‘The city fun is about to remember’: Meet Ottawa’s new nightlife commissioner | CBC News

Mathieu Grondin has been named Ottawa’s new nightlife commissioner, and is already promising to reverse the city’s reputation as a sleepy burg that rolls up the sidewalks at night.

As the city’s “night mayor,” Grondin will be responsible for supporting nightlife in Ottawa and helping its after-hours culture grow.

During the announcement at city hall Tuesday morning, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said that will mean a better quality of life for locals, and a competitive advantage for the city’s economic development.

It’s a unique challenge in a town that’s disparagingly called “the city that fun forgot,” but Grondin said he’s up to it.

“I think Ottawa is the city that fun is about to remember,” he vowed Tuesday.

City council approved its “nightlife economy action plan” in May 2023. It included the new role of nightlife commissioner to give locals and tourists alike more to do between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The original job posting listed a salary just under $112,000. 

Despite the fun title, much of Grondin’s new role will be bureaucratic in nature.

Sutcliffe emphasized that the nightlife commissioner will not be an MC or a marketing expert. Instead, Grondin’s responsibilities will include building a team of nightlife ambassadors, reporting on the nightlife economy, encouraging mid-size venues and developing a security plan.

“I am truly thrilled to bring my experience, expertise, energy and passion for nightlife advocacy and development to Team Ottawa,” Grondin said.

Promoted nightlife in Montreal

Ottawa isn’t the first city to establish such a position, Sutcliffe pointed out. London has a night czar, New York has an office of nightlife and Toronto has a night economy champion.

Grondin was born and raised in Montreal, where the non-profit he founded in 2017, MTL 24/24, has been promoting that city’s nightlife. MTL 24/24 received city funds between 2020 and 2023, and protested when that funding was cut this year. 

MTL 24/24 supported numerous projects in Montreal, notably the push for extending drinking hours in the city, supporting all-night parties where alcohol could be served after 3 a.m. 

Grondin only recently moved to Ottawa and said he’ll spend a few months getting to know the city and its needs.

“I’m not going to come today and tell you I have a big plan on what to do with Ottawa,” he said. “I want to listen and hear what people have to say, and then we’ll work all together.”

Ottawa ‘much more vibrant’ than it was

Kevin McHale, executive director of the Sparks Street BIA, said that plan needs to recognize that Ottawa has evolved.

“Ottawa is not, and Sparks Street is not, the same neighbourhoods that we saw 10 years ago,” he said. “It’s much more vibrant, there’s much more variety, the population is so much more diverse now.”

McHale used RibFest as one example. The popular food festival, held on Sparks Street over the first weekend of June, now ends at 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. because not everyone works a nine-to-five job, he said.

According to the city’s memo, Grondin will report to council by the end of the year to advise on the status of Ottawa’s nightlife and plan for 2025.