Montreal bars and nightclubs are urging the City of Montreal to reconsider their proposal on a new noise restriction policy that may threaten the city’s nightlife.
Some Montreal bars and nightclubs say they don’t want to face the music, with fines that can go up to $20,000.
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“In what world is a $10,000 fine in any way a reasonable response to a noise complaint at a bar? We’re in the city of Montreal,” said Sergio Da Silva, owner of Turbo Haüs. “We can’t make noise at a bar?”
“Imagine you’re new at this and you want to get involved. Your first weekend open. Friday – just because one person doesn’t like that there’s music, they’re calling the police, cop shows up, it’s a bad day, $10,000 right there. Saturday – you’re hoping to make up some of that money.
“So, you have to open because you already have this $10,000 fine on the books. Same person complains, same cop shows up — 20 Gs, 30 Gs. Your business is over.”
The City of Montreal is updating its noise bylaw in an effort to find a balance between nightlife activities and the needs of residents who live in the Plateau Mont-Royal and Ville-Marie boroughs. The changes aim to better reflect today’s nightlife as current regulations date back to 1977.
In a statement to CityNews, the city said:
“The proposed fines are intended to ensure all establishments take soundproofing measures with the borough and would only be enforced as a last resort by borough inspectors.”
Da Silva says bars typically receive noise complaints monthly with fines currently amounting to $1,500. With the changes, fines can go up to $10,000 for the first offense, and $20,000 for repeated offenses.
The proposed fines not only apply to businesses and institutions, but to individuals as well who could face penalties up to $2,000.
“You’re going to just stamp out creative people who want to get involved in the nightlife space and you’re going to affect what the city looks like for the next half a century,” said Da Silva.
“I know some organizations that are not going to throw events anymore, that’s sad,” said Rourke Lowe, a partygoer with experience hosting shows at music venues in Montreal. “Most of these are passion projects. You’re not charging people a lot of money to go to these events… These event organizations, they’re running on very thin margins.”
For Da Silva and Max Honigmann, spokesperson for nightlife advocacy group MTL 24/24, they urge the city to consider adopting the ‘agent of change’ principle in its bylaw.
“Whoever is first in a neighborhood kind of has a bit of precedence, and if you want to move into that area, you have to adapt,” Honigmann explained. “For example, if there’s a bar or a concert hall, it’s been there for years or decades, and you want to build an apartment nearby, the impetus is on the person building the apartment to adapt the building, and not the other way around.”
While the borough Plateau Mont-Royal says it will collaborate with Montreal police in coordinating the new policy, SPVM said it had no involvement in “decision-making process leading to the adoption of this policy.”
Under the proposed bylaw, the city says SPVM officers will retain their authority to shut down events if the noise is deemed “too excessive,” but will provide “leeway” to performance venues.
The new policy adoption is scheduled for September.
