Saying she was “extremely surprised” and “shocked” by the Court of Appeal’s judgment that ordered La Tulipe to silence, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she would take measures to prevent the Plateau Mont-Royal performance hall from being closed.
“We want to find solutions for La Tulipe, but also for the entire cultural ecosystem,” said the mayor, Wednesday morning, during the executive committee meeting. “We believe in good neighborliness, that’s why we have programs to improve soundproofing, upgrade facilities, our bars, our neighborhood cultural institutions.”
“Yes to good neighborliness, but no to the dictatorship of a neighbor,” she said.
Following legal action brought by a neighbour, the Court of Appeal ruled on Monday that the heritage performance hall must stop all noise that can be heard outside its walls.
On Tuesday, La Tulipe’s management announced that they were ceasing operations for the time being due to the ruling, which effectively enforces municipal regulations limiting noise.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
“We want to take action on regulation in the borough to preserve our cultural life, in the Plateau, but also throughout the metropolis, knowing to what extent nightlife and all these institutions contribute to the influence of Montreal, and their importance from an economic point of view,” stressed Valérie Plante.
The mayor did not mention the fact that it was an error by the municipal administration that allowed the complainant, Pierre-Yves Beaudoin, to transform a commercial building into a residential building next to a performance hall, when this was prohibited.
The mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough and president of the executive committee, Luc Rabouin, must specify, during a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, how he intends to change the noise by-law to allow La Tulipe to survive.
More details to come.