Who supports Toronto’s struggling musicians — and is it enough?

These meeting notes are part of Documenters Canada, which is partly funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Learn more about our program here. The Green Line maintains full editorial independence to ensure journalistic integrity.

The struggling artist is a tale as old as time, but its reality stays true as the Toronto Music Advisory Committee discussed at its most recent meeting. 

On May 25, 2026, committee members listened to a presentation from The Unison Fund, a Canadian organization that supports workers in the music industry through financial and mental health tools and funding. 

Alex Johnson, executive director of The Unison Fund, says that music workers live at or below the poverty line.

“They don’t have a lot of the traditional safety nets that some of us have,” she says. “They don’t have paid sick leave in a lot of cases. They don’t have benefits packages in a lot of cases.” 

The organization’s website states music workers can find themselves unprepared to deal with the financial and emotional challenges when faced with an unforeseen emergency. Unison is the “lifeline.” 

During the meeting, Johnson said the organization distributed more than $1.5 million in support last year, in addition to financial assistance, grocery gift cards and mental health counselling. In her presentation, she highlighted that the demand is outweighing the organization’s capacity. 

Johnson also shared plans for a regional case worker model, where a music worker can call Unison to be connected with a social worker who’s knowledgeable in the music sector. The social worker would be able to connect them with the right programs and mental health supports. 

She says that the organization is working with Musicians Clinics of Canada to design the Unison Reset, a workplace intervention for music workers. It’ll be used backstage at venues, conferences and other high stimulation workplace environments that deregulate the nervous system. 

“I know what it costs to be in these really high-stim places with very little support,” she says, remembering her theatre days. “That’s what Reset’s trying to get ahead of.”

Jonathan Bunce a.k.a Jonny Dovercourt, a musician and local expert, asked Unison if housing was discussed in the organization’s strategic plan. Johnson responded that the organization doesn’t currently lead any initiatives, but will support existing housing programs/groups.

“We’ll advise on initiatives that are happening but right now, the organization doesn’t have capacity to get right into that systemic advocacy space,” says Johnson. 

If you’re a worker in the music industry and need help, you can reach out to unisonfund.ca or 1-855-9UNISON (1-855-986-4766).

In a separate agenda item, some venue operators shared concerns regarding parking restrictions along Dundas Street West — a street with many local music venues. They explained that the lack of consultation and the short notice provided challenges for performers in loading and unloading equipment. 

Jaclyn Tam, a City of Toronto staff member, says that people can apply for a commercial loading zone as a solution.