New nightlife rules threaten venues
The city was meant to act to keep live music venues open, but proposed new rules in Ville‑Marie and the Plateau increase fines drastically and give police a lot of leeway to decide what is or is not loud.
The city is soliciting direct commentary until the end of Friday.
One of the institutions threatened by noise issues is the Union Française.
DeWolf 12:04 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
The Union Française started doing lots of cultural events, plus broadcasting soccer matches, to attract a younger crowd that could sustain the institution into the future. It seems to have worked really well… and now this.
The 24h story actually has a quote from one of the people making complaints and he frankly sounds clueless. “We don’t want them to close” — well, maybe stop making incessant noise complaints?
Interesting the UF director says they’ve gotten noise complaints on days when they aren’t even hosting any events.
DeWolf 12:04 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
In any case it’s upsetting to see that after all the talk about reforming noise bylaws to protect cultural venues, we have a proposed law that does nothing but make things worse.
Thanks for the link to the public comment form. I’ve sent them a comment.
walkerp 12:19 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
Comment sent. It is insanity. I don’t get it. I thought we had all this rhetoric about wanting to preserve Montreal’s nightlife.
Kate 15:37 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
While I was writing up my comment I found myself wondering: is there a city policy, implicit or explicit, that all live entertainment must take place in the Quartier des Spectacles?
Ian 15:48 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
Yes, thank you for the link. Finally my postal code carries clout haha
“Je suis très déçu des mesures de réduction du bruit actuellement mises en place par la ville. Si l’objectif réel était de détruire la vie nocturne, la musique indépendante et la culture non -corporatif de Montréal, on ne pouvait pas trouver un meilleur plan.
Je vis dans le Plateau Mont-Royal depuis 1990, et c’est en partie la scène culturelle très active qui m’a attiré ici. Au fil des ans, j’ai vu des endroits ouvrir et fermer, ce qui est une évolution naturelle, mais ces dernières années, beaucoup d’endroits ont fermé à cause de plaintes pour nuisance sonore.
Si vous ne voulez pas vivre en ville, déménagez en banlieue, point final.”
Kevin 15:49 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
A sensible city would tell the Jeannot-complain-latelies that living in a city comes with noise.
Tim S. 16:47 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
If closures for excessive noise are the thing now, can anyone tell me who I can complain to to get the Decarie expressway shut down? Only between 23:00-7:00, I’m not unreasonable.
Joey 17:48 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
Looking forward to the lecture from the Projet brain trust about how actually no this is wrong and critics of this ridiculous new policy should buzz off.
Ian 19:24 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
I don’t think Alex Norris allowed to flip out on social media anymore.
Kate 21:23 on 2025-07-25 Permalink
Sergio da Silva tweeted “it’s not about the noise. It’s about real estate developers, landlords, cops, and politicians having the power to shut down businesses and events they see as a nuisance.”
(I still skim X for a few sources, but no longer contribute any content to it.)
Joey 13:21 on 2025-07-26 Permalink
How did this only emerge now, months after the policy was tabled and just as the consultation period wrapped up?
Kate 16:05 on 2025-07-26 Permalink
I didn’t blog the city’s commentary thing previously, Joey, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. I missed it till almost too late to post.
Joey 17:28 on 2025-07-26 Permalink
I wasn’t referring to you, Kate, but to the impression that only now are implicated folks speaking up about what seems like a huge misstep. I haven’t been following this issue closely – were these specific complaints circulating earlier?