After an extensive recruitment process, the City of Ottawa has named Mathieu Grondin as the City’s first-ever Nightlife Commissioner.
Born and raised in Montreal, Mathieu is widely recognized as a global leader in nightlife advocacy. Since 2017, he has worked tirelessly as the founder and director general of MTL 24/24, a non-profit organization that advocates for improved nightlife in Montreal.
The Nightlife Commissioner will play a leadership role in growing the nightlife economy. The role of the Nightlife Commissioner is to develop, support and promote Ottawa’s nightlife economy and establish the city as a nightlife destination of choice for residents, visitors, investors and businesses. Working with key nightlife sectors and stakeholders, the Nightlife Commissioner will lead the implementation of the City’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan. He will be a policy strategist at the city. The purpose of the plan is to support the development of nightlife infrastructure, policies and amenities to deliver nightlife experiences that are more vibrant, diverse, inclusive, viable, safe and well-managed.
An early priority of the new commissioner will be to establish a Nightlife Ambassador Council comprised of industry and community leaders. The objective of the council is to improve communication and collaboration between the City, nightlife businesses and stakeholders, and residents and to identify opportunities to enhance nightlife vibrancy and safety.
More about Mathieu:
- He led the publication of two significant studies that informed the ongoing development of the City of Montreal’s nightlife policy.
- In 2021, Mathieu launched MTL au Sommet de la nuit, a global forum dedicated to nighttime governance. Between 2021 and 2023, the annual event attracted more than 600 people, including speakers from more than 30 cities worldwide.
- Mathieu has been a featured presenter at several international conferences for prestigious organizations such as UN-Habitat, the German Center for Research and Innovation, and the Government of New South Wales.
- Mathieu has also enjoyed a varied career in creative industries, first as a professional actor and then as a director and editor of music videos for artists including Céline Dion, Mes Aïeux, and Radio Radio and for an extensive list of commercial clients.
Facts about Ottawa’s nightlife economy
- An estimated $1.5 billion is spent annually on nightlife activities in Ottawa. This is approximately 30 per cent of the daytime consumer spend.
- Approximately 84 per cent of nightlife spending comes from Ottawa residents and 16 per cent from visitors.
- Ottawa’s nightlife-related businesses employ more than 38,000 workers, including more than 25,000 in food services and 5,000 in arts sectors.
- Ottawa has approximately 4,600 nightlife-related businesses.
Quotes
“I’m very pleased with the work done by the City’s Economic Development department to create a plan for our nightlife economy. As a result, Ottawa is one of the first cities in Canada to establish a Nightlife Commissioner. I am delighted to introduce Mathieu Grondin to the City of Ottawa. As Ottawa’s first-ever Nightlife Commissioner, he will work to establish the city as a nightlife destination of choice for residents, visitors, businesses and investors. I look forward to seeing Mathieu embrace his role as the ambassador and facilitator of the city’s nightlife economy.”
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe
“I am excited to take on the new role of Ottawa’s Nightlife Commissioner. Ottawa is a world class city with a nightlife economy framework that is leading the way among Canadian municipalities. I look forward to being a champion of the Nightlife Economy Action Plan and supporting a nightlife culture that is exciting, inclusive, safe and well-managed for all.”
Mathieu Grondin, Nightlife Commissioner
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