited advertising company as a Senior Web Developer working for clients such as Labatt and Honda. Jeremy lives on Queen Street West, Toronto.

John Kiru

John Kiru has over 40 years of experience specializing in local business improvement and planning for municipalities. For the past 23 years, John has managed as its Executive Director the day-to-day operation of Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA). TABIA is an umbrella organization representing Toronto's 84 Business Improvement Areas, with more than 90,000 main street retailers, professionals, landowners, and occupants who employ some 600,000 full and part time employees.

Heela Omarkhail

Heela is Vice President, Social Impact at The Daniels Corporation, one of Canada's largest and pre-eminent builder/developers. She is responsible for ensuring that the social, cultural and economic infrastructures of communities built by Daniels are as strong as the new buildings. Heela believes in the potential of real estate development industry to positively shape how communities and cities come together to foster inclusion and resilience.

Phoenix Pagliacci

Phoenix Pagliacci is an artist and activist. Born and raised in Toronto, Phoenix began her artistic journey at the age of six, playing the piano and singing. Phoenix has performed across North America, working with Canadian artists such as Eternia, Tara Chase, Michie Mee, Jully Black, Shad and Ghettosocks.

Tinesha Richards

Tinesha Rihards is Manifesto's Managing Director. While studying at the University of Guelph- Humber, she was introduced to the non-profit creative world via her co-op placement at UrbanArts. Since then she has combined her two passions Event Production and Community Building and has led the Manifesto team to produce the organization's largest show at the iconic Budweiser Stage. With over five years of event production under her belt, she is a self-proclaimed "Olivia Pope"-type.

Julian Taylor

Julian Taylor is a Toronto-based, award-winning independent singer-songwriter, radio host, and label owner. Over 20-plus years as the leader of Staggered Crossing, Julian Taylor Band, and his solo work, Julian has established himself as one of Canada's greatest troubadours. He's earned three Juno Award nominations, a pair of Canadian Folk Music Awards, five Native American Music Award nominations, and a nomination for the Polaris Music Prize.

Kim Temple

Kim Temple is Director of Licensing and Publishing at Six Shooter Records and President of High Priestess Publishing, representing a diverse roster of artists. She has over 20 years of experience in music publishing, creative pitching, sync licensing, and rights management. She is also Senior Manager of Programming and Industry Relations at Music Publishers Canada where she oversees the Women In The Studio national accelerator and leads international song camps and trade missions.

Amie Therrien

Amie Therrien is the Executive Director of Music Managers' Forum Canada, a non-profit organization that supports managers and self-managed artists with professional development, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Prior to Music Managers' Forum Canada, Amie ran an artist management and development company, was the board president of Folk Music Ontario, worked in marketing and management at Coalition Music, and was the programming coordinator for the Folk Alliance International Conference.

Benjamin Valliquette

Ben is a music industry specialist with a range of experience in the design and construction of complex recording, rehearsal, and performance facilities. He has been an integral part of many award-winning projects including the Aga Khan Museum and the Wong Dai Sin Temple which was a recipient of the Governor General's Medal. As Co-Founder of Lynx Music, Ben's efforts had an enormous impact on the growth of music facilities with the creation of several rehearsal and recording spaces in Toronto.

Jamal Vickers

Jamal Vickers started in the music industry in 2003, as a DJ. In 2010 he transitioned into Artist Management, he applied and graduated from The Remix Project in 2014. In 2018, he released his passion project "The Black Gang EP", he also landed his first sync placement in "The Chi" and started as an Intern at Public Records. He's managed to assume more roles as the years progressed for the indie label, starting as a Marketing Manager and most recently sharing the artists and repertoire role with founder Gavin Sheppard.

Melissa Vincent

Melissa Vincent is a music journalist, researcher, and strategist based in Toronto. Her work broadly investigates questions of equity, intimacy, and community formation as it relates to music, technology, and culture. She's a music correspondent on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's the National, the Polaris Music Prize jury foreperson, a Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) Songwriting Prize panelist, and a Prism Prize juror. Her work has been featured in Pitchfork, Billboard, National Public Radio (NPR) Music, The Globe and Mail, among others.

Lisa Zbitnew

Lisa Zbitnew is a recognized senior executive, entrepreneur and advisor, with over 25 years of experience in fostering innovative environments, and building industry leading businesses in the recorded and live music sectors. Her storied career has included posts as President of Sony and BMG Music in Canada, as well as War Child North America. Lisa is currently the owner operator of The Phoenix Concert Theatre, and co-owner, operator of The Bronson Centre Music Theatre in Ottawa.

The Civic Appointments Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Toronto Music Advisory Committee, at pleasure of Council, for a term of office ending on November 14, 2026:

Paul Banwatt

Shaun Bowring

Melissa Bubb-Clarke

Jonathan Bunce

Charlotte Comfield

Brighid Fry

Kristyn Gelfand

Umair Jaffar

Sarah Jarvis

Tracy Jenkins

Jeremy Kesten

John Kiru

Heela Omarkhail

Phoenix Pagliacci

Tinesha Richards

Julian Taylor

Kim Temple

Amie Therrien

Benjamin Valliquette

Jamal Vickers

Melissa Vincent

Lisa Zbitnew

2. City Council direct that the balance of Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (September 21, 2023) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture remain confidential as it relates to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the Toronto Music Advisory Committee.

Candidates' biographies:

Paul Banwatt

Paul Banwatt is the drummer for the rock band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and a partner at the law firm, Gilbert's LLP. Paul also serves as a board member of the Long Winter Music and Arts Festival. Paul has been nominated for a Juno, won CBC and Galaxie Rising Stars music awards, made several appearances on the US and Canadian Billboard charts, played the Coachella Music Festival, and been featured in numerous publications such as Spin, NME, Playboy Magazine, and The New York Times.

Shaun Bowring

Shaun Bowring is the founder, owner/operator of Toronto live music venues The Garrison (350 cap) and The Baby G (150 cap) and concert promotion company Transmit Presents. Shaun is long time board member of the Little Portugal Business Improvement Area and a co-founder of the Dundas West Fest annual street Festival. In addition to being a musician and entrepreneur, Shaun is an active advocate for the live music industry and night economy.

Melissa Bubb-Clarke

In her current role as Senior Vice President, Music and Live Events at MLSE, Melissa Bubb-Clarke oversees Live Entertainment. The portfolio includes oversight of Live Nation Canada's award winning Corporate Partnerships agency and live event programming and production for MLSE venues, driving associated revenue. Melissa sits on the Board of CARAS and Musicounts. Past board positions include Unison and the Canadian Live Music Association. Melissa lives in Toronto with her husband John and children Anna & Oliver.

Jonathan Bunce

Jonathan Bunce (a.k.a. Jonny Dovercourt) is a music writer, researcher, and concert presenter. He is co-founder and Artistic /Executive Director of Wavelength Music, a 20+ year non-profit indie music organization, and has programmed and curated events for the Music Gallery and the Images Festival. His first book, Any Night of the Week: A DIY History of Toronto Music 1957-2001, was published in 2020 and adapted as a podcast by the Toronto International Festival of Authors.

Charlotte Cornfield

Charlotte Cornfield (she/her) is a Polaris long-listed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and curator from Toronto. She has released 5 albums, toured internationally, and in 2022Rolling Stone called her "Canada's Best-Kept Secret." From 2014-2019 she was the artistic director and booker of Burdock Music Hall in Toronto's west end, where she put on hundreds of shows across a wide array of musical genres. She is passionate about Toronto's music scene and has been a Toronto Media Arts Centre member since 2019.

Brighid Fry

Brighid Fry is a Toronto based singer-songwriter, performing musician and aspiring producer who at 20 years old has released five EPs on her own and with bands Kingdom of Birds and Housewife (formerly Moscow Apartment). Brighid co-produced her critically acclaimed sophomore EP, Better Daughter, released in July 2020 which resulted in a global record deal with Hazel Street Records/Sony Music. She has won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Toronto Independent Music Award.

Kristyn Gelfand

Kristyn Gelfand is a Toronto based curator, arts administrator, producer, and activator with over two decades of experience creating spaces for music and expression. From her early start in the vibrant techno scene of the late 90s, she has sought to create fun, liminal, and meaningful events, bringing audiences together to enjoy music from around the globe. Since 2012, she has worked with Uma Nota Culture as hosting events uniting dancefloor-centred music by live bands and DJs.

Umair Jaffar

Umair Jaffar brings two decades of experience working in the arts, heritage and culture sector. He is the CEO of Small World Music, one of Toronto's most significant presenters of culturally-diverse music and also the producers of the Global Toronto Showcase and Music Conference. He is a fellow at Toronto Art Council's Cultural Leaders Lab and Business/Arts Executive Leadership program. He has an MBA from University of Adelaide and a MSc Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford.

Sarah Jarvis

Sarah Jarvis, Director of Community Engagement at Destination Toronto, is responsible for sector product development with a focus on arts and culture, and culinary, and oversees the Community Engagement plan, helping industry stakeholders benefit from the region's visitor economy. Sarah, a trained musician, has had a long career in the arts and culture sector, working for organizations such as Luminato, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Endeavour Marketing and the Canadian Opera Company.

Tracy Jenkins

Tracy Jenkins is Executive and Co-Artistic Director of Lula Music and Arts Centre, providing year-round programming for the Toronto live music venue Lula Lounge, with a focus on Latin, Brazilian and global roots music. She has produced 15 editions of the annual Lulaworld festival as well as Women in Percussion and Toronto International Samba Reggae Festivals. In addition to managing the Juno winning Lulaworld record label, Tracy oversees Lula's educational and artist development initiatives.

Jeremy Kesten

Jeremy Kesten is a founder/partner of Platform Entertainment, co-presenter of the Electric Island music series, and is also the owner of a retail digital print business called Park Agency Print Shop in Parkdale Toronto. As a web developer, he has managed the website and online marketing for Electric Island and The BPM Festival and more. Jeremy worked at GRIP Limited advertising company as a Senior Web Developer working for clients such as Labatt and Honda. Jeremy lives on Queen St. West, Toronto.

John Kiru

John Kiru has over 40 years of experience specializing in local business improvement and planning for municipalities. For the past 23 years, John has managed as its ED the day-to-day operation of (TABIA). TABIA is an umbrella organization representing Toronto's 84 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), with more than 90,000 main street retailers, professionals, landowners, and occupants who employ some 600,000 full and part time employees.

Heela Omarkhail

Heela is Vice President, Social Impact at The Daniels Corporation, one of Canada's largest and pre-eminent builder/developers. She is responsible for ensuring that the social, cultural and economic infrastructures of communities built by Daniels are as strong as the new buildings. Heela believes in the potential of real estate development industry to positively shape how communities and cities come together to foster inclusion and resilience.

Phoenix Pagliacci

Phoenix Pagliacci is an artist and activist. Born and raised in Toronto, Phoenix began her artistic journey at the age of six, playing the piano and singing. Phoenix has performed across North America, working with Canadian artists such as Eternia, Tara Chase, Michie Mee, Jully Black, Shad and Ghettosocks.

Tinesha Richards

Tinesha Rihards is Manifesto's Managing Director. While studying at the University of Guelph- Humber, she was introduced to the non-profit creative world via her co-op placement at UrbanArts. Since then she has combined her two passions Event Production and Community Building and has led the Manifesto team to produce the organization's largest show at the iconic Budweiser Stage. With over five years of event production under her belt, she is a self-proclaimed "Olivia Pope"-type.

Julian Taylor

Julian Taylor is a Toronto-based, award-winning independent singer-songwriter, radio host, and label owner. Over 20-plus years as the leader of Staggered Crossing, Julian Taylor Band, and his solo work, Julian has established himself as one of Canada's greatest troubadours. He's earned three Juno Award nominations, a pair of Canadian Folk Music Awards, five Native American Music Award nominations, and a nomination for the Polaris Music Prize.

Kim Temple

Kim Temple is Director of Licensing and Publishing at Six Shooter Records and President of High Priestess Publishing, representing a diverse roster of artists. She has over 20 years of experience in music publishing, creative pitching, sync licensing, and rights management. She is also Senior Manager of Programming and Industry Relations at Music Publishers Canada where she oversees the Women In The Studio national accelerator and leads international song camps and trade missions.

Amie Therrien

Amie Therrien is the Executive Director of Music Managers' Forum Canada, a non-profit organization that supports managers and self-managed artists with professional development, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Prior to MMF Canada, Amie ran an artist management and development company, was the board president of Folk Music Ontario, worked in marketing and management at Coalition Music, and was the programming coordinator for the Folk Alliance International Conference.

Benjamin Valliquette

Ben is a music industry specialist with a range of experience in the design and construction of complex recording, rehearsal, and performance facilities. He has been an integral part of many award-winning projects including the Aga Khan Museum and the Wong Dai Sin Temple which was a recipient of the Governor General's Medal. As Co-Founder of Lynx Music, Ben's efforts had an enormous impact on the growth of music facilities with the creation of several rehearsal and recording spaces in Toronto.

Jamal Vickers

Jamal Vickers started in the music industry in 2003, as a DJ. In 2010 he transitioned into Artist Management, he applied and graduated from The Remix Project in 2014.2018 He released his passion project "The Black Gang EP", he also landed his first sync placement in "The Chi" and started as an Intern at Public Records. He's managed to assume more roles as the years progressed for the indie label, starting as a Marketing Manager and most recently sharing the A&R role with founder Gavin Sheppard.

Melissa Vincent

Melissa Vincent is a music journalist, researcher, and strategist based in Toronto. Her work broadly investigates questions of equity, intimacy, and community formation as it relates to music, technology, and culture. She's a music correspondent on CBC's the National, the Polaris Music Prize jury foreperson, a SOCAN Songwriting Prize panelist, and a Prism Prize juror. Her work has been featured in Pitchfork, Billboard, NPR Music, The Globe and Mail, among others.

Lisa Zbitnew

Lisa Zbitnew is a recognized senior executive, entrepreneur and advisor, with over 25 years of experience in fostering innovative environments, and building industry leading businesses in the recorded and live music sectors. Her storied career has included posts as President of Sony and BMG Music in Canada, as well as War Child North America. Lisa is currently the owner operator of The Phoenix Concert Theatre, and co-owner, operator of The Bronson Centre Music Theatre in Ottawa.

The purpose of this report is to have City Council appoint members of the public to the Toronto Music Advisory Committee for the remainder of the current term of City Council.