Consensus within easy reach!

Over the past few years, the Corporation des propriétaires de bars, brasseries et tavernes du Québec has recommended that the Government of Quebec extend the opening hours of bars beyond 3:00 AM. There are many reasons for taking this course of action. Staying open until 6:00 AM would be much more attractive to tourists in cities like Quebec City and Montreal. In addition, it would be safer for customers.

Montreal a pilot project?
Encouraged by the success of the Nuit Blanche segment of the Festival Montréal en lumière, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre is ready to consider extending the opening hours for bars from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM.

At a City of Montreal Executive Committee meeting, Mr. Coderre stated that this project could benefit the city’s tourism industry. A pilot project is currently under review for about 15 Quartier Latin district bars and around 10 Crescent Street establishments to stay open until 6:00 AM. The project proposed by Mayor Denis Coderre involves four weekends — June 12, 13 and 14, June 19, 20 and 21, June 26, 27 and 28 and July 3, 4 and 5, 2014.

In addition, Mayor Coderre would like to establish a specific consultation process to address, for instance, safety and noise issues. Montreal’s streets with a concentration of bars become seriously overcrowded at closing time, observed Rémi Boivin, a researcher at the International Centre for Comparative Criminology at Université de Montréal. According to him, moving the closing time for bars to 6:00 AM would alleviate this problem.

The idea of extending opening hours until 6:00 AM was already examined in 2011 by Gilbert Rozon, the founder of the Just for Laughs Festival, when he was Chairman of the Tourism Industry Performance Committee. He has always believed that a later closing time would be an opportunity to uphold Montreal’s true identity.

Other stakeholders, such as Pierre Bellerose, Vice President of Tourism Montreal, say that a comprehensive case study must be done to find the best option for the city. According to him, it is difficult to predict if the impact on tourism will be significant.

Young Liberals suggest closing bars at 5:30 AM
Many groups and organizations also favour extended hours, including the Youth Commission of the Quebec Liberal Party. It proposes to extend weekend bar hours to promote tourism.

The resolution book for the 31st QLP Youth Commission Congress asks the Quebec Liberal Party to commit, upon its return to government, to moving the closing time for bars, taverns, nightclubs and pubs from 3:00 AM to 5:30 AM on Friday and Saturday night to make the nightlife industry more profitable and, in turn, promote tourism development in the process.

The Commission politique jeunesse de Montréal, which proposed this resolution, believes that closing hours could be tailored to each neighborhood and its traffic to deal with peak tourist periods.

According to the Commission politique jeunesse de Montréal, the nightlife industry is less and less associated with, as it was once perceived in the past, an immoral, dangerous and marginal world. Instead, the industry is now considered legitimate and profitable. In addition, it enhances the city’s image as an urban, vibrant and cosmopolitan town.

The Young Liberals of Montreal also pointed out that the city has positioned itself as a major tourist destination and should learn from New York City and London, where governments manage and oversee the nightlife industry via para-public organizations.

According to a document presented to the participants of the Youth Commission Congress, cities like New York and London, where the nightlife industry is supervised and encouraged by government, are safer since the adoption of these measures.

Get home safer
For some people, the extension would make nightlife establishments more profitable. For others, such as Jean-Marie De Koninck, President of Opération Nez Rouge, customer safety would greatly increase.

As mentioned by Mr. De Koninck in an article in the August 2012 issue of Infobars magazine, this measure would make it safer for customers to return home.

By imposing a single closing time, we end up with a large number of people who must return home safely at the same time. This simultaneous demand increases the waiting time for services (taxi companies, Opération Nez Rouge and other designated driver services). Unfortunately, some patrons choose to drive their own vehicles rather than face a wait that may seem too long, especially in winter.

Increasing the time between last round and closing allows customers to end the evening calmly and encourages anyone unable to drive to wait for a safe way home.

The pros and cons
L’heure de fermeture des bars d’Halifax a été mise en question par le chef du service policier d’Halifax, Jean-Michel Blais en 2012. Ce dernier suggérait que les bars ferment plus tôt afin d’améliorer la sécurité publique. Selon lui on diminuerait le nombre de bagarres dans les rues après la fermeture des bars.

Aujourd’hui les autorités de la ville de Sydney en Australie envisagent-elles aussi d’abaisser l’heure de fermeture de 3 h 30 le matin à 2 h pour une question de sécurité. Une orientation surprenante pour cette ville australienne qui ne semble pas tenir compte de l’expérience d’une autre ville. Melbourne a abaissé l’heure de la fermeture des bars, c’est tout le contraire qui s’est produit, on a assisté plutôt à une augmentation de la violence dans les rues.

Il y a quelques années, le tribunal administratif de Toulouse a annulé l’arrêté préfectoral de janvier 2009 qui obligeait les bars et les restaurants à fermer leurs portes à 3 h le samedi.

Ces établissements sont revenus à la réglementation de 1970 qui ne fixe pas d’heure limite de fermeture le samedi. Pour les soirs de semaine, y compris le vendredi soir, rien ne change : les bars et restaurants doivent fermer à 2 h. Pour les discothèques, les cabarets et les salles de quilles, l’heure de fermeture est maintenue à 6 h.

Les quinze mois de fermeture des bars à 3 h ont été financièrement éprouvants pour les propriétaires, mais certains citoyens y ont plutôt vu une période d’accalmie. Le bruit est toujours la raison principale des opposants. Les gens ont téléphoné régulièrement à leur préfecture (Toulouse) pour se plaindre du bruit provenant des établissements et, encore aujourd’hui, celle-ci reçoit toujours des plaintes contre les bars.

Si le gouvernement du Québec souhaite étudier la possibilité de prolonger les heures d’ouverture des bars, il faut s’attendre à une vive opposition de certains citoyens. La ville de Toulouse en est un exemple, mais on pourrait nommer plusieurs autres endroits où les citoyens ont manifesté leur mécontentement.

Depuis que la Corporation des propriétaires de bars, brasseries et tavernes du Québec a suggéré le prolongement des heures d’ouverture pour les bars il y a déjà quelques années, on ne peut que constater qu’il y a de plus en plus de gens qui se rallient à cette idée. Ce sera l’un des dossiers chauds de 2015.

By Richard Poirier

Par: admin