Buskers to bid Ottawa adieu

Street performers in Ottawa's Byward Market say they are ready to ditch the city for greener pastures.

Buskers claim their work is not profitable since the City of Ottawa implemented a bylaw to balance the need for performance spaces with the ability of market merchants to attract customers.

Popular troupe "Stunt Double Circus" is has pledged 2011 will be its final summer in Ottawa.It has toured North American streets for about 10 years.

"It's made me sad. I keep hearing, 'It's the city that fun forgot,'" said Paul Perreault, a member of the group who graduated from Montreal's cole Nationale De Cirque.

Perrault said rules, including a ban on microphones, are just too limiting for performers, especially when they are yelling to large crowds for an hour or longer.

Special events have also closed the Byward Market to buskers a couple times during the summer, so performers want a prioritized space to help them flourish.

"The incentive to perform in this city just isn't there, frankly," said Nicolas Belzile, who calls himself "Danger Boy."

"It's tough, especially for anyone who travels through. It's a lot to deal with, a lot of rules."

Some nearby restaurants told CBC News they support easing the regulations because street performers attract more traffic and subsequently, more business.

But the money has not been flowing in fast enough for performers such as Perreault, who said he is going to teach a circus school in Mexico, and then hopes to perform in lucrative corporate events.