Ottawa Nightlife Council accepting applications for volunteers

The City of Ottawa is welcoming applications for a spot on the new Nightlife Council, in an effort to bolster the municipality’s late-night scene.

The application form will be open to the public until Oct. 11, wrote the City of Ottawa in a press release.

According to the city, a department-led working group of up to 18 people will make up the Nightlife Council, a part of Ottawa’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan.

Representatives from six organizations active in Ottawa nightlife economy will join the Nightlife Council, including the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition and Ottawa Tourism. The remaining spots on council will be filled by residents, business owners and workers.

Ottawa has approximately 4,600 nightlife-related businesses, employing more than 38,000 workers.

“The council will provide advice and feedback to the Nightlife Commissioner’s Office on the vibrancy of Ottawa’s nightlife economy and the advancement of nightlife best practices, policies, safety programs, and promotion,” the municipality said in a press release.

With an estimated $1.5 billion spent each year on nightlife activities in Ottawa, this accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the daytime consumer spend. Additionally, data reveals that around 84 per cent of nightlife spending originates from residents, while 16 per cent comes from visitors to the nation’s capital.

Nightlife Council members will be selected by the Ottawa’s Nightlife Commissioner, Mathieu Grondin.

He will conduct an application review process that considers eligibility requirements, relevant background and experience, and community profiles and themes, wrote the City of Ottawa.

Members on the Nightlife Council will be considered unpaid volunteers, with a membership term of two years.

Nightlife Council meetings will take place four times a year, with the first meeting scheduled before the end of 2024.

“Ottawa is a world-class city with a nightlife economy framework that is leading the way among Canadian municipalities. I look forward to supporting a nightlife culture that is exciting, inclusive, safe and well-managed for all,” Grondin said when named Ottawa’s first-ever Nightlife Commissioner in the summer.