It’s been a little over a month since Mathieu Grondin was announced as Ottawa’s first nightlife commissioner and he says he’s already feeling optimistic about the future.
In addition to “figuring out where the toilets are” at City Hall, Grondin has spent his first few weeks on the job connecting with local stakeholders, talking to business owners, and hitting up local festivals to get a sense of what the city has on offer when it comes to nightlife.
“It’s summer of course, so it’s the busiest season of the year for nightlife,” he said. “Restaurants are full and there’s a great festival scene now wrapping up. It brings a lot of tourism, but there’s also a lot of smaller, independent venues. I’m amazed at the vibrancy of the ByWard Market. On one side of the street you have a folk singer at an Irish pub, then on the other, a heavy metal punk band playing in a tavern. You might have a hip hop band from Senegal then a drag queen cabaret next door at a techno club.
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“This is only the main hub. There’s a lot of vibrancy to this city and it’s a really good base to work with.”
Prior to his move to Ottawa, Grondin was the founder and director general of MTL 24/24, a non-profit organization that has advocated for improved nightlife in Montreal since 2017. During that time, Grondin helped establish a night council and launched the global nighttime governance forum MTL au Sommet de la nuit.
In his new role in Ottawa, he’ll be bringing that knowledge and experience to the capital to execute the city’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan, which was approved by city council in May 2023. The plan seeks to address economic opportunities and challenges to nightlife through a series of 10 recommendations and actions that support the development and delivery of nightlife infrastructure, amenities and experiences.
He said in his initial conversations with local stakeholders, the city’s enthusiasm for a nightlife revival has been evident.
“I think we’re in a really good position now to create and build momentum,” he said. “What strikes me is the level of engagement from all different partners, from the board of trade down to the smaller grassroots organizations doing great innovative cultural programs. I think everybody wants change and the doors of all the different internal services of the city have been open to me.”
OBJ spoke with Grondin on Tuesday to understand what he learned while working in Montreal, as well the challenges Ottawa might face, and what makes a successful nightlife community.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Three things learned in Montreal about bolstering nightlife
- Consultation with community stakeholders: “You need to consult with the community, the people who make the heart of nightlife beat in the city. Consultation is very important and this was something we did in Montreal. A good part of this has already been done in Ottawa in the last two years by the economic development and cultural services. There’s a lot of work that’s already gone on.”
- Political engagement from local officials: “Something we may have lacked in Montreal, which is not the case here in Ottawa, is the level of political engagement. We have an action plan that’s been voted on by city council and a mayor who is dedicated to promoting and developing nightlife. I attended Escapade Festival with Mayor Sutcliffe and it was the first time in 14 years that the festival welcomed the mayor at their event. I think it just shows the level of commitment he has to this issue.”
- Interdepartmental cooperation: “I like the metaphor of the city being an engine. You need to be able to put your hands in the engine and fix the different parts of it that might not be working well. And for that you’re going to need a lot of cooperation from the different departments and services inside the city. Interdepartmental cooperation, I think, is essential to make sure that we can develop nightlife.”
Three obstacles to improving nightlife
- Red tape: “I’ve never heard a business owner say the opposite. There’s red tape, especially when it comes to nightlife and culture and entertainment and everything related to alcohol in every city in North America. It’s painful. I think the action plan that was voted on by city council last year identified red tape as an obstacle and right now the bylaw services are undertaking a review of bylaws. I’m sitting down with them next month to see what that means for nightlife. Red tape is a big obstacle everyone can agree on.”
- Lack of protective measures: “For a long time, nightlife was seen by cities as either not really interesting or, at worst, as a nuisance. Cities are changing rapidly and we need protective measures to be able to protect the uses that are already in place. Since the pandemic, cities all over the world want more livable downtowns and they are going to bring in a lot of residents and it’s going to be great and create more foot traffic for businesses. But you might also create cohabitation problems with the existing uses for nightlife. If you have a framework to protect existing uses, if you have people moving in, they don’t expect the neighbourhood to change just to fit their own needs. One good thing that we’ve seen from the City of Ottawa is the implementation of a change principle in the ByWard Market, for instance. That’s a very interesting measure to try and protect it. It’s not a perfect measure, but it’s a good first step to protect those uses.”
- Funding: “It’s always the same for everyone. You need to be able to provide funding. There are different partners; could be the tourism association, could be the BIAs, could be the city. But, as you know, there’s no funding dedicated to nightlife. It’s very tough to find here in North America. You will see that in Europe, but it hasn’t made its way here yet. So trying to devise a program that fits the needs of the night, I think, is something that can be an obstacle to the development of nightlife.”
Three hallmarks of a thriving nightlife community
- A vibrant local scene: “A key indicator for me is vibrancy. How busy is a street at night? When I look at strong nightlife cities like Berlin or Amsterdam or Paris or London, they usually have a strong local city. This is what makes them stand apart. We need to empower these smaller local initiatives and make them grow so people outside of your city will come. It’s something unique that they can only experience in your city. It’s nice to have Taylor Swift coming over every four years, but when she’s gone, she’s gone. That doesn’t make your city stand apart from the others. What makes your city stand apart is your local scene.”
- Empowered small businesses: “Small businesses with strong identities that have a strong profile and are offering something that is very local that you cannot find anywhere else. People love to find these local mom-and-pop shops or young entrepreneurs coming up with new ideas and products. That’s something that’s more interesting than seeing, for instance, big chains that you will see everywhere else.”
- Dialogue and understanding: “I think you need good framework conditions. You need a good dialogue and understanding between the different partners involved in this plan to bolster nightlife: political, administration, and civil society. That’s why cities, especially in Europe, are appointing positions like mine right now, to try and make this happen, to create this dialogue and make sure everybody is on the same page.”
