The mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, Cathy Wong, made a significant announcement on Tuesday evening, revealing that a resolution has been reached to settle the ongoing legal dispute surrounding La Tulipe, the beloved Montreal performance venue that has been closed since 2024.
After facing a series of noise-related complaints from Pierre-Yves Beaudoin, a neighboring resident, La Tulipe was forced to shut down. However, following negotiations, the borough has now come to terms with Beaudoin.
Under the agreement, Plateau-Mont-Royal will compensate Beaudoin with $350,000. In exchange, the adjacent building to La Tulipe will no longer be used for residential purposes but will be restored for commercial use. Beaudoin has also agreed to drop any present or future legal actions concerning the venue.
This settlement marks the end of the legal battle between the two parties, bringing closure to the La Tulipe saga. Scènes de musique alternatives du Québec (SMAQ) expressed satisfaction with the outcome, hailing it as a step toward allowing the venue to resume its cultural activities, though acknowledging it as an imperfect solution to what they termed a “Kafkaesque” situation.
Jon Weisz, the executive director of SMAQ, emphasized the importance of La Tulipe’s reopening for the cultural community while raising concerns about potential repercussions from similar complaints in the future.
While Quebec Superior Court had previously lifted restrictions on La Tulipe’s operations due to changes in noise by-laws in Plateau-Mont-Royal, the possibility of appeals and new injunctions remains. The lack of updated noise regulations in both Plateau-Mont-Royal and Ville-Marie boroughs has left cultural groups urging for preventative measures to avoid conflicts between performance venues and residents.
In light of this, SMAQ reiterated its commitment to collaborating with local authorities to develop sustainable solutions, advocating for the implementation of the “agent of change” principle to ensure harmony between new developments and existing cultural hubs.
