Montreal could introduce 24-hour nightlife – report

Montreal in Canada could introduce 24-hour nightlife in spring next year, according to a new report from Radio-Canada. 

The report revealed that the country’s government is looking to ratify ‘long-awaited’ nightlife policies that would be followed by actions, including the designation of an area where nightlife businesses could operate ‘24 hours a day, 365 days a year’.

According to Radio-Canada, the area of Montreal that is being considered for the pilot project is the Latin Quarter. Over the last few years, this area has been increasingly abandoned by tenants, with the government hoping the policy changes will address this. The venues within this area currently stay open until about 3am.

Authorities are reportedly hoping that this will ensure the sustainability of local nightlife, with some organisations fighting for this policy for the last year. In May, non-profit organisation MTL 24/24 hosted a party called ‘Non Stop’, which lasted for 36 hours.

“I think the main problem right now is gentrification, loss of spaces because of gentrification, and inflation. Accessibility, affordability problems,” MTL 24/24’s co-founder Matthieu Gordin, told Mixmag.

“People say, ‘Oh, the kids don’t drink as much as the older generation’, but at the same time, they just can’t afford to drink. A beer is not C$3 anymore, it’s C$12.”

The Radio-Canada report added that further proposals regarding nightlife included noise regulations on performance venues according to their location, while the city is also set to propose a ban on the construction of houses near venues like this.