PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Regarding the opening of bars after 3 a.m., “next weekend, a pilot project, in one place, will serve as a test bed,” writes our editorialist.
Montrealers who fear that bars open all night will sow chaos in their city can be reassured: that is not at all what is happening.
Posted yesterday at 9:00 a.m.
Next weekend, a pilot project, at one location, will serve as a test bed. At the Society for Technological Arts, DJs will take turns on the turntables from Saturday at 10 p.m. until Monday at 3 a.m. This is not nothing: it is the first time in Canada that a bar service will be offered all night long, without interruption. But this is not the beginning of generalized anarchy either. During this pilot project, the reaction of neighbors will be documented.
We’ll see how the revelers get home – remember in this regard that the metro will be closed at the usual time, but can be used by those who leave the event at 5:30 a.m. This experience is part of a well-marked reflection which aims to understand where, when and how we can allow partying in Montreal without harming residents.
If this pilot project is successful, others will follow. But we proceed one step at a time and that’s good. The objective is to deliver a nightlife policy for 2023. A cautious and supervised approach that should not make anyone lose sleep.