Ottawa’s ‘night mayor’ tasked with making city more fun

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Politicians at Parliament Hill. Skating on the Rideau Canal. Hiking in Gatineau Park. That is what comes to mind when thinking about Ottawa. But what about buzzing clubs and vibrant parties? Enter Mathieu Grondin, the city’s first-ever Nightlife Commissioner. He has been nicknamed the “night mayor” (although actual Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe doesn’t find it amusing).

Grondin is tasked with turning Canada’s capital — not exactly known for being the life of the party — into a thriving hub for nighttime fun. In fact, Ottawa was ranked as one of Canada’s “most boring cities” on the Ontario Bets website in April, and in 2013 it beat four other cities to win “the most boring city in Canada” title at the Boring Awards, the Huffington Post reported.

Grondin will do so with a budget of $160,000 for 2024, CTV News reported last year.

There are around 4,600 businesses in Ottawa related to nightlife activities, according to the city. Each year, roughly $1.5 billion is spent on nightlife, which is roughly 30 per cent of what daytime consumers spend. The bulk of those who are spending money (84 per cent) are residents, while 16 per cent of spending can be attributed to visitors.

Who is Ottawa’s first-ever ‘night mayor’?

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Grondin is from Montreal, where he was a leader in nightlife advocacy, according to the City of Ottawa.

In 2017, he founded MTL 24/24, a non-profit organization that analyzes, animates and provides frameworks for Montreal’s nightlife, as per its website. The non-profit created a night council, coordinated programming, and launched a pilot program where certain establishments were able to serve alcohol after 3 a.m.

Grondin attended Concordia University, per his bio on MTL 24/24’s website, and has been involved in Montreal’s nightlife scene over the last two decades. He worked as an event programmer for the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois for six years.

Grondin’s new position pays $112,000, according to the original job listing.

What will the Nightlife Commissioner do?

As Ottawa’s Nightlife Commissioner, Grondin will “develop, support and promote Ottawa’s nightlife economy and establish the city as a nightlife destination of choice for residents, visitors, investors and businesses,” said the City of Ottawa in a news release. One of the first orders of business is to set up a Nightlife Ambassador Council of leaders in the industry and from the community.

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As for more details on exactly how to make Ottawa a more vibrant and fun destination, Grondin hasn’t said just yet.

As a newcomer to the area — he plans on living in Gatineau, the Ottawa Citizen reported — he doesn’t have a “big plan on what to do with Ottawa,” he said, per CBC News.

“I want to listen and hear what people have to say, and then we’ll work all together,” he said.

Grondin will be in charge of implementing Ottawa’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan, which includes 10 steps to help the city achieve its goal.

What do people think of this new position?

Some people online were not convinced that the position was necessary, given other issues faces by residents.

“Questionable use of funds when there are people in Ottawa’s downtown core experiencing housing and food insecurity….. thumbs down. Sorry,” commented one person on a post of the announcement by the City of Ottawa on X, formerly Twitter.

“Waste of money!!” wrote another.

But many people did express that they were in favour of the new role. One user even poked some fun at those who opposed it.

“Leave it to the people of Ottawa to be mad about the city trying to make it more fun for everyone,” the person wrote online.

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