Brendan Kelly: Does letting clubs serve drinks all night really help Montreal’s nightlife?

Article content

It’s far from clear that serving booze all night is just what Montreal needs.

The city administration is finally set to unveil its nightlife policy, seven years after Mayor Valérie Plante first promised it. That’s the good news. Ericka Alneus — the Projet Montréal councillor for the Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie’s Étienne-Desmarteau district and the party’s point person for nightlife issues — told me Friday that she expects the nightlife policy to be made public sometime in September.

Article content

The most talked-about aspect of the policy is the idea of instituting zones around the city where clubs and venues will be allowed to stay open past 3 a.m. and keep serving alcohol. This may please the promoters who organize raves/electronic music parties, but it’s far from clear it’s something most venue operators want.

Sergio Da Silva, who owns Turbo Haüs, one of the city’s leading alternative-music venues, said even if his St-Denis St. bar/venue falls into one of the designated drinking zones, he won’t be staying open past 3 in the morning.

“Our customers are not really an after-hours clientele,” said Da Silva. “People really get stuck on this 24-hour (drinking) thing like it is some kind of magic bullet, and for some people it might be. They’ve been asking for it forever. But in terms of getting people out to bars and venues, dude, no one has any money. That’s the end of it. So being open later isn’t going to change it.”

Da Silva said a much more pressing issue is the problem of noise complaints. Venues like his face fines if anyone in the neighbourhood objects to the sound of live music being played and it’s an issue he says Plante’s administration has failed to address. Alneus said there will be something in the policy to deal with noise issues, but she wouldn’t provide details.

Article content

Article content

Alneus said zones with all-night drinking will help the city.

“We see an opportunity with these kinds of zones,” said Alneus in an interview at the café of the hip arts venue Société des arts technologiques (SAT). “But no one is obliged (to participate). We want to offer the opportunity not only to venues, it could also be art galleries or a little business that wants to be open later in what we call ‘une zone de vitalité nocturne’ … the idea of the zones is to offer nightlife that is diverse and we can do it in the Montreal way.”

Alneus believes it could have a major economic impact.

“One-fifth of our tourists are coming for our nightlife,” Alneus said.

Sure, but are they really coming for our nightlife after 3 a.m.?

“Well, some people are coming for those types of events,” Alneus countered.

But isn’t that essentially rave/electronic dance music culture?

“I don’t think it’s only rave culture,” said Alneus.

She feels it’ll be safer as well, because not everyone will be leaving the club at the same time.

“We want to make sure things are done safely,” said Alneus. “If clubs close at 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 o’clock, it’s easier to manage the flow of the people.”

Article content

As director-general of the SAT, Jenny Thibault probably has more experience with all-night events than anyone else in the city.

“We’re the kingpins” of all-night events, she said with a laugh.

During the recent Mutek electronic music festival, the SAT hosted three all-night shows with alcoholic drinks served till early morning and it all went off without a hitch, she said.

“People who listen to electronic music only go out very late at night,” said Thibault. “For electronic shows, people only show up at midnight or one in the morning. So to end at 3 a.m., firstly it’s hard for us to generate revenue from the bar. And the DJs who come from New York and Berlin, they’re used to playing till 6 in the morning. So it’s easier for us given that our headliners are used to starting at 4 in the morning. That’s their prime time. Also, people consume less drugs and more alcohol. So it makes the management of the venue easier. And also if they leave at six, they can take the métro.”

Thibault is anxious to see what is in the city’s long-delayed nightlife policy. She wants concrete measures to help the nightlife players like the SAT. For example, she says it’s way too complicated and time-consuming to get permits.

“If there are too many complications and problems, we’ll just stay home and watch Netflix,” said Thibault.

Many in the small venue scene, including Da Silva, say the city really hasn’t ever done much to help them during Plante’s tenure. When I told Alneus these club owners think her administration has done nothing for them, she insisted help is on the way.

“I can understand some people wished we could’ve been quicker (with our nightlife policy),” said Alneus. “But I really want to reiterate my sincerity to making sure it works.”

But the reality is the city has never supported the world of those small clubs, which many of us believe are the heart and soul of the acclaimed indie rock scene ici.

“Maybe that was the case in the past, but here we have someone from our administration who showed up,” said Alneus. “I’m here! If there’s one thing people can tell you, I’m on those streets.”

bkelly@postmedia.com

x.com/brendanshowbiz

Article content

Article content