The Court of Appeal orders the legendary La Tulipe theatre on Le Plateau-Mont-Royal to lower its volume. The court rules in favor of a neighbour of the establishment who has been complaining for several years about the noise emitted on show nights.
An initial Superior Court ruling in May 2023 had ordered the owners of the La Tribu record label, which owns the establishment, to carry out soundproofing work. On Monday, the Court of Appeal went even further, ruling that La Tulipe must completely stop any noise that can be heard inside the adjacent building, and even from the terrace.
The court of second instance therefore largely ruled in favor of Pierre-Yves Beaudoin, who had appealed his case, ruling that building an additional wall would not solve the problem. Since he acquired the building next door to La Tulipe in 2016, Pierre-Yves Beaudoin has regularly complained about the noise pollution caused by the famous concert hall on Papineau Avenue. The building he owns has two commercial premises and five apartments. One of them is a loft that was converted by Mr. Beaudoin, who now lives there.
This space used to be a warehouse. It is separated from La Tulipe by a simple common wall. The mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, Luc Rabouin, has already suggested that this is a zoning error. According to the City, the permit to build an apartment in this location was granted to Mr. Beaudoin in error. He disputes this claim.
Since its opening in 1913, La Tulipe has had different identities. From 1967 to 2000, actor Gilles Latulippe was its owner. Formerly known as the Théâtre des Variétés, the establishment was for a long time, among other things, the mecca of Quebec burlesque.
Ensemble Montréal, the party that forms the official opposition at city hall, said it was concerned about the future of the concert hall following the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Monday. “We remain deeply shocked that an error by the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough would result in such a nightmare for this cultural institution in our city,” the party’s spokesperson for culture, Chantal Rossi, said in a press release.