Industry officials highlight work done by nightlife office, commissioner at city committee meeting

Marissa Galko

April 1, 2025

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Tourism and music industry stakeholders offered an optimistic outlook on the city’s nightlife scene and the work of the nightlife commissioner on Tuesday. At the finance and corporate services committee meeting, city officials heard from four stakeholder groups about the progress being made on nightlife initiatives in Ottawa. Tara Shannon, executive director of Ottawa Festival Network, said Mathieu Grondin, the city’s nightlife commissioner who has faced criticism from some Ottawa residents, has been instrumental in “breaking down silos within city services” and acting as a liaison between businesspeople and city staff. She said business owners have pointed to the help that Grondin has offered them. “I want to recognize and celebrate the work of the nightlife commissioner and the city's ongoing commitment to the nightlife economy. This role is already proving to be an invaluable connector, a convenor and, perhaps most importantly, a champion for bold ideas,” Shannon said. She called the commissioner’s work a "cornerstone to the vision that Ottawa has for itself.” Mélanie Brulée, executive director of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, said Grondin has helped bring OMIC’s inaugural Capital Music Week to life. She said he has also helped organize the Canada After Dark forum, a two-day event scheduled for May in Ottawa that will bring together nightlife industry leaders to discuss best practices. He’s also helped businesses by extending liquor licences during the Capital Music Week festivities, she added. “These initiatives require significant effort behind the scenes, coordination and strong relationship-building and the economic development team and nightlife office play a key role in shaping these city-enhancing projects,” she said. “The nightlife office is more than just a policy initiative, it's a driving force for change,” Brulée said. “Having a dedicated team member to navigate these complex processes and connect stakeholders is having a tangible and positive effect.” Brulée encouraged people to think about the narrative when it comes to Ottawa’s reputation. “I kindly encourage all of us with public platforms to take a pause before repeating negative taglines and to take a moment to reflect on whether our words are contributing to or detracting from the larger goal that we're all working towards, which is building a world-class city that everyone can take pride in,” she said. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe agreed with Brulée’s message, emphasizing the need to manage expectations. “(Brulée) made a great point about the unrealistic expectations that are placed on our city, the comparisons that are made to much larger cities and the expectation that Ottawa is going to be like London or New York or Paris or something like that. So it was an important reminder today, I think, of just how well we are doing. We still have a lot of work to do,” Sutcliffe said. Catherine Callary, vice-president of destination development at Ottawa Tourism, spoke about taking a “longer-term view” of the work of the city’s nightlife office, pointing to the work that similar nightlife officials in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston have done with longer mandates. “These are examples of wins that have each taken their time. These roles are not about being figureheads, but rather voices at City Hall for advocating for regulatory matters with dedicated influence and persuasion and persuasiveness,” she said. She said Ottawa Tourism will continue to “embrace the opportunities that our nightlife economy and office are presenting.” “I'm confident that Ottawa and our nightlife commissioner are on the right path to bring Ottawa to be a competitive destination in the global nightlife economy,” she said. Erin Benjamin, CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, said the city’s nightlife economy action plan remains “so crucial for the city.” Music tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors, Benjamin added, and Ottawa needs to be a part of it to continue to attract people to the city. “We’re already playing catch-up,” she said. She highlighted the alignment between the Ottawa Board of Trade downtown champions table and the nightlife office in helping bring History Ottawa, a new mid-sized Live Nation venue, to Rideau Street, calling the project “significant and foundational, not only to our future nightlife, but generally to the average person’s experience of Ottawa.” When it comes to the creation of new venues, Grondin said his office has been providing “a broader analysis of the ‘venue ladder’” and supporting private operators. “This is what I have been doing with a couple of groups, (like) the group that reopened the venue Mavericks a couple of weeks ago. We were really happy to see a lot of venues in the ByWard (Market) and bars and restaurants, when there was a closing, there was a reopening announced right away,” he said. Though the city has made progress in helping more mid-sized venues open, Grondin said there is still a gap for smaller venues with occupancy between 300 and 500 people, but his office hopes to support private operators that may want to close those gaps. Just back from attending the 2025 Juno Awards in Vancouver, Benjamin said the Canadian music industry is paying close attention to the work being done in Ottawa. “(They) are excited as they watch Ottawa evolve into the music city it's becoming. Whether it's headline news or not, the nightlife effort absolutely means more opportunities for artists, all of the amazing venues, promoters, fans, festivals, tourists and businesses who directly benefit from increasing live music activity and, most importantly, the nightlife effort will help this city stay as competitive as our global economy and our world shifts right before our eyes,” Benjamin said.