In the nearly 10 months since Ottawa hired Mathieu Grondin as its first-ever nightlife commissioner, what has he been up to?
It isn’t clear to Jason Laurans, owner of Absolute Comedy on Preston Street. He’s never heard from Grondin, and has no idea what he has accomplished.
“If they’re doing something, it’s nothing that I’ve seen,” he said. “I certainly haven’t seen the numbers increase here because of it.”
Several other nightlife spots contacted by CBC were in the dark about his work, from the Rainbow Bistro in the ByWard Market to Irene’s in the Glebe and the Cheshire Cat Pub in Carp.
Paul Granger of House of Targ, who was among those who previously applied for Grondin’s job, said he hasn’t heard from him either.
“I don’t feel like there’s anything at all that has changed or happened apart from some excitement about the fact that somebody would be trying to do this, and then just kind of nothing after that,” Granger said.
The same sentiment has shown up in the Ottawa Citizen, where a column suggested that Grondin has been “invisible since getting the job.”
It has also emerged on social media, with a popular Reddit post stating that nothing has come of his work. More than three hundred people commented, with some calling the job “idiotic” or accusing the commissioner of doing “nothing at all” to earn his six-figure salary.
Thys Boer, chair of the Dutch city of Rotterdam’s nightlife council and often referred to as its current night mayor, came across those posts and couldn’t believe them. He called it “literally the meanest” Reddit thread he had ever read.
Rotterdam is the city that pioneered the night mayor concept. Boer has met with Grondin, in Vienna and in Rotterdam, and had a very different assessment of his abilities.
“I’ve known him to be a very serious and hard working guy,” he said. “So yeah, I was kind of shocked by this Reddit post.”
An ally within the bureaucracy
Those who’ve had a chance to work with Grondin since he took on the Ottawa job agree with Boer — and don’t share the criticism floating around social media. They say he seems to be listening, while quietly working within the bureaucracy to tear down barriers that hold Ottawa’s nightlife back.
“He’s been a voice, a supportive voice at the city, and this is something we haven’t had in a long time,” said Mark Monahan, executive director of Ottawa Bluesfest.
In his view, some of the griping about Grondin stems from a misunderstanding of what he was actually hired to do.
“He was brought in to make the city a better place to put on events, not to put them on himself,” Monahan said. “I think he’s been working behind the scenes, and at City Hall, to bring recommendations forward.”
As Grondin himself stated on the city’s own OttaTalk podcast, the nightlife commissioner is “a bureaucratic job.”
He said he isn’t “Ottawa’s official emcee,” but a liaison who looks at whether cutting red tape could make it easier to do business after dark.
Does Rotterdam’s Boer look at his role the same way? Is he a facilitator? A middleman?
“In the end, yes,” he said.
City looking at loosening bylaw’s grip
The city wouldn’t make Grondin available for an interview with CBC. But the first updates on his work have just shown up in a report to council’s finance and corporate services committee, which will consider it next week.
According to the report, Grondin has met with more than 110 groups and individuals involved in the nightlife economy, attended more than 30 economic development and cultural industry events, and visited most of Ottawa’s business improvement districts.
It details how he’s supported entrepreneurs opening new venues, like City Gridwrks, which moved into the former Mavericks site on Rideau Street. That project came from Farid Dagher, owner of City at Night, who told CBC that Grondin has been “of great help.”
The report says the commissioner is now working on a nightlife safety plan and a branded website to promote nightlife venues and attractions.
But much of the report is devoted to how Grondin is lobbying city staff working on bylaw reviews, as they look at loosening rules on everything from food trucks to noise to licensing for all-night dance parties.
That’s welcome news for Deek Labelle, general manager of the Chateau Lafayette, Ottawa’s oldest bar. Speaking in her capacity as chair of the business advisory committee of the ByWard Market District Authority, Labelle said Grondin seems to be “on the right track.”
She said “overticketing” is a major headache for businesses in the market. She’s encouraged that Grondin’s team is looking at a venue permit that would help bars shield performers from parking tickets while they load or unload equipment.
“I believe that that stuff is happening and it’s in the works, but it’s gonna be a slow process no matter what,” she said. “And that’s at the city, not at the nightlife team.”
Labelle said she’s “grateful” for Grondin’s role — and has found him easy to approach.
“I’ve found that he’s there, he’s present and open for conversation,” she said.
Let Snoop Dogg play
Monahan has had his own battles with an inflexible bureaucracy. In 2019, when Snoop Dogg was booked to play at Bluesfest, a thunderstorm delayed the show. Monahan told CBC that he asked for an exemption to the noise bylaw, so the rapper could play until 11:30 p.m.
He had to fight for every minute. The city would only give him until 11:20 p.m., Monahan remembers. But Snoop Dogg played well over that time, and Bluesfest got stuck with a fine.
“The challenges we face are not always understood by the city,” he said. “You know, we’re risking huge amounts of money to bring artists here.”
Monahan said he discussed his challenges with Grondin during their first meeting.
“He’s sympathetic,” he said. “I think he gets it.”
According to the report coming to council, the bylaw reviews include “recommended amendments to noise exemption regulations to provide operational flexibility for outdoor events impacted by weather delays or other unforeseen circumstances.”
‘Better late than never’
Grondin formed a volunteer nightlife council in November to play an advisory role. Members who spoke to CBC were positive about the quality of the discussions.
Chris Wong is co-director of the Asinabka Film & Media Festival. He said the council’s meetings have so far focused on issues like permits, noise bylaws, accessibility and safety.
He shares the same concern about inflexible rules getting in the way of events. Like Monahan, Wong puts on outdoor music events and finds there’s “not much leeway” in the noise bylaw.
“We have to shut it down right at 11,” he said.
He’s happy to hear the city is considering loosening up. In his view, Grondin is doing a good job at bringing people together to talk through their problems and form links that could strengthen Ottawa’s nightlife.
“He’s willing to work with the community and with the bureaucracy to bridge that gap,” he said. “I think he’s doing a good job so far.”
But he accepts that transforming Ottawa’s nightlife economy will take time.
“It could take years, but better late than never,” Wong said. “I’m glad that the seeds are being sown now.”
