While some people still think of Ottawa as a sleepy government town, the members of the capital’s new nightlife council have been awake and dreaming for decades about how to get more people out to enjoy everything the city has to offer.
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While some people still think of Ottawa as a sleepy government town, the members of the capital’s new nightlife council have been awake and dreaming for decades about how to get more people out to enjoy everything the city has to offer.
Last Monday, 12 community members from a pool of 500 applicants were announced as members-at-large for the city’s nightlife council. The 18-person council, whose members are unpaid volunteers serving two-year terms, also includes representatives from six local organizations.
Nightlife commissioner Mathieu Grondin said the selected members reflect the diversity of the city, bringing in a variety of expertise, experiences and interests in the nightlife economy, including hospitality, arts and culture, tourism, and public health and safety.
“They were residents that wanted more nightlife options, not just downtown, but in the suburbs and rural areas,” Grondin told OBJ last week. “I also heard from executive directors and CEOs, associations, not-for-profits, and businesses. They all understand the importance of the nightlife economy to quality of life, talent and economic growth.”
He added: “Most people wanted to fight the perspective that Ottawa is boring. Most were really against that idea and know that Ottawa has lots of stuff to do and we need to amplify that … I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm for advancing nightlife priorities demonstrated by the stakeholders across the city.”
OBJ spoke with three of the council’s recently announced members to understand the state of Ottawa’s nightlife and the ideas they’re bringing to their new role.