Nightclubs up against the wall

If it is again possible to go out to the movies, eat in restaurants or fill an amphitheater in Quebec, it is still forbidden to… dance. Something to make night owls impatient and especially to provoke the ire of nightclub owners, who plead for the immediate resumption of dancing. Their survival is at stake, according to them.

Lea Carrier
Press

“I have no choice: I must open or I will close forever. It is now or never. If they don’t let us open, we’ll open ourselves. ”

In recent weeks, Tommy Piscardeli, owner of Stereo, Montreal’s nightlife hotspot, believes he’s in a bad movie. A new failed version of Footloose.

While Quebec can claim to have one of the best vaccination rates in the world, it is also one of the last places where indoor dancing is still prohibited. In June 2020, the owners of nightclubs accepted the decree without flinching. But their patience is crumbling. With the vaccination passport and the stabilizing cases, what are we waiting for to give them the green light? For some establishments, it has already passed midnight.

Despite federal subsidies, Piscardeli estimates his losses at over half a million dollars.

Speaking of federal subsidies, Ottawa announced Thursday the extension of the business support program until May 2022. The office of the Minister of Finance of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, had not however confirmed, at the time of writing these lines, if night establishments would be included.

Up against the wall, the nightlife industry met on Saturday in Montreal to demonstrate in the name of dance. Nic Urli, who collaborated in the opening of the Hà restaurants, speakeasy Club Velvet and Box Flyjin, among other establishments, will feature at the front of the march.

This fall, he resigned himself to converting the guts of Velvet and Flyjin, where anonymity normally reigned and the air vibrated at 160 beats per minute, into lounge user-friendly.

“I didn’t want to open a nightclub in a context where I couldn’t exploit it to its full potential. But I was at the end of my financial life. It was either I open or I go bankrupt, ”he says.

For now, its sales – halved by the new business model – are barely covering the debts accumulated over the past year and a half. So, as long as you declare bankruptcy …

“We’re probably going to engage in civil disobedience if the dance floors don’t reopen.” Give us tickets. In any case, we will not be able to pay them, ”he defies.

“Are we dangerous? ”

“Is there any proof that you’re more dangerous than a crowded restaurant or business?” », Launches Tommy Piscardeli. This is the question many owners of nightclubs are asking themselves, who denounce the health flexibility applied to the menu.

What then justifies the extension of the decree? We dance in Berlin, New York and Toronto…

Asked about this, the Ministry of Health and Social Services replied that it trusted “its team of experts and the recommendations and opinions of the INSPQ”, and recalled that the “Quebec strategy [était] to gradually relax the health measures in order to see the impacts on the epidemiological situation ”.

The Ministry also said it was aware of the demands of the bar and dance world, and indicated that “reflections [étaient] in progress regarding the adjustment of the various sanitary measures ”. However, he did not move forward on a specific timetable.

The prudence of Quebec suits some owners. Patrick Grégoire, for example, prefers to prioritize the health and safety of citizens, even if it means postponing the reopening of the dance floors at the appropriate time. Having said that, he is aware of his luck. Its bar, the Datcha, has adapted very well to table service, especially with a summer terrace and a proven cocktail menu.

“I think there is sometimes an uneven application of the rules, and it’s unfortunate, but I think we prefer to make sure it’s safe. Having said that, I understand the owners for whom this is difficult and I can’t wait for the Dacha dance floor to be open again. ”

Multiple consequences

A specialist in night-time economic life, Mathieu Grondin, founder and managing director of MTL 24/24, is worried about the days to come. The international artists and DJs on whom small venues rely to survive are already shying away from Montreal for dancing cities. The embargo on dance also risks having repercussions on the tourism industry, which benefits greatly from the reputation of Montreal nightlife.

And then there is this worry that nocturnal activities find refuge in illegality, putting their participants at risk.

The City of Montreal is also concerned about this last point, noting an “increase in events that do not respect the sanitary measures in place”. It also recognizes that the “owners of these establishments must obtain predictability in the[approche] of the winter season ”and that“ with the vaccination passport, there are now tools that allow them to better manage the situation and develop a safe reopening protocol ”.

As part of the second part of Montreal at the Night Summit, which has just started, Mathieu Grondin intends to expose these issues to elected officials, but calls on Quebec to open a line of communication, because for the moment, “it does not do not call back ”.

For the right to dance

Night owls have ants in their legs. They too have joined in the protest and are claiming their “right” to dance.

“Dance is a form of expression and freedom of expression should be respected. It allows to express a feeling, an emotion, a culture, a desire. It is worrying, in my opinion, that there is a decree that prevents us from dancing, ”argues Laurianne Lalonde.

In September, the museology technician and dance enthusiast launched a petition to reopen the dance floors, which garnered some 5,000 signatures. A reception which illustrates the general irritation of the population, according to her.

“There is some form of stigma around nighttime activities. We think of debauchery, of young adults going to feast, but it’s so much more than that […]. We need a real dialogue with the government because there is none. We are left behind. ”