As Ottawa’s new Nightlife Commissioner, it would be no surprise that Mathieu Grondin used to be involved in various entertainment gigs before working for the city council. His ventures have led him to DJ’ing, shooting videos for Canadian musicians such as electro hip-hop band Radio Radio and the “Queen of Power Ballads” herself, Celine Dion, and having acting gigs for television shows in Montreal.
He says being involved in these careers, and organizing plenty of late-night events in Montreal, has helped him prepare for his new position.
“I’ve always been part of the culture. It’s an integral part of myself. In terms of acting, it gives you a certain easiness with communication,” he said.
After moving to Ottawa this past June, Grondin has become immersed in the city’s various arts and culture scenes and welcoming community.
Grondin says he was excited to apply as a commissioner since it was the first in Canada. However, his work within the nightlife industry spans back to Montreal, where he was the head of MTL 24/24, a non-profit that conducts research and studies on nightlife in the city. His organization also hosts events and workshops for entrepreneurs who want to kickstart their businesses in the nightlife economy.
As founder, Grondin also hosted a forum, MTL au Sommet de la Nuit, for various nightlife entrepreneurs around the world to discuss nightlife governance and management, and helped lead a pilot project about extending alcohol licensing in the city’s cultural spaces. Additionally, he oversaw the night-time council that acted as an advisory board for the organization.
Now, he’s going to do the same here in Ottawa.
On Sept. 23, the City of Ottawa announced that it will be opening applications for the city’s new Nightlife Council, which will “provide advice and feedback to the Nightlife Commissioner’s Office on the vibrancy of Ottawa’s nightlife economy and the advancement of nightlife best practices, policies, safety programs, and promotion.” The council will have up to 18 members, including representatives from organizations within Ottawa’s nightlife economy, plus residents, business owners, and workers.
Grondin is excited to lead this new team because he sees Ottawa as a city with lots of opportunities. With new projects such as the new Live Nation venue and the recently announced Lebreton Flats arena, Grondin says he hopes they will change parts of Little Italy, Centretown, and Hull, as well as bring in more vibrancy.
Looking back on his previous experiences, Grondin said that while Montreal is known for its nightlife, its main challenge was “managing the externalities,” which led to many venues closing down due to noise complaints. In Ottawa, Grondin says that it’s more about development.
“People want change, people want more nightlife, so it’s a different environment… this makes it very exciting because we can craft new ideas and invent new proposals to have an innovative nightlife here in Ottawa.”
As a newcomer to the city, Grondin has experienced how it can feel for other tourists and visitors who take a trip downtown.
“Every person that moves here as a tourist, you always end up in the [ByWard] Market first, and I think that’s why the market has such an importance for nightlife here in Ottawa. But then once you start integrating in the community [and] the city, you discover that there’s a lot more going on outside of the ByWard Market.”
He also wants to help smaller venues and businesses that may not be in the tourist hot spots.
“One thing that keeps popping up is the lack of smaller spaces for smaller organizations. Ottawa’s lost a couple of these. These smaller spaces were breathing a lot of life in Ottawa’s nightlife, and I think that’s something we should be looking into developing in the near future.”
For new nightlife entrepreneurs in the city, he hopes to also alleviate some of the difficult processes that come with opening a business.
“The development comes from the private sector, so the thing your private sector wants to have is a positive environment to develop. That’s why we’re going to try and remove some of that red tape, some of these administrative processes that can hinder the development or discourage the development for some entrepreneurs to launch a new nightlife business.”
Grondin also discussed his plans to create a nightlife safety and security plan for nightlife workers and visitors, focusing on helping people get home safely and feel safe when visiting downtown in regard to sexual harassment and drug and alcohol overconsumption.
“When we discuss safety, I think it’s a very complex discussion, and there’s different types of security [and] safety issues,” he said. “Of course, everybody talks about the social problems right now that are downtown. These have an indirect impact on nightlife, because there’s a perception that it’s unsafe, and that might refrain some people from going downtown and going out. This is a North American crisis right now that goes way beyond nightlife. It’s a 24-hour problem. Social services are concerned, [and] the three levels of governments are invested in this and trying to find solutions, and I hope next year we can already start seeing positive change on that respect.”
He also hopes to promote the city’s nightlife scene with Ottawa Tourism and develop a digital resource tool to help newcomers find out what to do regarding nightlife activities.
By early November, Grondin will announce the Nightlife Council’s composition and work with the city’s bylaw team to apply a nightlife “lens” to their upcoming review next year.
Apt613 also asked Grondin some rapid-fire fun fact questions to learn more about his passions outside of working for City Council. He is a fan of electronic and disco music, with Daft Punk’s Alive Tour being his favourite live concert he’s attended, and Italian cuisine. The most recent favourite movie he’s seen was The Substance, which he enjoyed due to its mix of humour and political messages, and its direction.
Mathieu Grondin. Photo by Audrey Pridham.
In addition to the NAC, his other favourite Ottawa landmark is the upcoming 2SLGBTQ+ monument.
“I think it’s going to be a great new landmark for the city, and it’s also going to be a great space to gather and celebrate,” he said.
As for city events, Grondin was looking forward to attending Ottawa’s Pique Festival. Hosted at Arts Court, its most recent fall edition featured live music, performances, and art installations spanned throughout its exhibition spaces to highlight Ottawa’s underground artists.
Grondin urges anyone interested to apply for Ottawa’s Nightlife Council and to follow them on Instagram to stay updated.
“I think by creating this position and by adopting the Nightlife Economy Action Plan, the city council is sending a strong message also that Ottawa is open late for business,” he said.
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