Sneaky Dee’s is a 40-year old live music venue and restaurant in Toronto, Canada. It is a local landmark known for being the start of many famous bands like Barenaked Ladies, Arcade Fire, and Pup. I worked there for three years while studying as in university, it taught me speed, people skills, and grit.

But most importantly, it’s a family business known for being soul of Toronto’s indie and punk rock music scene.

In May, 2026 it was again at threat of being demolished for a 16-storey condo building, but the Torontonians said otherwise.

Myself and five other community members teamed up to rally an army of punks and successfully campaigned to Save Sneaky Dee’s. In one month we got over 600 emails sent to city council, one million views on Instagram, and several city councillors to commit to Saving Sneaky Dee’s. Our team of six campaigned and investigated and discovered their neigbor next door, RBC Bank never consented to having their land sold and the developer only owned 2 out of 5 plots of land, making them withdraw their application.

This was win against redevelopment and gentrification that has never been seen before in Toronto.
Thank you to Martin, Mack, Monika, Ivan, Dan, and the decades of Sneaky Dee’s lovers that made their voices heard.